Breaking Reason’s Silence: THE Living Word According To Levinas And Merleau-Ponty
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62506/phs.v1i2.27Keywords:
word, silence, subjectivity, othernessAbstract
The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate the criticism that Levinas and Merleau-Ponty address to the neutralizing and totalizing power of thought regarding concrete human subjectivities. Despite the differences between the two philosophers, it is possible to affirm that both defend the following thesis: thought does not hold the secret and the potentialities of language. Meaning: language is the condition of thought, not its servant. While Levinas is more concerned with describing the meaning behind reason’s silence breaking, Merleau-Ponty argues that one’s own voices, which are silenced by reason, must be heard. We emphasize in conclusion that, more than producing silence, reason can be discovered as a form of sensitivity understood as hearing, responsibility and ethical restlessness.
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