GabrielMan’s

Marcel and the

Intersubjectivity
Intersubjectivity of Man

By:

James Armand Agustines

John Lorenz Grimaldo
Ryan Miguel Abarintos
 Gabriel Honoré Marcel
was a French

Who is Gabriel
Philosopher, playwright,
music critic and leading
Christian existentialist

Marcel?
Born: December 7, 1889
Paris, France

Died: October 8, 1973

(aged 83)
Paris, France
Who is Gabriel Only child of Henri and Laure Marcel
Marcel?
Often classified as one
of the earliest
existentialists
 Marcel was the son of an
agnostic, and was
himself an atheist until
his conversion in 1929

Many of Marcel’s works

were heavily
influenced by his
experiences in World
His
War major
I books are the Metaphysical
Journal (1927), Being and
Who is Gabriel Having (1933), Homo
Marcel? Viator (1945), Mystery of Being (1951),
and Man Against Mass Society (1955).
Marcel was sought out by various
influential thinkers including
Paul Ricouer, Jacques Maritain,
 Marcel held prestigious lectures,
giving the Gifford Lectures at
Aberdeen in 1949-1950 and the
William James Lecture at Harvard
in 1961
During his latter
years, he became a
vocal political
thinker
Marcel played a crucial role in
organizing and advocating the
Who is Gabriel international Moral re-Armament
Marcel? movement of the 1960s
In 1964, he was awarded the Peace
Prize of the Börsenverein des
Deutschen Buchhandels
 - [ Existentialism ] -

The Philosophy of Gabriel Marcel

Gabriel Marcel was Marcel strongly believed that
an existentialist. every human person recognizes
His philosophy
the fact that man is an
centered on the
problem of Being, existing thing, although he
particularly on the believed that every human
human question person is compelled to prove
“What am I?” that his life is more
significant than just merely
existing
The things that surround
the human person can make
life more meaningful or
valuable to a human
person. This has led the
human person to have a
quandary caused by his
desire to possess rather
than to be. All people
become a master of
defining their individual
selves by either their
possessions or by their
professions. More people
started believing that the
value of their life lies
 Problem
Problem and Mystery
The Problematic is that which can be
A Problem
problem is ≠ Mystery
a addressed and solved with techniques
question
In turn,in which one
the E.G.
A not
central notion A problem is something which I
is
overcoming involved, in
of a problem meet, Changing
which I find completely
of Marcel’s a flat tire on an autom
which the identity
inevitably involvesof before me, but which I can
thought
the
some is his
questioner
technique, isa not therefore lay siege to and
the issue..
technique
distinctionthat could reduce. But a mystery is
In
be, the
andrealm
between a of
often the
is,
problem something in which security
I am myself
Downloading
problematic,
employed by any it makes
other involved, and it
and aconfronting
mystery software tocan
fixtherefore
a virus
no difference
person who isthe only be
onthought of as a sphere
one’s computer
asking the question
same problem. Thus the where the distinction between
because
identityall of of
thethe what is in me and what is before
relevant
questioner information
can be me loses its meaning and initial
is “before
changed the
without validity. (Marcel 1949)
 “WHAT AM I?”
Man lacks The
the question Marcel
“what am
information I?” held that
cannot be a problem
reduced
or knowledge to a
regarding usually revolves around an
problem.
The I is not an
object or a relationship between
himself.
Humanity In
is this regard,
object or objects.
a being an it. Information regarding
there is aa combination
that is need to Inasmuch as a person
objects and their relationships
overcome temporary cannot
of subject and object can be free himself
gathered from
and calculated.
ignorance. being a subject, his
being cannot be reduced
to a mere object. In
this regard, the
question about his
existence can never be a
problem.
 MYSTERY
MysterytoisMarcel,
According a certain kind of experience that is
For Example:
the permanently incapable of being translated into
element of mystery
“Iishave
object a new
virtually “out pair
there” of shoes”
irreducible
Marcel oftenprecisely
because
describes human existence
mystery
However,
is a being is
combination of
as a “problem that
always
When
“being aandsubject
people have
having”
encroaches
things or its own
ideas, they
matter
It is
data” a question in
can
whichexpress these in
the identity
objective terms
of the questioner
becomes an issue
itself
 Being through Fidelity
Human existence
derives its A person’s relation to Being is different
deepest meaning from that of a stone’s
from the
subjective
affirmation of
Marcel held that
Being through
the essence of a
fidelity.
man is to be in a
situation
Man is only a being
capable of making
promises

Because of man’s
capability of making
promises, he has
therefore, a unique
relationship with
another person.
 In this regard, the ultimate
character of a person’s
relationship
This relationship does Involves the element of
not happen between two fidelity, which offers a clue
objects. to the nature of our
existence, since it is
through fidelity that one
continues to shape one’s life
 Man
It discovers
gives man the fidelity
power to through:
overcome “objectivity” of Love
Friendship
other people and produce a
new level of intimacy.

Man commits himself to

others in the same manner
he commits himself to his
spouse.
Making commitments creates a new problem.

The future is always uncertain, and no one would know what ot

The person whom

one is committed
to might just
leave later on.
In this regard
should one still
go into a
relationship?
According to Marcel, the
way to solve this problem
is to put a higher and
more absolute faith to a
divine and mysterious
order.
Hence, man’s
intersubjectivity must
lead to a faith-relation
with the divine.