The Inimitable Philosophy of Vladimir Jankelevitch

Although Jankelevitch is increasingly considered an important French moral theorist, there remains relatively little English-language scholarship on his thought. Jankelevitch's writing, especially on ethics and forgiveness, served as touchstones for works by Jacques Derrida, Paul Ricoeur, and Emmanuel Levinas, among others. Jankelevitch is known for the novelty of his style of writing and lecturing, as well as his analyses of subjects and topics that were not necessarily "in style" at the time. Having been forced into hiding during the German occupation of France because of his Jewish heritage, the Shoah and its aftermath made Jankelevitch reexamine, and largely renounce, the role of German thought and ideas in his own work, leading to an even greater separation between his own thought and the climate of philosophy in France during the 1950's and '60's. English-language work on Jankelevitch has almost exclusively centered around the topic of forgiveness. This has to do with the fact that the first primarily philosophical work by Jankelevitch to be translated into English was Forgiveness (2005). This book fills a gap by focusing on essays not dedicated to forgiveness, thus bringing to light other aspects of Jankelevitch's oeuvre that deserve attention. Many of the contributing authors were, themselves, students of Jankelevitch, and, as such, they can bring firsthand knowledge of Jankelevitch to bear.