Abstract
Hegel as an unambiguous contrast to Lévinas? The chapter by Tereza Matějčková shows that even though Levinas and Hegel differ as to their conception of being, the relation to the other, and history, they share some important starting points. Most crucially, both look for ways to escape the subjectivism of their predecessor.
While Levinas wants to evade Husserl's philosophy, Hegel attempts to break away from Fichte's subjectivist idealism. Both thinkers seek a new point of departure in emphasizing that consciousness is a form of desire.
Conceiving consciousness as desire means for both that it is an essential trait of consciousness to reach out for the outer and the other. It shall not be denied that in other regards, the thinkers differ essentially, primarily in their conception of the type of relation to the other.
While Hegel emphasizes that to be able to become real, the consciousness must experience reciprocity, for Levinas, consciousness' insight into his or her dependence on others, even subservience to others, is essential. Yet it needs to be noted that despite this emphasis on hierarchy, Levinas does not want to disparage Hegel's concept of symmetrical relations that are constitutive of a free society and state.