Religious Studies 3A03 / Philosophy 3J03 (Fall 2004): MODERN JEWISH THOUGHT
Please read Emmanuel Levinas, Ethics and Infinity, with particular attention to chaps. 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10; as well as "Apropos of Buber."
You might find it helpful to look up Lester Embree's entry on "Phenomenology" in the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy [online/Mills Reference] - especially the first couple of "definitional" paragraphs.
Please address the questions below in 2-3 well-written paragraphs each.
As for past Text Preparation assignments, since this is your first reading of the texts, and since we have not yet discussed them in class, you needn't aim for definitive answers but preliminary, thoughtful responses based on detailed textual evidence. You may also include 1-2 important questions raised by your reading for further discussion.Please use parenthetical page references for your quotations and citations. Please type and double-space your answer, and number and staple the pages you hand in.
Please keep a copy of your assignment to refer to in class.
What does it mean, according to Levinas, that "access to the face is straightaway ethical" (E&I 85)?
What does Levinas view as Martin Buber's major philosophical contribution? What does he pinpoint as its major shortcoming?
posted November 25, 2004