Levinas’ Ethical Sinification of Le Dire(The Saying)

In this study, I discuss the ethical sinification of le dire(the saying). The ethical meaning of saying is mainly discussed in relation to responsibility for the other or the passivity of a subject that is ‘more passive than passivity.’ The “said,” which are distinguished from “saying,” are stored in memory or conceptualized or thematized and transmitted in the form of books, etc., and become an intentional object, that is, a noema. In contrast, the saying produces various ethical meanings when encountering the other. The speaking subject is directed toward the other. In saying, a relationship is formed between the subject exposed to the other and the other who is present. The subject who speaks while being exposed to the other becomes the sign that he or she sends to the other. In the proximity of the other that contains humanity, the subject who speaks to the other is a being who has come out of his or her hiding place and exposed himself or herself to the other. Those who respond to the demand and appeal of the other are responding to the original ethical language of the pre-original other.