2013: Emmanuel Levinas: The Origin of Responsibility

DIRECTOR:
Richard A. Cohen, Professor of Philosophy, Chair of the Department of Jewish Thought, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York. Professor Cohen is one of the world’s preeminent Levinas scholars, author of several books on Levinas, the most recent of which is "Out of Control: Confrontations between Spinoza and Levinas" (2016), translator into English of four books by Levinas, and author of numerous articles in modern and contemporary continental philosophy.

SPONSORS:
The Levinas Center; Institute of Jewish Thought and Heritage, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY; The Jewish Culture and Information Center, Vilnius, Lithania

LOCATION:
The Jewish Culture and Information Center
3a/5 Mesiniu Street
Vilnius, Lithania

TOPIC DESCRIPTION:
The ethical philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas (1906-1995) represents one of the most profound and innovative contributions of 20th century thought. Levinas calls for a fundamental reorientation of life and thinking according to which not knowledge, or even aesthetics, but ethics – the elevation of the good – would be recognized as “first philosophy.” The defining mark of ethics, however, would no longer lie in a concern for self, for self-esteem or the quest for happiness. Rather, ethics would originate in the more difficult primacy of the other person, as moral responsibility to and for the other person, to care for the other, and ultimately as responsibility to and for all others, the call of justice.

INVITED SPEAKERS:

• James M. McLachlan (Professor of Philosophy, Department of Philosophy and Religion, Western Carolina University,
  Cullowhee, NC, USA)
• Chung-Hsiung (Raymond) Lai (President of Philosophy Association of Tainan, Taiwan; Dean of College of Liberal Arts, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan).

PARTICIPANTS:

• Dr. Cyndie Sautereau (PhD, Philosophy, Laval University, Québec, Canada; Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Fonds Ricœur, Paris, France),
  Dr. Irina Poleshchuk (PhD, Philosophy, Department of Social and Moral Philosophy, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; post-doctoral research, European Humanities University, Vilnius, Lithuania)
  Viktoras Bachmetjevas (PhD graduate student of Philosophy at Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania)
  Nicole Guerriero (MA, Philosophy, University at Buffalo (SUNY), Buffalo, USA; Toronto, Canada)
  Raluca Badoi (PhD graduate student of Philosophy, Department of European Studies, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania)
  Prof. Igor Dukhan (PhD, Philosophy (Philosophy of Culture) and Architecture, Belarusian State University; Chair, Arts and Design, Belarusian State University, Minsk, Belarus)
  Paul-Gabriel Sandu (PhD candidate in Philosophy, Department of Philosophy, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Germany;Romania)
  Assoc. Prof. Abey Koshy (PhD, and Assoc. Prof, Philosophy, Dept. of Philosophy, Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady, India)
  Mao Xin (MA, Theology and Religious Studies Department, PhD graduate student, Theology and Religious Studies, King’s College London, UK)

AUDITORS:

• Jake Adair (BA student of Philosophy, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA)
• Olga Tomasello (BA student of Philosophy, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA)
• Julija Tuleikyte (PhD graduate student of Philosophy, Department of Philosophy, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania)

ORGANIZERS:

• Jolanta Saldukaitytė, Phd, Philosophy, Vilnius Gediminas Technical University, Vilnius, Lithuania
• Richard A. Cohen, Professor of Philosophy, Chair of the Department of Jewish Thought, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York

CONTACT: levinas.center@gmail.com