Ethics as the substitution of Self for Other, according to Emmanuel Levinas: Thinking differently - relationships between men

People today live for themselves without any regard for others. Their actions and behaviour take account only of themselves, thereby forgetting that, as human beings, we exist only in relation to others. I am truly human only if there are others alongside me for whom I automatically assume full responsibility. Recognising my own being through that of another eliminates selfishness within me and leads me to assume my responsibility towards the other, so that I may wish for them the same good that I wish for myself. It is only within an ethical relationship that such a substitution is possible. For when the Self bears the other, each person no longer lives for themselves but for the other; and thus, a constructive solidarity for a new world is born, where we all bear and support one another in building our common home, within which everyone will live happily, prioritising the happiness of others as much as their own. This book invites us to embrace responsibility through the recognition of our own humanity in the person of the other.

Pagina's: 72, Paperback, Our Knowledge Publishing