ON LAW AND JUSTICE IN AN EXTRA-LOCAL SENSE (PASCAL AND LEVINAS)

• Authors: Kowalska Malgorzata
• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

EN

In this paper, Pascal's and Levinas' reflection about justice is juxtaposed. Both authors share the conviction that justice is not reducible to any established legal order. For the latter is always local and particular. Justice in an extra-local sense, so-called true justice, transcends the existing order and legally binding laws. According to Levinas, questioning or even destroying the subjectively unjust order in the name of 'metaphysical desire' can serve to limit, but not to eliminate injustice. Pascal is however inclined to claim that the notion of justice has no positive content, therefore it is right and really rational to 'delude people' by not rejecting the existing order but by inculcating the belief that the status quo is just. Yet at the same time, Pascal will talk about the very rare and uncertain, extra-rational intuition of justice given to chosen ones in the act of unearned grace of God.

Keywords

EN

JUSTICE; LAW; LEVINAS; PASCAL

Discipline

• PHILOSOPHY: PHILOSOPHY

• Publisher: Warsaw University, Institute of Philosophy, Institute of Polish Literature and Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw
• Journal: Przegląd Filozoficzno-Literacki
• Year: 2008
• Volume: 6
• Issue: 2-3(20)
• Pages: 403-413
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Kowalska Malgorzata

• Malgorzata Kowalska, for postal address contact the journal editor

Identifiers

CEJSH db identifier

09PLAAAA067919