Faith and the feminine in Levinas The Horizon of Hope

Abstract

The philosophical works of Emmanuel Levinas rely heavily on the revelatory face to face encounter with The Absolute Other. In this encounter the individual is forced to recognize difference, ethics, and in turn finds freedom. A question remains at the centre of this revelation in how the finite individual is meant to recognize the absolute infinite? This thesis offers a response to this question by presenting faith (an outwardly directed hope) as a preparatory condition of the individual awarded by the Feminine that ultimately bridges the gap between the finite and the infinite.