Intersubjectivity

Humans have the natural and universal tendency to relate, to

establish attachments, and seek close relationships with other
people.

Our human nature drives us to reach out to other people and

interact with them in meaningful ways.
Harmonious relationship between people is very important.

You have to maintain good relations with your family, friends,

schoolmates, and the people in your community for your activities
to be productive, meaningful and beneficial.
How do we as human relate with others?
Our ability to engage in meaningful interactions with other people,
our surroundings, and everything around us is rooted in our
capacity for self awareness and transcendence.

Before we begin to relate with others, we must first be aware of

ourselves as rational individuals capable of determined and
reasonable actions.
Interpersonal relations are made possible when the self
becomes aware of the other, which includes everyone and
everything outside of the self.
self – you

others – everything around you (your friend, the wall, the

pencil, the paper, your teacher)
 Which is more reasonable?

You begin talking to your classmate, telling him or her about

a funny experience you had in school.

You begin talking to the ballpen on your desk, telling it about

a funny experience you had in school.
You only interact with objects when you need to use them.
You do not need to talk to these objects to enable them to
enact their purpose.

Interacting with other human beings is however a more

complex act.
Our human nature not only enables us to recognize the self
that defines our individuality, it also enables us to recognize
that other human beings also possess a self.

We are able to relate meaningfully with other human beings

because we consider ourselves as essentially the same.
This notion of recognizing the self in the other is how
philosopher define interpersonal relations.
INTERSUBJECTIVITY

It is the mutual recognition of each other as persons. It

cannot be denied that we interact with other beings in the
world, but some of these beings that we interact with are
persons and must be recognized as such.
“a unique relationship between distinct subjects”

It refers to the characteristics of human person to

engage in a intimate and personal relationship with others
who are different from him or her but who are also like him or
her. This is possible because the person has an inner life or
interiority.
Having an inner life allows the person to give himself or
herself to others. This also allows the individual to receive
others in his or her life and relate with them.
Intersubjectivity also allows a person to become
closer to others in many different ways.
In everyday social interactions, persons have the
ability to agree and cooperate with each other. There is also
the experience of shared or “common” knowledge and
shared emotions such as grief, joy, and love.
A closer look at everyday interactions reveal instances where
the self interacts with the other. Philosophers identify various
levels of self-other interaction.

The first is the self awareness of the existence of the other.

When we see other people walking down the street, we are

aware that there are other beings unique from us, and that
they exist outside of our own awareness or perception.
A deeper level of interaction between the self and the other
is the awareness of the self as being seen by others.

Imagine that one of the people you are watching suddenly

stops and looks straight at you. You are immediately aware
of that person’s action as an other – this stranger looking at
your direction. Also, you are aware of another significant fact
– you know that the stranger staring at you is aware of you as
a person.
The self-consciousness is considered by philosophers as a
defining characteristics of the self-other relationship.

Imagine that the person is not a stranger but someone

familiar: a family member, a friend, even your crush. This
awareness of the person staring at you will initially result in a
feeling of self-consciousness, even shame. Several questions
will begin to run in your head.
“What is he or she thinking when he or she looks at me?”

“Am I doing something wrong?”

“Is there something wrong with the way I look?”

“Is he or she about to say something to me?”

The unique phenomenon of the human gaze is considered a
defining characteristics which sets apart human interaction
from the interaction of other species.

The awareness of “self in the other” is an important element

in all other aspects of interpersonal interactions.
The way we interact with other people is often influenced by
our ideas of how these people see us.
“seeming”

An individual presents himself or herself in a certain way

when dealing with others.

Person take on “roles” or act our characters when dealing

with certain people or when in certain situations.

This is considered as unconscious , natural act on the part of

humans.
However, there may be instances when people behave a
certain way in order to intentionally deceive or manipulate
other people.

Manipulative behaviors that are done by some people in

pursuit of selfish interests.
What characterizes a genuine human interaction?
Most human interactions are not based on deception.

Since our human nature drives us to uphold dignity and

goodness, our interactions with others are also geared
toward what is good and beneficial.
These lead humans to strive to achieve deeper and more
substantial interactions and relations with other people. This
deeper and more genuine interaction is called a dialogue,
and this is made possible when the self realizes that the other
is genuine and unique individual.
When two individuals begin to view each other as an other –
that is, truly acknowledge each other’s presence – then that
is the beginning of an authentic relationship and a dialogue.
A dialogue is an interaction between persons that happens
through speech or the use of words, expressions, and body
language. The person is a being who is open to others, and is
capable of receiving others in dialogue.
Ordinarily, we think of it as a kind of communication that
usually occurs through a conversation. However, it must be
noted that a dialogue is not confined to words. Actions,
gestures and other expressions may be used to convey a
person’s inner life.
Whenever a person speaks, he or she expresses a personal
interiority and communicates this part of himself or herself to
another person. This is the reason why it is not possible to
have a dialogue with a material object, a plant, or even a
pet. Only beings with interiority or an inner life can engage in
a dialogue.
A person’s words, expressions, and body language become
the means by which he or she is able to express a part of
himself or herself to another person. Apart from expressing
and conveying oneself, the person is also capable of
receiving the words, thoughts, emotions, and ideas of
another person. The dialogue, therefore, becomes a means
by which persons are able to share in each other’s lives.
The notion of dialogue becomes clearer when we reflect on
the nature of our conversations with other people. The
conversations you have with casual acquaintances are
different from those with people who are closest to you.
Casual conversations with other people often consist of
discussing news or occurrences. We often conduct our
normal conversations in this manner. But when we are with
friends and family, we are comfortable discussing more
personal issues like life goals, emotional problems, or moral
dilemmas.
You will not engage a random stranger on the street in a
conversation about whether or not you should give up your
ambitions in life for the welfare of your family.
Instead, you will seek out a person whom you consider most
trustworthy and reliable to listen to your thoughts and
concerns.
A dialogue occurs when two persons “open up” to each
other and give and receive one another in their encounter.
Genuine dialogue occurs when persons are willing to share
themselves with one another.
The awareness of each other’s presence as a true person is
defined by the acceptance of each other’s uniqueness and
differences. When each individual enters into a dialogue with
this mindset, then it is truly a dialogue between equals.