Intersubjectivity

- Term originally coined by Philosopher Demund Husserl (1859-1936)

- the interchange of thoughts and feelings, both conscious and unconscious, between
two persons or “subjects,” as facilitated by empathy.

Each of us has our own way of thinking that may be similar or completely different from
others. However, as we interact with others, we are introduced to subjects and many
viewpoints that are new to us. Thus, there is an exchange of concepts/thoughts between
subjects. We get accustomed to the thoughts and feelings introduced to us by other people,
influencing our way of thinking.

To sum it up, intersubjectivity implies that we are influenced by others and we, ourselves,
also influences.
Interhuman Relations
Based on Elements of Interhuman by Martin Buber

In Interhuman Relationship there are 2 categories:

● Interhuman - Life between and among persons. Refers to the “interpersonal” that is a life
of dialogue.
Ex. You and your classmate, you and your family.

● Social - refers to the life of a group bound together by common experiences.

Ex. Company, Sport team.

Dialogue - is an element of interhuman, which is used to create relation between two subjects.
It is:
● A deep and genuine relationship between persons
● Happens when two persons truly acknowledge each other’s presence.
● The two subjects treat each other as equals

Two types of relation in Dialogue

I-thou Relationship I-it Relationship

● Concetes encounter with other ● Treats people as object to be used

subjects without any qualifications of like a tool, and to be experienced.
one another ● Giving things value because of the
● Performed in freedom or in willingness purpose they give.
of the individual to share and fully ● Value is determined by the basis of
realize the meaning od life by being some measurable standard.
with someone. ● Only loves when a person or thing is
● Valuing another for who they are not perceived as useful and has value.
because of their attributes or qualities.
● Love other people on the level of
people not on the level of things.
● Actions are made in hopes to help or
complete another.
● Unconditional

EXAMPLES

● Your parents love towards you when
even though you have flaws and
always makes mistakes they still love
you and will try to provide anything
you need.
● Some employers to their employees.
They think when an employee gets
sick of gets into an accident where
they cannot work as they used to,
they are no longer useful for the
growth of the business.
 Obstacles to Dialogue Contrasted with

Seeming - presenting an image that the other Being - showing the other the true image of
desires in order to impress others. you.

Speechifying - hearing the other without truly Personal - making yourself present and
listening and understanding what they are opening yourself to the other. Understanding
saying. and listening.

Imposition - telling the other how to react, Unfolding - accepting the uniqueness of a
feel, and respond to certain situations, words, singular individual, that we have different
actions of other people, etc. tolerance, preferences and wants.

Human Society and Difference

Societal existence

● Relates to how individuals conceptualize their existence in a social world, learn from
others, and communicate with others.

Our social existence is grounded in the basic idea of human solidarity. The very purpose of
society is the realization of that moral ideal in which each human being is able to realize fully
and in a concrete way the basic meaning of his humanity.

Solidarity - unity or agreement of feeling or action, especially among individuals with a common
interest; mutual support within a group.

Social Relations

● Any relationship or interaction between two or more individuals.

Social relations are formed on the basis of solidarity. The notion of solidarity is grounded in the idea
of the community. This imagined notion of being one people requires that each individual identifies a
commonality of interest. This commonality is anchored in the way of life. In this sense, tradition,
history, culture, and language. These social values reflect who we are not only as individuals
but more importantly as people.

Community - a group of people living in the same place or having a particular characteristic in
common; a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and
goals.
Society Hierarchy

● Society Hierarchy or Social stratification refers to a society's categorization of its people into
groups based on socioeconomic factors like wealth, income, race, education, ethnicity,
gender, occupation, social status, or derived power.

Social existence also implies belonging to a hierarchy. In the order of things, people assume
positions in the society hierarchy. As such, people hold certain status in society on the basis of
positions or economic conditions. In the social realm, people may experience misrecognition.
This imbalances and inequalities cause structural injustices in the society which results in many
people in the margins of human society being oppressed.

Structural Injustices

● Structural injustice occurs when institutions and systems work in such a way to disadvantage
large groups of people while allowing others to benefit.
There are two types of injustices in society. Particular Injustice and Structural Injustice.

Particular Injustice Structural Injustice

● There’s a certain person targeted ● Victims are targeted by social position

● There’s a blame worthy offender
● Can be addressed through certain legal
actions
● Ex. Someone is bullied. The victim is
the person oppressed and the bully is
the offender. The bully can be punished
through legal actions.
● There is no certain person to blame
● Can only be addressed through
collective action
● Ex. Racism against black people. The
victims are the black people, no specific
person is targeted. There is no offender
that can be blamed. Addressed through
the black lives matter movement. A
movement initiated by black people and
their allies to stop racism.

