This study examines Erich Fromm's distinctive philosophy of history through his concept of “prophetic messianism.” I argue that Fromm’s messianism articulates a vision of historical progress that acknowledges its eschatological origins while affirming human agency in ushering historical change. Drawing from his radical interpretation of Jewish scriptures and Rabbinical literature, Fromm develops a vision of historical change that neither forces transformation through apocalyptic rupture nor passively awaits divine intervention. Furthermore, Fromm's prophetic vision recognizes continuity between present struggles and future possibilities. His concept of “dynamic hope” provides a framework for gradual transformation occurring “in steps at a time.” Ultimately, this analysis demonstrates how Fromm's historical vision reveals a unique approach to social change that offers contemporary relevance for navigating transformation with both critical clarity and constructive hope.
Levinas’s ethics is based on the direct and unmediated encounter with the Other. It is in the immediate presence of the Other, being face-to-face with the Other, that relationality and responsibility are born. Our ethical obligations, however immeasurable they may be in Levinas’s ethics, always originate in this shared here-and-now. In today’s digital and social media age where interpersonal encounters and social relationships have found many new forms and expressions, Levinas’s direct and unmediated encounter is, however, increasingly replaced by digital profiles and digital representations, rendering the Other now addressable at any time and from anywhere. In this paper, I discuss what implications these technological developments have on Levinas’s “concept” of the face of the Other. Drawing not only on Levinas’s ethics but including Benjamin and his concept of the aura in the discussion as well, I argue that the unlimited representability characterizing today’s social media platforms threatens the very possibility of otherness that Levinas sought to protect by translating the encounter with the Other into reproducible and computable data, thereby placing the encounter itself within a frame that privileges correspondence and likeness over otherness.
