Intersubjectivity  The middle ground between objectivity and
total subjectivity.
INTERSUBJECTIVITY
 Term originally coined by the philosopher
Edmund Husserl (1859-1938).
 It is simply stated as the interchange of
thoughts and feelings, both conscious and
unconscious, between two persons or
“subject”.
EMPATHY
 Often confused with sympathy
 Empathy actually requires perspective-
taking.
 When you are being empathetic, you are
doing more than feeling sorry for another
person; you are actually trying to imagine
the situation from that person’s point of
view.
Kinds of Empathy
1. EMOTIONAL EMPATHY- When you feel
something because someone else does.
You may have noticed this when you cried
watching a very sad scene in a movie.
2. COGNITIVE EMPATHY- Involving thinking
more than feeling, means putting yourself in
someone else's shoes. When you talk to a
friend about something that is bothering you
and feel understood by that person, it's
often because your friend was using
cognitive empathy.
3. COMPASSIONATE EMPATHY- This is any
kind of empathy that leads to action. When
you see someone in need and offer that
person some food or money.
INTERSUBJECTIVITY
I. Accepting Me, Accepting You
Intersubjectivity:
 Philosophical term that means “being with
others”.
 Relatedness with others
 Accepting others and their differences
OBJECTIVE- truth that is not related to the
subject
SUBJECTIVITY- truth that is relative to the
perspective of a subject
INTERSUBJECTIVITY- Encompasses multiple
subjects and multiple viewpoints or
combination of the two that points to the same
“truth”
 Encompasses multiple subjects and
multiple viewpoints or combination of the
two that points to the same “truth”
Example:
Person A: Sees a large green shooting star
that falls to the NORTH of me.
Person B: Sees a large shooting star that fell
to the SOUTH of her.
Person C: Sees it fall to the EAST.
Person D: Sees it fall to the WEST.
- With some degree of accuracy, we can
determine that the shooting star should
have fallen exactly somewhere
- It differs from one another!!!
Thought community examples:
 Churches
 Professions
 Scientific beliefs
 Generations
 Nations
 Political Movements
II. Accepting Others is not to Impose on
Others
- It is important to accept other’s thoughts
and ideas (though they might be opposed
to yours). This is another manifestation of
accepting others (and their differences).
Views on Accepting Others:
a. PRINCIPLE OF PATERNALISM
→ Paternalism comes from the Latin
“pater” which means to act like a father
or to treat another person like a child
 → “Paternalism” is a gender-neutral
anagram of “paternalism”
 In modern Philosophy and jurisprudence, it
is to act for the good of another person
without that person’s consent, as parents
do for children.
Patterns of Paternalism
1. SOFT and HARD PATERNALISM
SOFT- the view that the only conditions
under which state paternalism is justified is
when it is necessary to determine whether
the person being interfered with is acting
voluntarily and knowledgeably.
HARD- says that at least sometimes we are
entitled to interfere a person’s action even if
he knows of the condition.
2. PURE and IMPURE PATERNALISM
PURE- the class being protected is identical
with the class being interfered with
IMPURE- the class of persons interfered
with is larger than the class being protected.
3. MORAL and WELFARE PATERNALISM
✓ interfering with a person’s freedom of
action for the sake of their moral
character as opposed to their physical
or mental well-being
✓ Paternalism is justified to promote the
moral wellbeing of a person even of
their welfare wouldn’t improve.
b. LEGAL MORALISM
 The view that the law can legitimately be
used to prohibit behaviors that conflict
with society’s collective moral judgments
even when those behaviors do not result
in physical or psychological harm to
others.
 According to this view, a person’s
freedom can legitimately be restricted
simply because it conflicts with society’s
collective morality; thus, legal moralism
implies that it is permissible for the state
to use its coercive power to enforce
society’s collective morality
III. Accepting People for what they are is
Loving Them.
★ According to the book “the Art of Loving”,
LOVE is the most satisfying fulfillment of
humanity’s most powerful desire: the
desire for interpersonal union.
Four basic elements of a True Love
1. Responsibility- ability to respond to the
needs of others
2. Knowledge- part of love that penetrates
to the core. The relationship that
transcends our individuality and our
mortality to give meaning to life
3. Care- concern for the life and growth of
others
4. Respect- “to look at” to see a person as a
unique individual
 A main principle of intersubjectivity is
communication, a social process wherein
the community of other people are seen as
embedded within the self. This process
initially occurs with the idea that other
individuals are extensions of the self and
serve as the “alter-ego” of a person’s being
 Stephen Hawking is a physicist and
cosmologist who, despite his rare medical
condition called amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis (ALS), made significant
contributions to contemporary studies of
relativity and quantum physics.
 As a child, Oprah Winfrey experienced
living in a poor household and was sexually
abused. Despite this, she motivated herself
to succeed and did so by being one of the
richest women alive today.
AUTHENTIC DIALOGUE- a form of
interpersonal communication wherein
individuals acknowledge that they are part of a
greater whole and that they resonate with
others within the whole.
Importance of SUBJECTIVITY
• It validates real and authentic subjective
experiences
• It facilitates interaction among individuals
• It enables individuals to look at others
equally, regardless of any physical or socio-
demographic factor.
• It promotes a sense of community and unity
among individuals.
• It emphasizes that anyone can contribute to
society.
Man the Social Animal
SOCIAL ANIMAL- is a term used to describe
creatures that are greatly interactive with other
members of its species, with an individual
animal’s success highly dependent on the
overall cohesion and propagation of the group.
