Levinas and the Political (Thinking the Political)

"Emmanuel Levinas is one of the most influential philosophers of the twentieth century and is best known for his work on ethics and theology. Even though he has been very influential in literature and cultural theory, the political implications of his work have so far been neglected. Levinas & the Political is the first book to explore systematically the relation of Levinas's thought to the political, and how the ethical resources he offers can enrich our understanding of the political arena." "Levinas & the Political explores the political from Levinas's early writings in the face of National Socialism through to his controversial political statements on Israel and French politics. It analyses themes such as the deconstruction of metaphysics as a reconfiguration of the political, embodiment, the face and alterity. Howard Caygill also explores Levinas's engagement with the heritage of Heidegger and Bergson, and the implications of his rethinking of the political for an understanding of the significance of the Holocaust." "Levinas & the Political is essential reading for all students of philosophy and politics and all those interested in Levinas."--Cover.