From Self to Other Transformations of Ethics in Emmanuel Levinas

Abstract

The shift from the self to the other is the philosophical essence upon which the works of Emmanuel Levinas are based. He revolutionized Western thought by making ethics the first philosophy instead of ontology. He shifted the center of gravity from the self, which dominates the world with knowledge, to the other, who imposes himself as a moral priority. The ethics of the relationship between the self and the other is a shift from the ontology of power to a paradigm of love, kindness, and responsibility. These ethical values enable humanity to embody the idea of shared human coexistence. The other is not a competitor or a threat to the self, but rather the necessary condition for being a moral being.