The Journal of Levinasian study is the official publication after Levinas Studies Institute, established in 2000 by Benny Lévy, Bernard-Henri Levy and Alain Finkielkraut.
Oddly, the publication of excellent quality, both in terms of form (layout, paper ,...) that content does not seem to get an echo to the height of what it produces . Yet those who complain about not finding today in Jewish thought the caliber of what we used to call "School of Paris" in the years 60-70, including Levinas and Manitou, should immerse themselves in the articles of CEL.
In addition to famous names such as media and BHL Finkielkraut or Jean-Claude Milner , there are authors younger, lesser known but absolutely no less bold. The evidence in this No. 6 dedicated to a theme oh interesting the Universal .
Once is not custom, Jean-Claude Milner who speaks best. He explained that his reflections on the Universal was transformed when Benny Levy told him a reflection made by a fellow student during a day of Yeshiva classic "where does the universal enjoys much prestige among philosophers?"
Milner, firstly, the valid question: "The question is actually worth being asked. If, as appears, the universal concept is a clear, if even one is entitled to 'There detect darkness and confusion, whence it passes, in the logical order for a specially chosen for clarity and distinction? "
Indeed, Milner noted that in any philosophical discussion, the speaker who comes to drawing the first argument the universal club has won the game by KO: "If we know how to use properly, then the discussion is closed and the one who wielded the word of Universal won. In return, the missing the universal is deemed guilty. He has sinned against reason, against morality, against good policy. "
Milner pursuit by a condensed history of the concept through Greek philosophy and Christian to show the complexity of the term and the ease with which it is possible to turn it into a weapon like the coffee trade scope of any semi-skilled who imagines a worthy descendant of Aristotle.
development that began then Milner is an attempt to continue its discussion with Benny Levy failed on this theme of the universal. Building on their political experience during the years 60-70, Milner explains the difference between the priority given to the intense on many, sadly missed in most political revolutions of the twentieth century. Intense vs. Many, the comparison clearly referring to Jewish name, who has played and still plays a fundamental role in the accurate perception of what this difficult concept is universal. The usual interventions
Bernard Henry-Levy and Alain Finkielkraut are very good performance as well. I'm not going to summarize extensive, but I just want to emphasize a point that seems significant: BHL notes the publication of Being Jewish by Benny Levy . That is to say he is seriously a major event inaugurated by the book: Talmudic Readings of Levinas are no longer taken as gospel.
For a long time, Levinas appeared in the Jewish intellectual field as one who could best bring the games Western language of the Mishna and the Gemara, one able to give them a sense talking to a French second half of the twentieth century.
must say that the criticism could not come easily. For one simple reason: to bring an opposition, or at a minimum make a critical look at the work of Levinas specifically Jewish, it was:
1) have a brain and a well-structured analysis capability powerful
2) a mastery of the language and issues of Western thought
3) a mastery of Talmudic study
The traditional yeshivot had the test 3), could find people worthy of 1) but did not specifically open window on Western culture and did not necessarily want to treating a subject which seemed completely unrelated to the aims they were pursuing (the study of Torah disinterested). The "Parisian Jewish intellectuals" who during the years 70/80/90 became interested in the Jewish tradition have dealt with the biblical and midrashic and translations from the rudiments of Hebrew. But the Talmud is another matter. The technical barrier is far more complicated to overcome. The language is special (Aramaic) and even with an excellent translation, we can not even finger the very specific model of concision and dialectical argumentation.
