The possibility of an ethical transcendental philosophy in Levinas

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Tezin Türü: Doktora

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2005

Öğrenci: ERDEM ÇİFTÇİ

Danışman: YASİN CEYLAN

Özet:

This study aims to accomplish two tasks: First, it is argued that an ءethical transcendental philosophy̕ is possible with Levinas. Second, the concepts that bear this possibility to a philosophically acceptable level of cogency can be clarified. Philosopher̕s position in history of philosophy suggests a kind of ءexternality̕ in the sense that he is not within the realm of very tradition. Levinas̕ predisposition is rather to employ what he calls ءperi-phrases̕ that hinder the philosopher to settle in the existing structure of concepts (read as Greek language). This position can also be read as a resistance to dominating forms of knowledge. Levinas takes this attitude as an important point of resistance against Western metaphysics that puts the ontology at the center. Against this tradition, he celebrates both the ءencounter with the Other̕ as a pilot point in ethics, one that all rest of which follows from, and the priority of ءthe Good̕. In such a way, ءI̕ has been put into question in its gay independence without any reference to self contained totality, of the kind which is ءself intelligible̕. This attachment that is infinition, of infinity helps us experience not a totality, but ءotherwise than being̕. This attitute might resonate with the Kantian attempt displacing knowledge in order to make room for morality. However, a closer reading would notice that there is another agenda here, one that attempts to go to a status of pre-rationality, beyond rationality, so to speak an agenda that radicalizes the Kantian attempt. Derrida, a philosopher who showed that this attempt was just impossible, impossible in the sense that it was contaminated at the very beginning, skillfully benefits from the very inspiration Levinas has provided with. All these attempts and conceptual suggestions have been examined and analyzed, and the Levinasian inspiration has been tried to be