Simon Critchley's Infinitely Demanding: Ethics of Commitment, Politics of Resistance explores the ethical and political dimensions of commitment in contemporary society. The book argues for an ethical framework based on the idea of "infinite demands" that are placed upon us by the other. Critchley draws on Emmanuel Levinas's ethics, which emphasize the responsibility to the other as central to ethical life.
Critchley contends that traditional political and ethical systems often fail to account for the complexity and multiplicity of these demands. He critiques the inadequacies of both liberal and radical political philosophies, suggesting that they often overlook the nuanced and ongoing nature of ethical commitment.
The central argument is that ethics arises from an anarchic responsibility to respond to the needs and demands of others, which are infinite and unfulfillable. This responsibility leads to a form of political resistance that is rooted in the personal and subjective experience of obligation, rather than a rigid ideological framework. Critchley emphasizes the role of ethics in driving political action and argues for a form of "ethical anarchism" that resists authoritarian structures and embraces the radical openness of ethical life.
In essence, Critchley's work advocates for an ethics of commitment that acknowledges the infinite demands of the other and encourages a politics of resistance grounded in personal responsibility and ethical engagement.