Intersubjectivity (2)

1. What is Intersubjectivity?

Definition: Intersubjectivity is described as "the realm of existence to which the preposition with properly applies" (Gabriel Marcel, 1950:180). It involves more than merely being together in an aggregate sense.

• The preposition "with" goes beyond physical co-presence, signifying a co-presence and an openness of my presence to the other. Being with the other is to open myself to the mystery of the other, not reducing them to the category of "having."

To-Be-Is-To-Be-With

• For Marcel, meaning is found beyond oneself, directed towards the other. The French word for meaning, sens, implies "direction," symbolizing the outward orientation of human life. Life gains purpose through orientation to something or someone beyond itself.
• Biblical Insight: "Whoever tries to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it" (Luke 17:33). This reflects the commitment of those who live genuinely, embracing human existence through openness to others.

2. Themes in Intersubjectivity

A. Moral Humility

• Empathy’s Limitations: Iris Marion Young warns that empathy can lead us to project our own fears, anxieties, or anger onto others. Rather than truly listening, we impose our own inner voices on the other.

B. Human Being as Being-in-Dialogue

• Genuine Dialogue: Dialogue is central to meaningful existence, fulfilling more than survival. True dialogue involves genuine reaching out to the other, not self-containment. As Martin Buber warns, love without dialogue becomes self-contained, which he terms "Lucifer."
• Relational Responsibility: Humans are inherently relational, not solitary beings. Marcel emphasizes that relational responsibility encompasses knowledge, respect, care, and confirmation.
  • Emmanuel Levinas asserts that this responsibility for the other goes beyond individual decisions; it is an unlimited responsibility that exists "prior to every memory" and beyond personal freedom.

3. Elements of Relational Responsibility

• Knowledge: Recognizing the other involves entering a communicative manifestation where the other reveals themselves. Knowledge of the other acts as an epiphany that shapes our response.
• Respect: Respect involves accepting the whole being of the other, acknowledging their uniqueness (Erich Fromm, Art of Loving). Through respect, the "I" entrusts itself to the other.
• Care: As Fromm notes, care expresses an active concern beyond verbal expressions.
• Confirmation: Each interaction enriches dialogue by confirming the other’s being and potential.

4. Love as Inherent in Human Nature

• Inherent Love: As relational beings, humans express love within dialogical situations, centering on the other rather than the self. This prevents self-alienation and exclusivism.
• Karl Jaspers posits that love invites individuals to enter into intersubjectivity, helping them see from new perspectives.

Genuine Understanding

• Real understanding begins with silence that fosters listening, which requires moral humility. Silence includes acknowledging that we cannot fully know another person.
• Faber and Mazlish (1980) provide practical guidelines:
  • Avoid statements that invalidate feelings.
  • Refrain from unsolicited advice.
  • Do not philosophize or assert full understanding of their experience.
  • Only share what you would do if explicitly asked.

5. Challenges in Intersubjectivity

A. Totalization of the Other

• Levinas on Totalization: The Other is "rigorously other," inherently different from ourselves. Totalization occurs when we impose categories (e.g., racial, sexual) on others, denying their “otherness” and individual differences.
• Experience of Astonishment: Two key insights emerge:
  • Reveals assumptions taken for granted that prove to be false.
  • Shows that others will always exceed our attempts at complete understanding.

B. Being a Neighbor to the Other

• The Danger of Social Categories: Reinhold Niebuhr warns that categories can hinder true personal encounters.
• Parable of the Good Samaritan: In the Jewish community, the priest and Levite avoided defiling themselves, failing to assist a man in need. In contrast, the Samaritan, freed from social constraints, helped without hesitation (Ricoeur, 1965).

6. Applications and Reflections

• Intersubjectivity in Culture: Marcel’s concept resonates with Filipino culture, which values shared experiences in both challenges and celebrations.

Conclusion

Intersubjectivity underscores relational existence, moral humility, and a commitment to respectful, genuine engagement. It goes beyond categorization or judgments, striving for a dialogue rich in relational responsibility, respect, and openness.