The Presence of the "Other" and the "Meaning of Life" in Martin Buber's Thoughts

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 ŮŽAssociate Professor, Department of Philosophy of Religion, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

2 Ph. D. Student of Comparative Philosophy, Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Law, Theology, and Political Science, Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran

3 Head of Philosophy Department of Philosophy. Faculty of Law. Theology. and Political Science. Islamic Azad University. Science and Branch, Tehran, Iran

10.22061/orj.2023.1860

Abstract

For Martin Buber, the ontological approach of turning to the "other" is a way of life on which he based his works and thoughts. As a dialogue oriented philosopher, he has explicitly illustrated his primary approaches for relationship with "other," "I-It," and the "I-thou." He considers attaining the meaning of life as a subject of the "I-thou" relationships. Buber believes that the "I-You" relationship can perceive love because of its "subject-subject" nature. In this view, love is a passionate desire for a meaningful life that occurs only through meetings and "dialogue" with the "other"; In Buber's thought, genuine relationship are a person's path to an authentic encounter with the "spirit" or "eternal you" and to discover the meaning of life. To achieve this meaning and reach total humanity, the presence of the "other" and the surrounding world is necessary. In his view, the crisis of "meaninglessness" and "anti-otherness" of contemporary man is a perfect image of evil; What he calls the experience of chaos arises from the factor that led man to this situation, and that is the "dialogue crisis." Buber's thought establishes a connection between the fear of the other and the lack of meaning of life on the one hand and "non-dialogue," on the other. While explaining "dialogue" as Buber's ontological approach to "other," this paper aims to investigate the role of "other" presence and the essentials for the realization of genuine relationships to discover the meaning of life.

Keywords

Journal of Ontological Researches
Volume 11, Issue 22
February 2023

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