Difference and sense: The problem of relation in the work of Emmanuel Levinas

This work presents a reading of the development of the heretofore neglected problem of intentionality in the texts of Emmanuel Levinas. It is my contention that through such a reading one uncovers the method of justification operative in Levinas enigmatic notion of ethics. This legitimation aims at both demystifying the paradoxical language of Levinas writing and rendering accessible his notion of ethics. In addition to providing a point of access to Levinas own thought, the dissertation helps to situate his work within the general guiding themes of both the phenomenological movement and the group of thinkers often referred to as "post-structuralist.".;The task of the dissertation is both philological and philosophical in its structure. The philological aspect lies in documenting the Husserlian theme of intentionality throughout Levinas philosophical itinerary, from his 1930 book on Husserl to his most recent essays. The philosophical aspect lies in revealing the alteration of the structure of intentionality that Levinas articulates through the problem of transcendence. To this end, the dissertation focuses on the problem of difference and the constitution of sense and the way in which that problem underpins the language of the "Other"--which in turn underpins his notion of ethics. By studying not only the text of Totality and Infinity--which marks the fruition of Levinas's "first period"--but also the essays on Husserl that lead up to that text, I locate the development of the issue of sense and difference in Husserl's conception of axiological intentionality and the problem of a "transcendental sensualism." The "second period" of Levinas work, which culminates in the publication of Otherwise than Being, or Beyond Essence, is shown to introduce the problem of time into the problem of sensibility. I identify this problem of time through the essays on Husserl in the 1960's, which proves to be an indispensable aid in reading the notoriously difficult text of Otherwise than Being. The dissertation contends throughout that Levinas conception of sense and his alteration of the structure of intentionality comprises his profoundly original contribution to contemporary Continental philosophy.