Language:
French
Year of publication:
2006
Titel der Quelle:
Cahiers d'Etudes Lévinassiennes
Angaben zur Quelle:
5 (2006) 99-133
Keywords:
Lévinas, Emmanuel
;
Sartre, Jean-Paul,
Abstract:
Pp. 120-131 discuss the shortcomings of Sartre's existentialist categories, which cannot grasp the problem of Jewish existence in modernity. Argues that Sartre's thesis of the Jew as "created" by antisemitism is based on a denial of the historical essence of Judaism. Points out paradoxes that arise when the distinction authentic/inauthentic is applied to Jews as defined by Sartre, since the authentic Jew can only be characterized in terms which make him indistinguishable from any other authentic human being. Yet Sartre's analysis refers to an authentically Jewish "supplement", an addition to the authentic human condition, which, inter alia, expresses itself as anxiety. Nevertheless, as Levinas points out, Sartre downplays the metaphysical character of Jewish anxiety, as he downplays Jewish metaphysics in general, starting with his denial of the possible historical essence of Judaism. Argues that Sartre's thoughts on the Jews and Judaism are influenced by traditional Western philosophical and Christian antisemitism.
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