The Problem of Embodiment in the Early Writings of Emmanuel Levinas Cristian Ciocan Translated by Kascha Semon E xamining the problem of embodiment in Levinas’s philosophy produces a constellation of questions that has no simple answer, because the problem hidden therein is neither uniform nor homogeneous. 1 Is there a phi- losophy of flesh in Levinas? Has this French philosopher actually devel- oped a phenomenology of embodiment that we can place in relation to those of Husserl or Merleau-Ponty? 2 That is, how well and through what aspects of the ethical subject has Levinas described an incarnate subject? How does living embodiment determine the subjectivity of the subject? What are the corporeal phenomena that play a part in Levinasian thought, and how does he articulate these phenomena? Ultimately, what are the lines of forces, according to Levinas, that structure the phenomenon of the flesh? In attempting to clarify the problem of embodiment in Levinas’s philosophy, our analysis will fol- low this problem chronologically, hoping to catch obliquely in Levinas the theme of embodiment: both its evolution and its metamorphosis in his diverse work. 1 BLOECHL_F2_1-20.indd 1 BLOECHL_F2_1-20.indd 1 4/6/2009 9:12:14 PM 4/6/2009 9:12:14 PM