Sarah Bakewell’s book is a rich source of interesting ideas put forward by people associated with existentialism. One such philosopher was Emmanuel Levinas who wrote Totality and Infinity in 1961. The foundation of his philosophy was Self with Other, based on Martin Buber’s I and Thou. 1923.
Having survived the concentration camp, Levinas recounted the story of his work party leaving the camp where the guards treated them as subhuman. On their return a dog who had somehow made its way into the camp greeted them enthusiastically. This confirmed his view that it was natural for beings to have an affinity with each other.
This view was very different from Heidegger’s Mitsein or Being With which was more of a shoulder to shoulder idea rather than Levinas’ standing face to face with the other person where you are still you, and not some part of a Volk.
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