レヴィナス思想における「子ども」の意味 -過去・現在・未来を貫く〈善さ〉-

Abstract

This paper aims to clarify features of children to which Levinas referred. For this purpose, some conceptions in his thought concerning children were investigated (i.e. "fecundity, " "innocence, " and "youth"). In his writings, "innocence" was found as being naively honest, which is opposed to the integral lucidity. "Fecundity" was found as "goodness, " which gave the power of giving, and "youth" as "goodness, " which Israelite was endowed. The former, "fecundity, " showed the nature of goodness of transcending from present to future; the latter, "youth, " transcending from present to past. According to this investigation, in conceptions of children in Levinas's thought, Goodness is linked to past, present, and future. However, this Goodness is not in the synchronic dimension, and is not categorized as moral. The perspective of children that includes Goodness in Levinas's thought is different from that of the modern ego. His perspective of children tells us the meaning that we enjoy features of children and also provides us with clue to reconsider the reason for rearing children.