March 6, 2012
Illeity
The concept of illeity stresses how God is absolutely Other than human beings. God is non-comprehensible; and if we have an idea of God in our minds, that idea is not God. This concept stresses that God’s transcendence can never be totally contained; God is always ahead of us and we can never catch up. Levinas, in stressing transcendence, is showing that God is majestic and absolutely different from us. But although he is distant and different he is non-indifferent to us.
To stress the transcendence of God is to stress that God is not an idol. An idol is something that one can command, manipulate, or predict. We cannot expect God to do the things we want. When atheists say “God does not exist”, they have in mind certain ideas of God which, upon critical reflection, must really be killed. Nietzsche was correct when he said certain ‘ideas’ of God must be smashed. Sometimes it is as if God is absent, but perhaps we only have a pre-judgement of how God should manifest.We make God conform to our image, instead of us coming closer to God. This is not the God of illeity. God’s presence is not usually manifested in ways we want or expect.
Though God is not a phenomenon and he is not perceived nor does he hide himself. Because He is always ahead He only leaves behind a ‘trace.’ God shows himself in our responsibility and our genuine relationship with Others. Because God cannot be seen or perceived, it is through the witnesses that he makes himself felt. The glory of the infinite is revealed in what it changes in the witness. Illeity is almost considered absent in order to bring about the creativity of the human being.
This presence is one which retreats to create space so that the human being can be responsible for the Other. The glory of the infinite consists in our creativity for the Other. The infinite is also in me because I am inspired by the Other. Ethics is not just external impositions, but it something that is inside me, disturbs me, and pushes me out to testify.
Prophetism
(Notes on Interview number 10)
Every human being is called to be prophet or witness. The fact that one can be responsible means that one can be a prophet.
Levinas says that responsibility is beyond knowledge and should not remain within knowledge; however, one must go through knowledge. Levinas cannot make us responsible, he can only speak of responsibility. Prophetism is the moment of the human condition itself; every human being assuming responsibility for the Other is assuming responsibility for the Infinite.
Ethics and religion go together. Ethics is the responsibility for the Other. Levinas is showing that the love of God is not the love of God without love of Other.
This responsibility is spelled out in more complete rules and norms in religion. Sometimes people console themselves by following the letter of these rules but are not really following its spirit. When people just confine themselves to fulfilling those rules, they may be ‘religious’ but they are not practicing religion. Religion is the good you do to the Other. There is a difference between a ‘religious’ person and an ethical person.