UID:
almahu_9948664648602882
Format:
1 online resource (247 p.)
Edition:
1st, New ed.
ISBN:
9781453904473
Series Statement:
American University Studies 292
Content:
Emmanuel Levinas’ Conceptual Affinities with Liberation Theology analyzes Levinas’ work in relation to two important liberation theologians, Gustavo Gutiérrez and Jon Sobrino, whose scholarship, like his, needs to be brought into greater contemporary debate about the subject’s encounter with the other. More specifically, this book argues that for Levinas, Gutiérrez, and Sobrino, commitment to the neighbor is the necessary context for «understanding» God. They posit the human other as the possibility of the subject’s subjectivity. To be human is to act with love toward one’s neighbor. Thus, the author articulates the possibility of reading Levinas’ philosophy as a revalidation of one of the truths of Christianity: the concern for the humanity of every human person as expressed in Christian theology in general and liberation theology in particular. In order to show the relevance of Levinas’ philosophy for Christian theology in general, the author discusses three Christian scholars, Enrique Dussel, Jean-Luc Marion, and Michael Purcell. Although they challenge some aspects of Levinas’ philosophy, they nevertheless see its significance for Christian theological anthropology. The discussion concludes by proposing Levinas’ philosophy and liberation theology’s turn to the neighbor as significant for addressing contemporary socio-political and ethnic conflicts in sub-Saharan Africa.
Content:
«The importance of Emmanuel Levinas’ ethics of responsibility for theology in general, and liberation theology in particular, cannot be overstated. By placing Levinas’ thought in dialogue with liberation theologians, as well as prominent Christian thinkers who are well versed in the phenomenological tradition and its implications for the status of metaphysics, Alain Mayama demonstrates that the Levinasian ‘turn to the other’ belongs at the heart of contemporary theological anthropology. What is more, Mayama argues convincingly that Levinas’ transcendental ethics has a significant degree of applicability in the real time of sub-Saharan political, social, and ethnic conflicts.» (Marie L. Baird, Associate Professor of Theology, Duquesne University; Author of ‘On the Side of the Angels: Ethics and Post-Holocaust Spirituality’) «Phenomenology is the current currency of theology. Writers as diverse as Dussel and Marion have sought to exploit the theological significance of phenomenology, not only methodologically but on account of its ethical intent. Levinas has been a key interlocutor in drawing attention to the ethical basis of theology. All talk of God is already inscribed in the face of the other person, but deciphering and liberating the trace of God in the face of the other person is both an onerous and honorable task. This book is a welcome addition to the expanding theological reflection on Levinas’ theological appropriation and is to be commended. Having read this, one will want to read and think more.» (Michael Purcell, Senior Lecturer in Systematic Theology, University of Edinburgh)
Additional Edition:
ISBN 9781433106545
Language:
English
DOI:
10.3726/978-1-4539-0447-3
URL:
https://www.peterlang.com/view/product/28186?format=EPDF
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