| dcterms.abstract | Panorama and Proximity in Levinas and the Stoics is a comparative study of the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas and the Stoics centered on their shared emphasis on the ethical importance of disinterestedness and putting the ego in its place. The Stoics aim to perfect their self-control in order to reach the imperturbable state of the sage and become impervious to what one cannot change, while Levinas emphasizes the inevitability of the rupture of the self by others who both call us into question and captivate us. Overall, Levinas tends to highlight both the value and inevitability of the dethroning of the ego, and the Stoics urge us to likewise put our own individual lives in perspective, as we are only one small part of the whole. Although Levinas at times critiques the Stoics for turning inward to develop their own virtues instead of prioritizing being responsive to the more immediate needs of others, he also indicates toward the end of his last major philosophical work, Otherwise than Being, that he may have had more in common with Stoic philosophy than he had theretofore acknowledged. In my dissertation, I extend this gesture and examine the ways in which Levinas inherits some tenets of Stoicism without thereby being reducible to one of his favorite foils. Throughout my dissertation, I also examine the altruistic aspects of both Levinas’ and the Stoics’ ethical ideal and question the extent to which there is room for self-care in their respective work. I draw on a number of feminist thinkers who help to shed light on both some of the compelling aspects and some of the dangers of these types of non-reciprocal altruistic ideals for women in particular given the historical, social, and political contexts we have had to contend with. For example, I consider how Care Ethics upholds “asymmetrical” relationships of care in a way that is similar to the structure of ethical encounters in Levinas’ work. However, Care Ethics philosophers are concerned not just with caring for the Other who is in need but also prioritize making sure that the ones who are doing the work of care-giving are cared for. | |
