Rien de ce qui est humain ne m’est étranger

The globalized context where we live, with its millions of tragedies (exiled, deported populations) could easily - such is the need to act - make us overlook the philosophical difficulty of the notion of Foreigner. But it is enough to stop a minute to get aware of the disagreement opposing the moralists of all times in front of this concept. The social but above all metaphysical status of Foreigner, can only be approached in the ethical terms of an exteriority, not assimilated but respected as transcendent.