Examining Ethical Relationships in a Selection of Neil Simon's Plays Based on Emmanuel Levinas

Abstract

Among the differences that can be seen in philosophical studies is the way of looking at the two concepts of "ego" and "other". IN the modern era, philosophers and thinkers, including Kant, have paid the most attention to the category of " Ego " and have neglected "otherness". Emmanuel Levinas is one of the thinkers who filled this study gap to a significant extent. Levinas believes that philosophy seeks to explain "what morality is". According to his definition, ethics is concern for the right to life of "others". Levinas's philosophy can be called a kind of "Otherism" which is in the opposite direction of "self-knowledge" in the history of Western philosophy. Levinas emphasizes that the subject's relationship with the "other" is an "asymmetrical" relationship, which means that when I face the "other", it is for the "other" and this is not a mutual responsibility! "I" will be responsible for answering him, without knowing how he will be in front of "I". The purpose of the present research is to achieve the importance of the two components of asymmetric/symmetrical and self/other ethics after analyzing three plays - " Lost in the Yonkers and Barefoot in the Park" and a comparative look between them. How are all three works manifested and also seeks to answer the main question that Simon's plays based on the reading of Emanuel Levinas and based on the self/other. According to the characters who had the most movement and influence in all Two plays, most of them had asymmetric morals. In this research, the descriptive-analytical method is used, and the data collection method is library and using taking note.

Keywords

Neil Simon, Emmanuel Levinas, Lost in Yonkers, Barefoot in the Park, Self/Other, Symmetric/Asymmetric