레비나스에게 가족의 의미:『전체성과 무한』4부 C “번식성” 및 D “에로스 속의 주체성”에 대한 한 가지 해석

Abstract

This article examines the meaning of family that Levinas alludes to through my own close reading and interpretation of Totality and Infinity, Part 4, C, “Fecundity,” and Part 4, D, “Subjectivity in Eros,” and then discusses its significance and limitations. To achieve this, I first briefly elucidate Levinas' theory of eros in Totality and Infinity, which serves as the trigger for the birth of the family. Next, this essay examines how the relationship between parent and child is described in the text and how each being is understood in terms of family membership. Finally, building on this exploration, the article points out the significance and limitations of Levinas' understanding of the family in Totality and Infinity. On the one hand, his understanding of family transcends the traditional view of family as simply kinship, as it is based on responsibility. On the other hand, because Levinas sees the roles of father, mother, and child as more or less fixed within the category of (family) normality, the article concludes that his understanding of family, at least in Totality and Infinity, is largely confined within the limits of the traditional notion of the normal family.