The politics, as proposed by Iris Marion Young, attempts to explain the reality of structural
injustice. It uncovers the various faces of oppression in society - exploitation, powerlessness,
marginalization, cultural imperialism and violence. The reason for doing so is in order to rectify
our society and identify the various ways upon which we may be able to fulfill our moral
responsibilities to people by reforming our basic institutions. The responsibility for the other,
Young argues, includes the tacit act on the part of the person not to participate in institutional
injustices.

Social Justice

● Social justice is the view that everyone deserves equal economic, political and social rights
and opportunities.
 ● Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges
within a society.

Social justice concerns the fair treatment of the human person on the basis of his being a
person. John Rawls writes: "Justice is the first virtue of institutions, as truth is of systems of
thought, " For Rawls, the dignity of the human person is grounded in one's basic moral worth.
To violate the rights of the person is to deprive him of his basic entitlements. Situations
are unjust when people are denied the equal opportunity to enjoy the goods of society, including
income and respect for persons. To fix the injustices of society, the oppressed people fight for
their causes to achieve social justice.

Infinite Responsibility
Emmanuel Levinas is a French Jewish Philosopher. He went to France in 1923 at the age of 17
to study at the University of Strasbourg. In 1928 - 1929, he studied under Edmund Husserl and
Martin Heidegger at the University of Freiburg. These two influenced Levinas’
phenomenological methods.

Levinas accuses the whole Western Philosophy as a form of egology.

Egology
- was a term introduced by Edmund Husserl which means simply concerned by the self
while neglecting the others.
- Many philosophers acknowledged that this perspective leads us to think of other people as if
they were only reflections of an individual.

The Self
- an individual
- corresponds to our ego.

The Other
- is a term used to capture the ways that make other people different from us. It’s also used to
describe the people who we kept distant because we decided that they’re not like us.
- alter-ego
Othering
- The process of Othering occurs when we turn fellow humans into abstract entities we can
distance ourselves from or treat as less-than-human.

Example: in-groups and out-groups in the society (e.g. basketball teams, fandoms)

Othering is one of the factors that enabled some of the historic events such as holocaust and
atlantic slave trade.
Emmanuel Levinas thought that the process of engaging with the Other and acknowledging the
differences between us and them was the basis of ethics.

The Face of the Other speaks of its uniqueness. The Self encounters this immanent
responsibility (infinite responsibility) through the Face of the Other.

Levinas wanted us to look the Other in the face. In doing so, we look upon the face of someone
completely different from us. We also start to recognise our ethical responsibility toward them,
which is a really simple one: don’t kill them. (thou shall not kill)

Love as Presence

Feelings
- Impulse reactions to changing moments/events
- Not long lasting, therefore no concrete value

According to Max Scheler, what we have for the “beloved” is an EMOTION not just some
FEELING-STATE
Therefore, it makes sense to call LOVE or HATRED as an EMOTION not FEELINGS

Transcension of Feelings-State
Ex. Promise/Making a Promise
THINGS do not make promises, only FREE HUMAN BEINGS can make them.
Making promises is a spontaneous willingness to commit oneself because making a
promise is not just a fulfillment of an obligation, there is commitment.

Authentic Commitment
- Grounded in one’s honesty
Things and other circumstances in the future can affect one’s position
One can find oneself between fulfilling the promise or doing something else that no one desires.
One can still fulfill the promise but deep within, one actually wants to do something else. This
act becomes dishonest, the act is insincere.

Presence
- The act of being there for someone is always free
- It is not limited to communication

Gabriel Marcel states that presence is the COMMUNION between TWO beings beyond
CONSTANCY & COMPROMISE
Constancy
- Matter of maintaining things
- Not concerned about the well-being of the ‘other’ but in how to maintain reputation
Compromise
- Grounded in temporariness, fear, and uncertainty

Marcel also states that presence goes beyond physical existence

TRUE LOVE
- An ultimate act of freedom, it is unconditional and eternal
- Two people create a world unaffected by anything that might destroy a relationship

“In concrete experience when two people love each other intimately, their love has a LIFE of its
own” “ There is birth, development, and the end of their relationship”
Their love has LIFE therefore, it is a form of BEING which can be protected, preserved,
fostered, or get killed”

DEATH destroys only the physical state of one’s being.

As two beings are one, true love defies death
This defiance however, requires courage on the part of two people.
COURAGE
- Accepting human finitude since finitude defines for two persons the meaning of true love

DEATH destroys her physical presence

“Love is a THAT. She is a subject to the nature of a thing therefore destructible.

She is THOU. She is freed from the destructible nature of things.”