Intersubjectivity

1. What is Intersubjectivity?

Intersubjectivity is the realm where the preposition "with" applies, indicating co-presence, openness, and relational connection rather than simple aggregation.

• Gabriel Marcel (1950:180): "With" applies to persons, suggesting a presence that transcends physical togetherness.
• To be "with" another involves opening oneself to the mystery of the other, distancing oneself from objectification or ownership.

Essence of Being-With

Human existence finds meaning outside itself, directed toward others.

Biblical Insight: "Whoever tries to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it" (Luke 17:33).

2. Key Themes in Intersubjectivity

A. Moral Humility

• Iris Marion Young: Empathy can be problematic when it turns into projection—projecting our fears, anxieties, or anger onto others, rather than truly listening.

B. Genuine Dialogue and Relational Responsibility

Dialogue: Meaningful human existence is achieved through dialogue. True dialogue requires reaching out to others and cannot be self-contained (Martin Buber).

Relational Responsibility: Human beings are inherently relational, involving knowledge, respect, care, and confirmation.

• Gabriel Marcel: Humans are not self-standing entities but relational beings.
• Emmanuel Levinas: Responsibility for others precedes personal choice or freedom.

3. Elements of Relational Responsibility

• Knowledge: Enables genuine connection by knowing and responding to the other.
• Respect: Accepting the other wholly, acknowledging their individuality (Erich Fromm, Art of Loving).
• Care: Active concern beyond words, expressed through actions.
• Confirmation: Acknowledges the other’s full being and potential, fostering deeper dialogue.

4. Love and Human Nature

Inherent Love: Love manifests in dialogical relations, protecting against self-alienation and exclusivism.

• Karl Jaspers: Love helps one enter intersubjectivity and view the world from a fresh perspective.

Genuine Understanding

Begins with listening in silence, embodying humility by acknowledging that we cannot fully know others.

Faber and Mazlish (1980) suggest avoiding invalidating expressions to foster openness:

1. Avoid dismissing feelings, giving unsolicited advice, philosophizing, or claiming to fully understand.

5. Challenges in Intersubjectivity

A. Totalization of Others

• Levinas: Others are fundamentally different from us. Totalization reduces them to categories (e.g., race, gender), denying their unique "otherness."
• Experience of Astonishment: Realizing that others defy complete understanding, challenging assumptions.

B. Being a Neighbor to the Other

Social Categories as Barriers: Categories can obstruct genuine encounters (Reinhold Niebuhr).

Example: In the parable of the Good Samaritan, the priest and Levite avoid defilement by ignoring a man in need. The Samaritan, free from such social constraints, aids him without hesitation (Ricoeur, 1965).

6. Applications and Reflections

Cultural Relevance: Marcel’s concept of intersubjectivity resonates with Filipino culture, which values shared experiences, both in struggle and in celebration.

Conclusion

Intersubjectivity emphasizes relational existence, moral humility, and the commitment to respect and truly engage with others. It encourages an openness to others that goes beyond social categories and judgments, striving for genuine dialogue and responsibility in human interactions.