The Absolutely Other: A Key Word in Emmanuel Levinas' Philosophy
Abstract
Levinas discovered the "infinite otherness," Derrida said: "Levinas's thought can make us tremble." "While shaking his theory to do this makes a certain degree of deconstruction, but still had not reduced its overall shocking in today's globalization intensifies with each day, which implied the same for hegemony and it is still a blockbuster, at least, I think, the modern theory of dialogue it will eventually be From the basis of subversion; basis for dialogue will not be the "heart Similarly with" not "communicative rationality", which also should not be a dialogue in order to "consensus", "communication", "consistency", but "face to face." Let he who is still he who, differences still remain differences. Jacques Derrida felt that Emmanuel Levinas' thought could make readers tremble. Obviously, it is chiefly because Levinas supposed an "Absolutely Other." Although many years passed since Derrida deconstructed this trembling thought, it could still have effects upon us as before. To the hegemony and sameness implied in today's increasing globalization, it is still a heavy bomb. At least, this essay insists, the modern theory of dialogue would be upset from the very basis. For the "absolutely other", the underpinning of dialogue will no longer be such a thesis, "same heart, and so same reason", nor "communicative reason", and therefore the aim for a dialogue will not be "knowledge-sharing", "communication", "agreement", but "face to face ", in which eventually the other is still the other, and difference still difference