Levinas in Kaunas will address the development of the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas, from Lithuania to France, from “pre-philosophical experiences” of his

youth to his mature revolutionary philosophy.

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Born in Kaunas in 1906, Levinas, the Litvak, went to France, in 1923, as a young Lithuanian student. He became one of the greatest European philosophers

of the 20th Century. Levinas’ thought radiates far beyond the circles of

specialists and has a tremendous influence in many fields including medical

ethics, psychology, education, religious studies, art, politics, communication

and economy.

 

Dissidents fighting for human rights and the democracy in Eastern Europe and Latin America, intellectuals and statesmen, such as Vaclav Havel in Czechoslovakia or Jorge

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Semprun in Spain, have testified to their affinity with Levinas' thought and the inspiration they have drawn from it.