Author: WEN Han, Associate Professor, Yuelu Academy, Hunan University.
Abstract:
Emmanuel Levinas is often regarded as a central figure who emphasizes specific religious experiences within the phenomenological investigation of the general structure of experience. However, contrary to this perception, Levinas consistently identifies himself as a phenomenologist. This article delves into Levinas’s engagement with Heidegger’s critique of ontotheology, exploring Levinas’s adoption and development of this critique. It argues that while Levinas inherits Heidegger’s critique of ontotheology, he also provides critiques of Heidegger’s concept of ontological difference. Building on this, Levinas introduces a doctrine akin to “ontological separation.” At the core of this doctrine lies the “disappearance of mediation,” revealing the Other as a singular being, and this revelation is construed as a manifestation of divinity. Consequently, Levinas’s reinterpretation of Heidegger’s thought and his critical engagement with it can be viewed as a radicalization of the phenomenological method, serving as the genuine impetus behind the theological shift within phenomenology.
Keywords:
Ontotheology, Mediation, Separation, Singularity, Divinity
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