ABSTRACT

Wittgenstein and Levinas examines the oft-neglected relationship between the philosophies of two of the most important and notoriously difficult thinkers of the twentieth century. By bringing the work of each philosopher to bear upon the other, Plant navigates between the antagonistic intellectual traditions that they helped to share. The central focus on the book is the complex yet illuminating interplay between a number of ethical-religious themes in both Wittgenstein's mature thinking and Levinas's distinctive account of ethical responsibility.

chapter |11 pages

Introduction

chapter 1|29 pages

Peaceful thoughts

Philosophy as therapy in Pyrrhonism and Wittgenstein

chapter 2|29 pages

Trusting in a world-picture

Knowledge, faith and ethics after On Certainty

chapter 3|26 pages

Pluralism, justice and vulnerability

Politicizing Wittgenstein

chapter 4|5 pages

Interlude

On preferring peace to war

chapter 5|21 pages

Wretchedness without recompense

Wittgenstein on religion, ethics and guilt

chapter 6|26 pages

Trespassing

Guilt and sacrifice in Heidegger, Levinas and ordinary life

chapter 7|32 pages

The unreasonableness of ethics

Levinas and the limits of responsibility

chapter 8|19 pages

Contaminations

Levinas, Wittgenstein and Derrida