Philosopher of the Face
Emmanuel Levinas
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A Lithuanian-born French philosopher who survived the war as a prisoner of war while much of his family was murdered in the Holocaust, and argued that ethics begins in the face of another person.
Key work: Totality and Infinity (1961)
“Everyone will readily agree that it is of the highest importance to know whether we are not duped by morality.”
Key ideas, in brief (in our words)
Ethics comes before knowledge.
The face of another calls on you before you choose.
Responsibility for others is not something we sign up for.
Read more: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy
On the climb
The Face
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