Emmanuel Levinas and His Interlocutors - by Hanoch Ben-Pazi (Hardcover)

About the Book

This book reexamines Emmanuel Levinas' philosophy, emphasizing his focus on the "Other" and the ethical implications of prioritizing others over self. Through engaging discussions with his intellectual influences and imagined dialogues, it bridges Jewish and universal philosophy, making Levinas' thought accessible for both scholars and broader audiences.

Book Synopsis

This book reexamines Emmanuel Levinas' philosophy, emphasizing his focus on the "Other" and the ethical implications of prioritizing others over self. Through engaging discussions with his intellectual influences and imagined dialogues, it bridges Jewish and universal philosophy, making Levinas' thought accessible for both scholars and broader audiences.

Review Quotes

"In this beautiful book, Hanoch Ben-Pazi introduces the reader to four philosophical encounters between different major thinkers of the twentieth century. These meetings are either imagined or reconstructed against the backdrop of exchanges that actually took place between these thinkers during discussions whose issues still concern our modernity. Levinas is the guest of honor. Known for his predilection for ethics, and for his singular way of thinking about Judaism in tune with major philosophical questions, this philosopher delivers neither lectures, nor narrowly confessional remarks. Rather Ben-Pazi invites various high-quality guests to come

and meet him. However, he is not content merely to reconstruct these exchanges but also joins the conversation, with relevance and audacity, often taking a step back to emphasize what seems most important to him. He wants to encourage readers to listen well since it is indeed the humanity of all of us that is at stake."

- Catherine Chalier, Professor Emerita of Philosophy, Nanterre University

"Rereading Levinas, Hanoch Ben-Pazi develops complex philosophical thoughts on themes such as witnessing, tradition, peace, translation, theodicy, forgiveness, interpretation, parenthood, and education. He masterfully brings Levinas into contact with Leibowitz, Buber, Kook, Soloveitchik, Derrida, Heidegger, Chouchani, Gandhi, and Spinoza. He hereby sheds new light on Levinas's philosophy, his ethical-political thoughts, and his views on Jewish identity, religion, and hermeneutics. Ben-Pazi does not merely offer a careful, in-depth reading of Levinas's oeuvre. He takes Levinas further than Levinas to discuss today's vital questions. His impressive analysis makes Levinas accessible and relevant to the present-day reader. This book is a ripe fruit of a well-known Israeli academician. It is one of those books that stay with you for a long time."

-- Ephraim Meir, Professor Emeritus of Modern Jewish Philosophy, Bar-Ilan University

"By placing Levinas in direct conversation with a range of thinkers from Gandhi to Derrida, and by drawing on the philosophers who influenced Levinas's thinking, Hanoch Ben-Pazi has produced a stunning book that situates Levinas's work in a wider context. By also focusing on Levinas's broad range of themes, Ben-Pazi provides his readers not only with a deeper understanding but also a more complex picture of Levinas's ethical project."

-- Claire Katz, Professor of Philosophy and Education, Texas A&M University

"Ben-Pazi places Emmanuel Levinas in a fascinating and profound dialogue with more than a dozen leading contemporary philosophers, including Hermann Cohen, Martin Buber, Martin Heidegger, Franz Rosenzweig, Jean-Paul Sartre, Yeshayahu Leibowitz, and Joseph Ber Soloveitchik. However, he surprisingly and compellingly argues that Levinas' 'primary role model' was the oft-forgotten Parisian Jewish humanist, Léeacute;on Brunschvicg."

-- Warren Zev Harvey, Professor Emeritus, Department of Jewish Thought, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

"Hanoch Ben-Pazi's Emmanuel Levinas and His Interlocutors offers a groundbreaking perspective on Levinasian thought through sophisticated philosophical comparisons that illuminate Levinas's ethical vision with remarkable clarity. By engaging Levinas in dialogue with intellectual giants such as Spinoza, Heidegger, Buber, and Derrida, this work moves beyond traditional analysis to reveal the contemporary relevance of his ethics. With an innovative framework that explores testimony, political justice, religious terminology, and interpretation, this book not only reassesses Levinas's contributions but also opens new pathways for understanding the ethics of alterity in modern Jewish thought and beyo

About the Author

Prof. Hanoch Ben-Pazi, Head of Weisfeld family Ma'ayan Center for Sustainability, Jewish Philosophy and Ethics. He is a professor in the Department of Jewish Philosophy at Bar Ilan University, specializing in modern philosophy and 20th-century Jewish thought, with a focus on ethics and identity in the works of Martin Buber, Emmanuel Levinas, and Franz Rosenzweig.