Benny Lévy, has the three qualities mentioned above. The first two, we knew from his time at Normale Sup. The third hit was acquired (by him) in Strasbourg and then Israeli yeshivot. So therefore, it is able to compete with Talmudic Reading of Levinas, monuments of Jewish thought in the postwar period. Let me explain: in this last book, Benny Levy operates a major but risky move. The subtitle of the book is "Study Levinas' . But it is anything but a work of apologetics. Instead, Benny Levy tackles what is more "idolatrous" in Levinas, and I use the word advisedly: his work typically Jewish. He attacked hard, pointing the paradoxes are real, existing in the work of Levinas: "The thought of Return is allergic to any philosophical conversion. The thought of Return is not a translation of the Bible into Greek. Levinas has fostered this misunderstanding: he even came to say that we must continue the work of the Septuagint, according to tradition imposed by the Greek exile! "
All this, BHL takes note and "stick it" "It is true there is a problem. It is true that by dint of repeating that the election is not a privilege, it is not pride, it is an additional duty and responsibility but not a right to force say that it is sufficient to carry the name of Jew, follow a few simple requirements, it leads to a poor definition of Judaism. "(...)" Then it is true that there are texts in Difficile Liberté in this direction and we can not play without a real unease. (...) The unease that the disciples must have felt the most lucid of Moses Mendelssohn, when he told them that Judaism was the modern, free inquiry, freedom of spirit. Or illness, yet, what must have felt the speakers of these great French Jews, French Jews of those whom I happened to tell Benny Levy that their positions were not lacking in pace but it is impossible not admit that they also made it unnecessary Judaism, painless, colorless, they reduced the prophetic message to be a substitute message of the French Revolution. (...) In short there are texts of Emmanuel Levinas to suggest that sound. " BHL answers his own objection. He admits that Levinas, while urging this interpretation in his writings, taking a risk when it suggests that Judaism can sometimes be reduced to a flat and devoid of humanism asperities. But he defended the way with Levinas, admittedly, a certain panache.
But youth is coming! And "Re-Talmudic reading" Jerome Benarroch no lack of boldness in his critique of Levinas. Returning to the Talmudic reading "And God Created Woman", the young associate letters and well-versed in Talmudic texts resumed the intellectual journey of the interpretation of Levinas by subjecting it to scrutiny.
If we take a brief reading of Levinas, it presents three theses, recalled in detail by Benarroch:
- equality in value between man and woman,
- subhuman and the secondary nature of sexual difference
- the necessity of gender hierarchy or dependence to establish a stable relationship between man and woman in a strictly human level, the relationship between minds.
Jerome Benarroch he argues, so many things, all argued and relevant:
- why such a distance from Levinas to erotic desire? Is this not a fundamental phenomenon in the understanding of sexual difference, much more complex than a simple drive after the animal world?
- how to justify a dependency can guarantee a stable relationship? The revolt regular dominated proves the contrary.
- The Gemara speaks of the creation of woman, made from a "beside the man . The Talmud discusses what exactly this way. Notice think this is a face. Another think that is a tail. About the latter view, Levinas proposes to hear that " tail is an appendage body minor articulation of man "
Except that the tail in a man, it can mean something else .... Benarroch Jerome does not hesitate: " we must at least consider the shocking aspect and provocative proposal, without reducing the image to a "minor articulation of the human," which is certainly well-meaning but appear as the repression of what appears to be the subject of the same pattern.
Benarroch from this point to propose a Re-reading the Talmud, trying to answer the objections above as well as many others, to deploy innovative thinking and non-obvious relationship between man and woman, very refreshing and satisfying a Talmudic point of view and intellectual in times of deprivation of women's rights in some countries, but also improving the Gender studies in the western world to objectively to remove the ontological difference between man and woman who can then propose ideological schemes of organization of society quite explosive.
short, the critique of Levinas is still in its infancy, and surprisingly, it produces results extremely encouraging. It is certainly not pleasant for a Levinasian history to be told that his mentor is well-meaning, prudish, Christianizing the sexual subject and little attentive to the practical and halachic texts that call, but the price for that thought General and Jewish thought in particular, can evolve and offer new ways for readers of this monumental work that is the Talmud.
There are still good things in this collection, including a wonderful interview by Henri Atlan on his relationship to Levinas, whom he knew well lorqu'il studied at the Ecole d'Orsay (Spinoza, Kabbalah, personality ,...), an interesting article from Rony Klein, a young university, the figures of the anarchist, the reactionary and the Jew (albeit less powerful than Jerome Benarroch) and much of pearls text.
A final mention for the text Rene Levy on Paul of Tarsus, who calls Talmudic texts that did not used to cross in the Talmudic anthologies for "well-meaning" but, Surely this explains it, we explode in the face because they affect perhaps what is most intimate for a Jew. This text was so strong that I will certainly be a specific review.
In any case, there is a place where it is still possible to find developments in French thought, renewing links with the interpretation of Jewish texts in their most authentic, but also more rewarding.
Good news.
Note: No. 7 on the theme of evil has been out since April 2008, in all good bookshops or on Amazon
