Wisdom of Love

In The Wisdom of Love, Alain Finkielkraut explores the possibilities of considering the human being as a singular and responsible being again, based on the ethical understanding of Emmanuel Levinas, one of the most important living philosophers. Considering man as an independent, responsible individual, Levinas says that in our age, what is needed for man to own his actions and speak only on his own behalf is not religion, but the destruction of sanctity. Levinas breaks the spell of the world and man; It ceases man to be a product of circumstances or of God. Man is free, but it is not enough; Because no one is alone... A human being, whose first and most basic experience is coming face to face with the Other, with the Other's face, is a being who necessarily takes responsibility. The face calls the other person to responsibility and obliges them to have a relationship. The ethical relationship is a destiny before it is an ideal; Just like love, in the "Grand Theories" that call for "revolutionary duty" or "the meaning of history", every person is positioned as either a victim or a supporter of the system; When no one is responsible, irresponsibility towards other people begins. The face cannot be seen, the face cannot be looked at; What someone else says is placed and judged within a context that is assumed to be known in advance. In The Wisdom of Love, the French Revolution, Nazis, Nationalism and the Red Brigades are exhibited as examples of this totalitarian view. Finkielkraut explains the encounter of a person with his/her relative, the Other, and what the face tells a person, not with complicated philosophical terms, but with the metaphors of literature and daily life. It examines people's personal experiences, from childhood to adulthood, from fears to loves, in a simple style, using examples from the works of Flaubert, Henry James and especially Proust. It does not talk about Human Rights, but about the Rights of Others! The Wisdom of Love is a book that does not fit into the boundaries of familiar philosophy or literary categories and provokes people to think.



Number of Pages: 129

Year of Printing: 1995


Language: Turkish
Publisher: Details Publications

First Printing Year: 1995

Number of Pages: 129

Language Turkish