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Political Science History & Theory

Difficult Justice

Commentaries on Levinas and Politics

edited by Asher Horowitz & Gad Horowitz

Publisher
University of Toronto Press
Initial publish date
Dec 2005
Category
History & Theory, Ethics & Moral Philosophy
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9780802080097
    Publish Date
    Jan 2006
    List Price
    $93.00
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781442673915
    Publish Date
    Dec 2005
    List Price
    $93.00

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Description

French philosopher and Talmudic commentator Emmanuel Levinas (1906–1995) is best known for his two major, highly original works on ethics, Totality and Infinity (1961) and Otherwise Than Being or Beyond Essence (1974). Among his lesser known works is a short but remarkable essay published in 1934, “Refections on the Philosophy of Hitlerism,” in which he considers German conservatism and the Nazi movement, and reflects on Western philosophy’s capacity to insure itself against ‘elemental evil.’ Difficult Justice uses this essay as an introduction to a collection of papers on Levinas’s ethical and political thought.

In this volume editors Asher and Gad Horowitz bring together contributors from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds to explore how Levinas’s work relates to a broad range of contemporary philosophical and political questions. In particular, they examine Levinas’s challenge to liberalism ‘to find another kinship for man … absolutely opposed to oppression,’ and his movement beyond liberalism to embrace ‘the claim of the Other.’ This thought-provoking collection will not only be invaluable to Levinas scholars, it will also be of interest to those working in the areas of Jewish studies, women’s studies, and political theory.

Contributors:
Keith Anderson
Shannon Bell
Robert Bernasconi
Mielle Chandler
Tina Chanter
Marinos Diamantides
Rosalyn Diprose
Enrique Dussel
Oona Eisenstadt
Robert Gibbs
Asher Horowitz
Gad Horowitz
Ze’ev Levy
Joseph Rosen
Brian Schroeder
Victoria Tahmasebi

About the authors

Asher Horowitz is an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at York University.

Asher Horowitz's profile page

Gad Horowitz is a professor emeritus in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto.

Gad Horowitz's profile page