PhilosoPhy / Religion s i m m o n s Brings two of the most important religious a Kierkegaard n d thinkers into conversation W o o d Recent discussions in the philosophy of religion, ethics, and personal politi- and Levinas cal philosophy have been deeply marked by the influence of two philosophers who are often thought to be in opposition to each other, søren Kierkegaard K and Emmanuel levinas. devoted expressly to the relationship between levi- i nas and Kierkegaard, this volume sets forth a more rigorous comparison and e r sustained engagement between them. Established and newer scholars repre- k e senting varied philosophical traditions bring these two thinkers into dialogue g Ethics, in 12 sparkling essays. They consider similarities and differences in how each a a elaborated a unique philosophy of religion, and they present themes such as r d time, obligation, love, politics, god, transcendence, and subjectivity. This con- Politics, a versation between neighbors is certain to inspire further inquiry and ignite n philosophical debate. d and R Eligion L e J. aaRon simmons is a visiting professor of philosophy at hendrix college. v i n david Wood is centennial Professor of Philosophy at vanderbilt Univer- a s sity, where he teaches continental philosophy and environmental thought. indiana sERiEs in thE PhilosoPhy of REligion edited by merold Westphal, editor J. aaron simmons and david Wood INDIANA University Press INDIANA Bloomington & Indianapolis http://iupress.indiana.edu 1-800-842-6796 Kierkegaard and Levinas Indiana Series in the Philosophy of Religion Merold Westphal, editor EDITED BY J. A ARON SIMMONS DAV ID WOOD AND Kierkegaard and Levinas Ethics, Politics, and Religion indiana university press Bloomington and Indianapolis This book is a publication of Indiana University Press 601 North Morton Street Bloomington, IN 47404-3797 USA http://iupress.indiana.edu Telephone orders 800-842-6796 Fax orders 812-855-7931 Orders by e -m ail [email protected] © 2008 by Indiana University Press All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The Association of American University Presses’ Resolution on Permissions constitutes the only exception to this prohibition. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information S ciences—P ermanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984. Manufactured in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Kierkegaard and Levinas : ethics, politics, and religion / edited by J. Aaron Simmons and David Wood. p. cm. — (Indiana series in the philosophy of religion) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-253-35258-3 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 978-0-253-22030-1 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Kierkegaard, Søren, 1813–1855. 2. Lévinas, Emmanuel. I. Simmons, J. Aaron, date II. Wood, David, date B4377.K5527 2008 194—dc22 2008021268 1 2 3 4 5 13 12 11 10 09 08 To a continued conversation between neighbors Contents Acknowledgments ix List of Abbreviations xi Introduction: Good Fences May Not Make Good Neighbors After All 1 J. Aaron Simmons and David Wood part one. levinas on kierkegaard 1. The Many Faces of Levinas as a Reader of Kierkegaard 21 Merold Westphal 2. Existential Appropriations: The Infl uence of Jean Wahl on Levinas’s Reading of Kierkegaard 41 J. Aaron Simmons part two. on love and transcendence 3. Who or What or Whot? 69 John Llewelyn 4. Kierkegaard and Levinas on Four Elements of the Biblical Love Commandment 82 M. Jamie Ferreira 5. The Greatest Commandment? Religion a nd/o r Ethics in Kierkegaard and Levinas 99 Jeffrey Dudiak part three. time, alterity, and eschatology 6. Hearing, Patiently: Time and Salvation in Kierkegaard and Levinas 125 David Kangas and Martin Kavka 7. Kierkegaard, Levinas, and “Absolute Alterity” 153 Michael Weston 8. What Kierkegaardian Faith Adds to Alterity Ethics: How Levinas and Derrida Miss the Eschatological Dimension 169 John J. Davenport part four. e thico-p olitical possibilities 9. The Challenge of Justice: The Ethics of “Upbuilding” 199 Edith Wyschogrod 10. Levinas and Kierkegaard: Ethics and Politics 211 Zeynep Direk 11. Works of Justice, Works of Love: Kierkegaard, Levinas, and an Ethics Beyond Difference 229 Stephen Minister 12. “More Than All the Others”: Meditation on Responsibility 244 Martin Beck Matuštík List of Contributors 257 Index 261 viii Contents Acknowledgments We would like to thank Merold Westphal (series editor) and Dee Mortensen (senior sponsoring editor) for their continuous support of this volume. The index was prepared by Alison Sven. The essays by Merold Westphal and Martin Matuštík have appeared previ- ously in journals. We thank the editors of those journals for allowing us to re- print those essays here. • Merold Westphal, “The Many Faces of Levinas as a Reader of Kierkegaard,” Revista Portuguesa de Filosofi a (2008). • Martin Matuštík, “‘More Than All the Others’: Meditation on Responsibility,” Critical Horizons: A Journal of Philosophy and Social Theory 8, no. 1 (August 2007): 47–60.