 Aristotle, the Greek philosopher writes
“Man is a social animal. He who lives
without society is either a beast or God".
 Professor Park says, “Man is not born
human but to be made human”.
Man can be called a social animal for the
following reasons:
1. MAN IS SOCIAL BY NATURE
- Human nature is such that it cannot but
live-in society. Man’s nature impels him to
live in society.
2. DEVELOPMENT OF SELF
- The human infant, at his birth, is not fully
aware of his own “self”. He develops the
idea of self through the interaction with
others.
- Charles H. Cooley says that the very idea
of “self” or “I” can arise only in relationship
with other people.
- G. H. Mead says that at first, the child
performs the role of others with his
parents and other persons at home. Then,
gradually he takes the role of other
persons such as playmates, friends etc. In
this way self-develops.
3. SOCIAL HERITAGE DETERMINES
HUMAN PERSONALITY
- Man is social because he depends on
social heritage which is a mixture of
customs beliefs and deals.
- Society preserves social heritage and
transmit it from one generation to another.
4. NECESSITY MAKES A MAN SOCIAL
- Necessity compels man to live in society.
- Man has a variety of needs. If he leads a
cooperative life with his fellow beings in
society he can easily get his needs
fulfilled.
Theories of Society
The origins of the term are ancient and
are derived from two words; ‘social’ from the
Latin socius and ‘theory’ from the Greek
theoria (Harrington 2005)
According to Platonic concept of society,
specifically his book, The Republic, he divided
the society into three social classes, namely:
 PRODUCING CLASS- includes the
farmers, merchants, and
laborers/workers
 GUARDIAN CLASS- includes the
soldiers and police force
 RULING CLASS- includes
Philosophers-thinkers, Rulers, and
Kings that is selected to lead the entire
society
Philosophers define society as:
1. Aquinas: man is naturally a political being
and as such seeks to live in the
community or society.
2. Machiavelli: Society should be ruled
absolutely by powerful person and
individual members of the society must
follow in order to establish an orderly
community
3. Hobbes and Locke: the state had arisen
out of a voluntary agreement, or social
contract
THEORIES OF SOCIETY
1. CRITICAL THEORY- Critical theorists
including Hegel rejected the "objective",
scientific approach. They sought to frame
theories within ideologies of human
freedom.
2. MARXISM- Karl Marx wrote and theorized
about the importance of political economy
on society and focused on the "material
 conditions" of life. His theories strongly
centered around capitalism and its effect
on class-struggle between the proletariat
and bourgeoisie.
Social Influences
SOCIAL INFLUENCE
- occurs when one's emotions, opinions, or
behaviors are affected by others.
- takes many forms and can be seen in
conformity, socialization, peer pressure,
obedience, leadership, persuasion, sales,
and marketing.
In 1958, Harvard psychologist Herbert Kelman
identified three broad varieties of social
influence.
1. Compliance is when people appear to
agree with others but actually keep their
dissenting opinions private
2. Identification is when people are
influenced by someone who is liked and
respected, such as a famous celebrity.
3. Internalization is when people accept a
belief or behavior and agree both publicly
and privately
Cialdini’s “Weapons of Influence”
Robert Cialdini defines six "Weapons of
Influence" that can contribute to an individual's
propensity to be influenced by a persuader:
1. Reciprocity: People tend to return a favor
2. Commitment and consistency: People
do not like to be self-contradictory.
3. Social proof: People will be more open to
things that they see others doing.
4. Authority: People will tend to obey
authority figures.
5. Liking: People are more easily swayed by
people they like.
6. Scarcity: A perceived limitation of
resources will generate demand.
The Filipino Society
PAKIKIPAGKAPWA-TAO
- This is the shared sense of identity and
consciousness of the 'other'.
- It means treating others with respect and
dignity as an equal, not someone below
the individual.
FAMILY ORIENTATION
- The basic and most important unit of a
Filipino's life is the family.
JOY AND HUMOR (BIRO)
- This famous trait is the ability of Filipinos
to find humor in everything.
- It sheds light on the optimism and
positivity of Filipinos in whatever situation
they are in so as to remain determined in
going through struggles or challenges.
FLEXIBINITY, ADAPTABILITY,
CREATIVITY
- they are known to follow a Natural Clock
or Organic sense of time doing things in
the time they feel is right.
- They are present-oriented: which means
that one attends to a task or requirement
at the time it is needed and does not worry
much about future engagements
FAITH And RELIGIOSITY
ABILITY TO SURVIVE
- They have the extraordinary ability to
make something out of almost nothing.
HARD WORK AND INDUSTRY
- With resourcefulness comes hard work.
Filipinos are very determined and
persevering in accomplishing whatever
they set their minds to.
HOSPITALITY
- Foreigners who come to visit the
Philippines speak of Filipinos going out of
their way to help them when lost, or the
heartwarming generosity of a Filipino
family hosting a visitor in their poverty-
stricken home.
 Among these are strong religious faith,
respect for authority, and high regard for
 amorproprio (self-esteem) and smooth
interpersonal relationships.
Filipino values are, for the most part,
centered at maintaining social harmony,
motivated primarily by the desire to be
accepted within a group. The main sanction
against diverging from these values are the
concepts of "Hiya", roughly translated as 'a
sense of shame', and "Amor proprio” or 'self-
esteem'. Social approval, acceptance by a
group, and belonging to a group are major
concerns. Caring about what others will think,
say or do, are strong influences on social
behavior among Filipinos.