Ethics and Politics after Poststructuralism: Levinas, Derrida and Nancy (Taking on the Political)

What would political thought look like without the foundation of ethics? Drawing on the work of Emmanuel Levinas, Jacques Derrida and Jean-Luc Nancy, Madeleine Fagan puts forward a radical and far-reaching refusal of foundational ethics. Instead, she proposes an account of the inseparability of ethics and politics. The 'ethical' should not be understood as a label; it does not mean 'good' or 'right', it is not an evaluation or guide. Rather, both the ethical and the political are descriptions of the context in which we find ourselves. The book highlights the necessity of a practice-based rethinking of the relationship between ethics and politics and so denaturalises a series of commonplaces about poststructuralist ethics. This Groundbreaking Book Offers A Fresh And Innovative Perspective On Ethics And Politics After Poststructuralism. Madeleine Fagan Argues That The 'ethical' Should Not Be Understood As A Label; It Does Not Mean 'good' Or 'right', And Is Not An Evaluation Or Guide. Rather, Both The Ethical And The Political Are Descriptions Of The Context In Which We Find Ourselves. Fagan Offers An Account Of The Inseparability Of Ethics And Politics That Challenges Existing Accounts Of Poststructuralist Ethics And Shows The Need For A Practice-based Rethinking Of The Ethico-political. Drawing On The Work Of Emmanuel Levinas, Jacques Derrida And Jean-luc Nancy, Ethics And Politics After Poststructuralism Puts Forward A Radical And Far-reaching Critique Of Both Foundational And Non-foundational Ethical Theory. Acknowledgements; Introduction -- The Politics Of Ethical Theory; The Limits Of Ethical Theory; Non-foundational Ethics And Practical Politics; The Limits Of Ethics And Politics; Map Of The Book; -- Chapter 1ethics, Politics, Limits; Introduction: Tracing The Limits Of Theories; The Promise And Limitations Of Post-foundational Ethics; Relational Ethics; Relativism, Inconsistency Or Blandness: A Triple Bind; Poststructuralism And Progressive Politics; The Move From Ethics To Politics; The Politics Of Alterity; The Ethical Relation; The Move From Ethics To Politics: Duty In Decision Machine Generated Contents Note: The Limits Of Ethical Theory -- Non-foundational Ethics And Practical Politics -- The Limits Of Ethics And Politics -- 1.ethics, Politics, Limits -- Introduction: Tracing The Limits Of Theories -- The Promise And Limitations Of Post-foundational Ethics -- The Move From Ethics To Politics -- Refiguring The Limit Between Ethics And Politics -- 2.emmanuel Levinas: Ethics As Relation -- Introduction: Ethics, Politics And The Third Person -- The Other -- The Third Person -- Relationality As Plurality -- 3.jacques Derrida: The Im-possibility Of Responsibility -- Introduction: Theory, Im-possibility, Limits -- The Responsible Decision -- The Ethics Of Deconstruction? -- The Politics Of Deconstruction? -- 4.jean-luc Nancy: The Transimmanence Of Ethics -- Introduction: Starting At The Limit -- The Singular-plural Of Being -- Politics Without Essence -- Ethics Without Transcendence -- 5.the Limits Of Theory: Ethics, Politics, Practice Note Continued: Introduction: Displacing The Line Between Ethics And Politics -- Grounds, Origins And Foundations -- Immanence And Transcendence -- Conduct As Origin: `practical' Politics -- 6.conclusion: Ethics And Politics After Poststructuralism. Madeleine Fagan. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [179]-187) And Index. Contents Acknowledgements Introduction – The Politics of Ethical Theory The Limits of Ethical Theory Non-foundational Ethics and Practical Politics The Limits of Ethics and Politics Map of the Book Chapter 1Ethics, Politics, Limits Introduction: Tracing the Limits of Theories The Promise and Limitations of Post-foundational Ethics Relational ethics Relativism, inconsistency or blandness: a triple bind Poststructuralism and progressive politics The Move from Ethics to Politics The politics of alterity The ethical relation The move from ethics to politics: duty in decision The politics of alterity: democracy The politics of ethical difference The ethical relation The move from ethics to politics: a Levinasian supplement The politics of ethical difference: democracy Refiguring the Limit between Ethics and Politics Refusing ethics The separation of ethics and politics Working at the limits of theories Chapter 2Emmanuel Levinas: Ethics as Relation Introduction: Ethics, Politics and the Third Person The Other Ontology, knowledge and totalisation Alterity and relational subjectivity The face Responsibility The Third Person The immediacy of the Third The impossibility of responsibility Problematising ethics and politics: justice, charity and the state Relationality as Plurality Chapter 3Jacques Derrida: The Im-possibility of Responsibility Introduction: Theory, Im-possibility, Limits The Responsible Decision The limits of knowledge The limits of the subject The Ethics of Deconstruction? Response, the Other and absolute duty The unconditional Undecidability The Politics of Deconstruction? Deducing politics from ethics Political in(ter)ventions Im-possibility and the trace Chapter 4Jean-Luc Nancy: The Transimmanence ofEthics Introduction: Starting at the Limit The Singular-Plural of Being The ‘with’ and the hyphen Sharing, exposure and the in-common Politics without Essence Totalisation and the resistance of community The politics of transimmanence Ethics without Transcendence The ethical and the ontological The invention of justice Ontology, ethos, limits Chapter 5The Limits of Theory: Ethics, Politics,Practice Introduction: Displacing the Line between Ethics and Politics Grounds, Origins and Foundations Looking for a more responsible politics The relation of ethics and politics Immanence and Transcendence Transimmanence and the limits of grounds Alterity without transcendence Conduct as Origin: ‘Practical’ Politics Conclusion:Ethics and Politics after Poststructuralism Notes Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Bibliography Index Drawing on the work of Emmanuel Levinas, Jacques Derrida and Jean-Luc Nancy, the author puts forward a radical and far-reaching refusal of foundational ethics. She proposes that politics isn't built on ethics, where the two are separate things: politics and ethics are actually inseparable.