Imperatives of Alterity and Law in Levinas and Kant

Topic Description:
Contrary to philosophy’s normal epistemological predilection, both Kant and Levinas argue for “the primacy of practical reason,” for “ethics as first philosophy,” finding morality at the root of all intelligibility.  Yet for Levinas moral imperative arises as responsible response to the other person’s alterity while for Kant it arises as dutiful respect for law in the other and oneself.
Through explication of texts and discussion, this seminar aims to clarify the grounds and some of the moral and political consequences of their agreement and disagreement.

Program:

Monday July 15

I. 10:30am-12:00 noon

OPEN LECTURE:  RICHARD A. COHEN (USA): “WHAT IS EASY AND WHAT IS DIFFICULT IN LEVINAS”

II. 1:30-3:00pm: Kant, 3rd Antinomy, Critique of Pure Reason, A444/B472-A451/B479 [RichardCohen]; end of 2nd Section & 3rd Section, Foundations of the Metaphysics of Morals, 441-463 [Nur Betül Atakul (Turkey)]; Levinas, “Primacy of Pure Practical Reason” [Matthew Koshak (USA)]

III. 3:30-5:00pm: cont. 

Tuesday July 16

IV. 10:00am – 12 noon: Levinas, “Freedom and Command” (1953); in Collected Philo Papers, ed. Lingis, 15-23 [Irina Poleshchuk (Finland), Gediminas Zelvaras (Lithuania)]. 

V. 1:30 – 3:00pm: Levinas, “The Rights of Man and the Rights of the Other” (1985); in Levinas, Outside the Subject, 91-98 [SeanLawrence (Canada), Devorah Wainer (Australia)]. 

VI. 3:30 – 5:00pm: cont. [Anto Varghese (India), Patrick Andre Corpuz Mencias (Philippines)]

Wednesday July 17

VII. 10:00am – 12 noon:

OPEN LECTURE: DANUTĖ BACEVIČIŪTĖ (LITHUANIA), “EVIL AND THE ETHICAL IMPERATIVE IN KANT AND LEVINAS”            

1:30pm – suggested group visit to Kaunas, Levinas’s birth city.

Thursday July 18

VIII. 10:00am – 12 noon

Levinas, from “Substitution,” subsection 5 “Before Freedom,” in BPW. 93-95; Levinas, from God, Death and Time, “The Radical Question Kant Against Heidegger,” last 3 pages, 59-61. 
Jolanta Saldukaitytė, Nur Betül Atakul, Anto Varghese, Matthew Koshak, Femke Caers

Levinas, Otherwise than Being or Beyond Essence: “Responsibility for the Other” (9-11), Essence and Signification” (11-14); “Sensibility” (14-15)
Richard Cohen, Devorah Wainer, Gediminas Zelvaras, Irina Poleshchuk, Patrick Andre Corpuz Mencias

Kant, “Perpetual Peace,” in Kant: Political Writings, ed. Reiss, 99 (on freedom, equality); 116-122, on morality, politics, right and might
James Mclachlan, Andrzej (Andrew) Karpiński, Sean Lawrence

IX. 1:30 – 3:00pm: three groups, cont. 

X. 3:30 – 5:00pm: Jolanta Saldukaityte (Lithuania) “Freedom and Responsibility”; group “reports”. 

Friday July 19

XI. 10:00 – 12 noon:

Levinas, “Humanism and An-Archy” (1968); in Levinas, Humanism of the Other, 45-57 [Andrzej Karpinski (United Kingdom).

XII. 1:30 – 3:00pm: cont. [FemkeCaers (Belgium)]

XIII. 3:30 – 5:00pm               Concluding remarks.

 This year seminar is a part of the research project “The Reception of Emmanuel Levinas’ Thought in Contemporary Philosophical Discourse” funded by the Research Council of Lithuania (grant Nr. S-LIP-22-62) & Institute of Philosophy at Vilnius University