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Un-Common Sociality: Thinking Sociality with Levinas

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Un-Common Sociality: Thinking Sociality with Levinas UN-COMMON SOCIALITY Thinking sociality with Levinas Ramona Rat SÖDERTÖRN PHILOSOPHICAL STUDIES Södertörn Philosophical Studies is a book series published under the direction of the Department of Philosophy at Södertörn University. The series consists of monographs and anthologies in philosophy, with a special focus on the Continental-European tradition. It seeks to provide a platform for innovative contemporary philosophical research. The volumes are published mainly in English and Swedish. The series is edited by Marcia Sá Cavalcante Schuback and Hans Ruin. Cover image: le film oscille entre archives de spectacle et prononciation, anagramme et synonyme (56 x 81 cm), Irina & Silviu Szekely, 2012. UN-COMMON SOCIALITY SÖDERTÖRN PHILOSOPHICAL STUDIES 2016 Un-common Sociality Thinking sociality with Levinas Ramona Rat SÖDERTÖRN PHILOSOPHICAL STUDIES Södertörn University The Library SE-141 89 Huddinge www.sh.se/publications © The author Cover image: le film oscille entre archives de spectacle et prononciation, anagramme et synonyme (56 x 81 cm), Irina & Silviu Szekely, 2012. Graphic Form: Per Lindblom & Jonathan Robson Printed by Elanders, Stockholm 2016 Södertörn Philosophical Studies 19 ISSN 1651–6834 Södertörn Doctoral Dissertations 124 ISSN 1652–7399 ISBN 978–91–87843–60–0 (print) ISBN 978–91–87843–61–7 (digital) Acknowledgements First and foremost I would like to sincerely thank my supervisors Fredrika Spindler and Marcia Sá Cavalcante Schuback for their guidance and endless support throughout my doctoral years. Their vast knowledge and insightful advice, along with their countless careful readings of my text in its different stages, helped me develop this thesis and bring clarity to my thoughts. Thank you for your tireless help and infinite patience! I would also like to express my gratitude to the School of Culture and Education from Södertörn University and especially the Philosophy Depart- ment, for the highly professional and friendly environment that I had the privilege to enjoy during my studies. The opportunity to present my work on various occasions at the Higher Seminars in Philosophy made possible for me to benefit from a number of useful comments from both senior staff and fellow doctoral candidates. I would like to thank in particular Hans Ruin, Irina Sandomirskaja, Nicholas Smith, Fredrik Svenaeus, Sven-Olov Wallenstein, Charlotta Weigelt, Anders Bartonek, Jonna Bornemark, Erik Bryngelsson, Carl Cederberg, Lovisa Håkansson, Krystof Kasprzak, David Payne, Johan Sehlberg, Anna-Karin Selberg, Gustav Strandberg, Gabriel Itkes Sznap and Björn Sjöstrand. I also remain greatly indebted to my oppo- nents on these seminars, Paulina Remes, Bettina Bergo, Carl Cederberg and Susanna Lindberg, for their attentive reading and constructive critique. An important role in rendering possible the writing of this thesis has The Centre for Baltic and East European Research (CBEES) and The Baltic and East European Graduate School (BEEGS). CBEES and BEEGS have offered a fruitful academic milieu where I always felt welcomed. For this, I am deeply thankful to director Rebecka Lettevall, all the faculty and staff. I also thank Ewa Rogström, Nina Cajhamre, Lena Arvidson and Karin Lindebrant for their cheerful spirit and kind assistance, especially regarding the ad- ministrative tasks. During my studies I have received the generous financial support of The Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies, for which I am truly thankful. I am also grateful to Helge Ax:son Johnsons Stiftelse and to Gunvor och Josef Anérs Stiftelse for offering financial support for the final stage of my writing. In the course of my studies I had the opportunity to meet and have inspiring discussions with wonderful people, among them Tanya Jukkala, Anne Kaun, Paul Karlsson, Jaska Turunen, Florence Fröhlig, Eva Schwarz, Steffen Werther, Mirey Gorgis, Maryam Adjam, Karin Edberg, Péter Balogh, Carina Guyard and Ola Svenonius. I am profoundly grateful for their supporting friendship. I thank my dear friends Andreea and Silviu Székely for allowing their beautiful artwork to be on the cover of this book, as well as for the many hours of our long-distance philosophical conver- sations. Last but not least, I would like to express my gratitude to those who are closest to me. Thank you Beni, Cristina, Klári and Tati for always helping me out and staying by my side, no matter what. Vă mulțumesc! Contents Abbreviations .............................................................................................................. 11 Works by Levinas .................................................................................................. 11 Other works ........................................................................................................... 12 Introduction ................................................................................................................ 13 Reading Levinas .................................................................................................... 13 General aims and structure of the argument .................................................... 18 Reading about Levinas ......................................................................................... 24 PART I Subjectivity and Multiplicity ..................................................................................... 31 CHAPTER 1 Substitution ................................................................................................................. 33 1.1. De-posed subject ............................................................................................ 35 1.2. Inside-out ........................................................................................................ 40 CHAPTER 2 Bad Consciousness and Bad Time ........................................................................... 55 2.1. The an-archy of the hither side .................................................................... 56 2.2. Non-intentional consciousness.................................................................... 59 2.3. Diachrony of Time ........................................................................................ 71 CHAPTER 3 Self and Multiplicity ................................................................................................... 79 3.1. The radicalization of multiplicity ................................................................ 80 3.1.1. Subjectivity in “Totality and Infinity” ................................................ 81 3.1.2. Radical multiplicity ............................................................................... 88 3.2. Radical multiplicity in “Otherwise than Being” ......................................... 94 3.2.1. The continuity in thinking subjectivity .............................................. 96 3.2.2. For the other(s) ...................................................................................... 97 CHAPTER 4 The Question of Justice ............................................................................................ 101 4.1. An outside dimension.................................................................................. 102 4.2. “Inside-out” and “outside” intertwined .................................................... 106 4.2.1. Ethics and justice ................................................................................. 106 4.2.2. The saying and the said ....................................................................... 119 4.3. Singular and plural ....................................................................................... 127 PART II Sociality ...................................................................................................................... 133 CHAPTER 5 Sociality: the Word and the Notion ........................................................................ 135 5.1. Sociality – the notion ................................................................................... 136 5.2. The word ‘sociality’ ...................................................................................... 144 CHAPTER 6 The Presence and Absence of Sociality in Levinas’s Early- and Middle-period Works ......................................................................................................................... 149 6.1. “Existence and Existents” and “Time and the Other” ............................. 151 6.2. “Totality and Infinity” ................................................................................. 159 CHAPTER 7 The Presence and Absence of Sociality in Levinas’s Later Works ..................... 171 7.1. The ‘correction’ of the I-Thou .................................................................... 172 7.2. Sociality and proximity................................................................................ 181 7.3. Sociality and love .......................................................................................... 187 7.4. Sociality and society ..................................................................................... 196 CHAPTER 8 Thinking Sociality with Levinas against Levinas .................................................. 201 8.1. The critique of the dyad .............................................................................. 202 8.2. Sociality as Facing ........................................................................................ 206 PART III Un-common Sociality .............................................................................................
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