Levinas Resistance To Outsiders

In my eyes, this is really an intriguing article, which mainly explores the root of people’s nationalism and their resistance to outsiders, based on the Jewish philosopher Emmanuel Levinas’s analysis. I like how the author addresses that there is a “full circle” here -- supposedly, we should share our possessions “with all human beings”, but such responsibility is infinite and impossible, due to that “our identifications and differentiations always fail as adequate descriptions of others” and “we do not have enough to give to all”; hence, “the systematic organization and distribution of resources amongst human beings”, which forms notions with “with rigid identities and physical boundaries”, is required; and people’s resistance to outsiders begins here. Although the author does a good job of illustrating the “full circle” here, he fails to fully explain to his readers that why “our responsibility for others is the foundation of all human communities” and how to escape from that “full circle”; he only mentions it briefly without any supporting evidences. …show more content…
Also, the author poses specific scenarios like “For instance, your identity as an Italian high school teacher …” and “You may be a British Anglican from the Midlands ...” to appeal to readers’ emotions (pathos). Last, the author writes about the philosopher Emmanuel Levinas’ biography “Born into a Jewish family in Kaunas, Lithuania, in 1906, Levinas moved to France in 1923 …”, in order to make us readers have a better understanding of the philosopher himself and his later-developed thoughts