the provocative turn: answerability

Answerability: articulate the kind of ethical predicaments that are suggested in the study and what are the active normative responses (advice, policies, tactful practices, etc.).

When a person is addressed by an other then he or she can turn away or do nothing --but this turning or failure to act can only be understood in the context of the initial appeal. An appeal of the other is more than a phenomenon, more than an intentional relation; it does more than "show itself." Therefore, it presents a situation with ethical significance.

The term "provoke" derives from pro-vocare, to call forward, to challenge; to incite, to stir up, to arouse to a feeling, to quicken, to excite. A strong vocative text tends to provoke actions. It is action-sensitive, and opens up the realm of the ethical.

© Max van Manen, 2002
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