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The paradox of power and weakness : Levinas and an alternative paradigm for psychology / George Kunz.
LIBRA BF38 .K85 1998
Available from offsite location
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Kunz, George, 1934-2019.
- Series:
- SUNY series, alternatives in psychology
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Psychology--Philosophy.
- Psychology.
- Lévinas, Emmanuel.
- Physical Description:
- xx, 210 pages ; 23 cm.
- Place of Publication:
- Albany : State University of New York Press, [1998]
- Summary:
- The metaethical philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas challenges Western egocentrism by describing the self as egoic yet nevertheless ethically called to transcend its own obsessions, compulsions, and addictions, and to respect and serve others. While power is powerful and weakness is weak, power can sabotage itself, and the weakness of others has power to command our attention and service. Levinas makes distinctions that offer psychology the basis for an alternative paradigm open to paradox. In The Paradox of Power and Weakness, George Kunz shows how the analyses of hagiography, cynicism, and limits on altruistic behavior by radical altruism contribute to this psychology of ethical responsibility for social sciences.
- Contents:
- Part I Psychology's Anomaly and an Alternative Paradigm
- Chapter 1 Radical Altruism: An Anomaly to Modern Psychology 3
- A real distinction between altruism and self-interest 3
- Psychology's contribution to the cynicism of modern ideologies 5
- Psychology: A psukhology as well as an egology 10
- Reflection on social problems shows the paradoxical 12
- Statement of the paradox 14
- The paradox of the power of weakness 16
- Quick survey of ethical theories 19
- The paradox of the weakness of power 22
- The Itinerary 24
- Chapter 2 An Alternative Paradigm: The Philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas 31
- The psukhe (breath, spirit, soul) is the-Other-in-me 31
- Six fundamental distinctions 35
- Totality and infinity 35
- Need and desire 40
- Willful activity and radical passivity 43
- Self-initiated freedom and invested freedom 49
- Social equality and ethical inequality 53
- The said and saying 53
- Part II The Egology of Power and Weakness
- Chapter 3 Power and the Power of Power 59
- Phenomenological method: disclosing and declaring 60
- Power and the power of power at three psychological levels 61
- Cognitive power: intelligence for understanding 63
- Behavioral power: exerted effort for success 66
- Affective Power: satisfaction for happiness 67
- How power empowers power 68
- Chapter 4 Weakness and the Weakness of Weakness 83
- Phenomenological method: exposing and accusing 86
- Weakness and the weakness of weakness at three levels 88
- Cognitive weakness: ignorance for bad choices 90
- Behavioral weakness: lazy and cowardly for failure 90
- Affective weakness: dissatisfaction for suffering 90
- How weakness weakens its weakness 91
- Part III The Psukhology of the Paradoxical
- Chapter 5 The Weakness of Power 103
- Phenomenological method: being exposed and confessing 105
- The weakness of power 110
- The Gyges Complex: self-righteous and obsessive 111
- The Zeus Complex: manipulative and compulsive 114
- The Narcissus Complex: self-indulgent and addictive 115
- How power weakens power 116
- Chapter 6 The Power of Weakness 131
- Phenomenological method: listening to, being touched, and responding 132
- The power of weakness 136
- Simplicity: the gift of self-skepticism for attentive understanding 136
- Humility: the gift of self-substitution for obedient service 137
- Patience: the gift of self-sacrifice for compassion 137
- The origin and direction of the self 139
- How the weakness of the Other empowers the self and empowers the Other 143
- Part IV The Paradox of Community
- Interlude: Social Justice Based on Radical Altruism 161
- The appeal to hagiology: Edith Wyschogrod 162
- The cynicism of ideology: Peter Sloterdijk 165
- The limits to altruism: Roger Burggraeve 171
- Chapter 7 The Power of Community 177
- Phenomenological method: community communicates and assigns responsibilities 181
- Communities understood by using the three levels of the psukhe: cognition, behavior, affect 182
- Educational community 185
- Political community 186
- Commercial community 188
- The power of the Common Good in schools, governments, and businesses 189.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 201-204) and index.
- ISBN:
- 0791438899
- 0791438902
- OCLC:
- 37761889
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