Critique: How Emmanuel Levinas Was Saved

Name Instructor Course Date Critique The author uses very convincing tone backed up with evidence and thorough elaboration on all explained concepts to make the reader understand his theme of writing the article. Even though the article is based on the barriers, both physical and unseen, that refugees face, preventing them from entry into Europe, the author uses ethical concepts and historical events to explain his theme. He therefore organizes his article into progressive events. As a result, he starts by explaining how Emmanuel Levinas was saved from being thrown into concentration camps while his family members were killed by the Nazis because of their Jewish ancestry and faith. This is followed by an explanation of how nationalism (which differentiated Emmanuel Levinas and his people from people in France) is good as well as evil. According to the author, while nationalism leads to a sense of identity, it is harmful when it leads to generalizations. Based on the organization of his work, abagd is able to link the concept of nationalism to what Emmanuel Levinas’s family members faced as well as to the reasons behind barriers faced by refugees getting into Europe. It is through generalizations that the family members were killed by Nazis. It is also as a result of generalization that all refugees are considered a threat/ enemies because of the recent few events including the Islamic State attacks in Istabul and Paris combined with the mass assault of women in Germany and Cologne on the New Year’s Eve. Due to generalization, these acts were committed by few enemies to the Europeans continent. However, they are associated with the ‘other’ making it impossible for the continen...