Abstract
To maintain a dynamic political community, political institutions should be constantly checked by their citizens. Unfortunately citizens are raised in that very community and carry on its presuppositions. If we want to criticize a political community we cannot use existing categories that were created by it. But when we free ourselves of those presuppositions and stop reducing everything to the Same, which can be seen as a product of our community, we can make a start in checking our political institutions. Freeing oneself of said presuppositions, however, is a very problematical issue. Levinas has described this issue in various texts. I would like to examine this moment, where the ego and its foundations fall apart, through Levinas phenomenology and investigate the possibilities of using his analysis to urge people to develop a greater political consciousness instead of withdrawing themselves in a private sphere where the ego continues to reduce everything to the Same.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | The Ethical and the Political: Levinas and Social-Political Theory |
Editors | Michael R. Paradiso-michau, Sol J. Neely |
Publication status | Published - 2007 |
Bibliographical note
Michael R. Paradiso-Michau and Sol J. NeelyKeywords
- Levinas
- The political
- Presuppositions
- Persuasion