Analysis of cognition and responsibility before God and the "other" : A comparative study between Allameh Tabatabai and Levinas’s perspectives

This research aimed to examine the three issues of cognition and responsibility before God and the "other" and their accountability, based on the Allameh Tabatabai and Levinas’s approaches. The method of this study is comparative and analysis of the positions of agreement between these views. Per Allameh Tabatabai, God is infinite and a man is finite; Therefore, it is not possible to know the nature of the Supreme Being. Responsibility before God is also at the heart of other responsibilities to the others, and the secret of this responsibility is rooted in the inherent poverty and dependence of man. Although this responsibility is optional, it is an option that one should accept. Given God's absolute ownership, no one can rebuke him. From Levinas' point of view, it is not possible to discover the identity of the "other" by knowing the concept. The consistency of the subject depends on the "other" and has an infinite responsibility to him. A responsibility that the subject is completely passive in accepting and like a hostage who has no right to blame the "other". Accordingly, despite the differences between the characteristics of God and the "other," a close correspondence can be established between the two.