How does the inherent vulnerability of human existence necessitate a fundamental ethical obligation toward the other? Knud Ejler Løgstrup, a prominent Danish philosopher and theologian, argues that human life is defined by a radical interdependence where we hold power over one another's lives. He posits that this vulnerability creates a silent, unfulfillable demand to care for the other, which exists prior to and independent of religious or legal codes.

Scholars and theologians frequently identify this work as a foundational text in 20th-century moral philosophy for its unique focus on interpersonal responsibility. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which requires careful engagement with Løgstrup's specific phenomenological terminology.