Una stravagante utopia. Abensour lettore di Levinas

Abstract

Miguel Abensour’s work centers on the theme of utopia, demonstrating its profound potential in both the political and ethical realms through analyses of numerous utopian thinkers. Unexpectedly, among these authors appears the figure of Emmanuel Levinas. Although the French- Lithuanian philosopher did not explicitly develop a concept of utopia, Abensour interprets Levinasian thought as the foundation for a new “utopian spirit.” This spirit, as Abensour understands it, signifies both an existential conversion of the subject and an alternative, resistant political practice. This article reconstructs Abensour’s engagement with Levinas, specifically by focusing on the crucial link established between the concept of “utopia” and that of “an-archy”. Both terms are read as expressions of a critical attitude toward the social order, manifesting through the fundamental questioning of established foundations.