Author:
SUN Pan, Ph.D. Candidate, School of Liberal Arts, Renmin University of China.
MA Yuanlong, Professor, School of Liberal Arts, Renmin University of China.
Abstract:
In Levinas's philosophy, God is not merely a theological concept but is intrinsically linked to the ethical. God signifies the Wholly Other, entirely separate from humanity, and cannot be perceived as an object of consciousness but as a trace. This separation does not negate the commandments and revelations directed toward humanity; rather, it shapes an ethical subjectivity through "a relation without a correlate" to God, fostering an openness to infinity and responsibility for the Other. The core of Levinas's thought lies in how the illeity of God directs us toward others, where the concept of "one-for-the-other" and the ethical relation with the Other becomes essential. By examining the divine-human separation, the divine-human relation, and ethical responsibility towards others, we see that, for Levinas, theology's essence is rooted in ethics, positioning ethics as "the first theology".
Keywords:
Levinas, God, subjectivity, Other, ethical relation
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