Alterity of death under the perspective of Emmanuel Levinas

Abstract

If death is something natural, why did it become the enemy of medical and healthcare professionals in general? The article addresses the issue of removing death of our daily lives, especially where it occurs the most: in hospitals. We approach death not as something unworthy for human beings, but as a possible path that can give a deeper significance to men. We approach the otherness of death from the perspective of the Lithuanian philosopher Levinas, a contemporary author, who has provided numerous contributions to the discussion, especially the relevant analysis on human dignity. It concludes that dignity would not be lost after the misconstruction of the ontological control of life; that is to say, it would instead enable a new way of approaching life and its meaning, going beyond instrumental rationality and making room for a more humane approach of the death phenomena.