I and Thou

I am reviewing Kaufman's translation of Buber's I and Thou (or, as the translator has it, I and You). Deservedly so, I and Thou is a classic in western theological and social thought. A warning, however: the book is not easily accessible. I.e., the writing can be quite obtuse and requires a willingness to read and re-read portions as one works through it (a consequence of its German origins and the writing style of the author). Kaufman at one point footnotes a very long sentence with the observation that (paraphrase)"this is one of the most baffling sentences in the book." Buber himself in the postscript notes that he was constantly asked to explain and clarify various points in the original text, thus choosing to update the book in his postscript (which is minimally better). Nevertheless, one is encouraged to take the plunge and enter into a relationship (his key theme in I/Thou relations)with the author by forging ahead even if one does not always understand some things at the moment; it will become more clear as one reads on. Buber distinguishes between I-It and I-Thou relations. I-It is normal and to be expected; it is a natural component of human reality. However, the fundamental problem of I-It relations, especially between human beings,is that the other is reduced to just another object in a world of objects and treated as a means to one's ends. I-It is a symbol of the "sickness of our age." I-Thou/I-You, however, results from relationships/associations whereby the "other" becomes essential to the development of and realization of the self (I). I-It functions within the terms of monologue; the attempt by the self to manipulate and control the other. I-Thou is founded upon dialogue: the sharing of self with another self with the goal of maximizing the humanity of those party to the conversation. I-Thou relations are reciprocal and spirit (both human and otherworldly) comes to exist and mediates the "between" (rather than located only in the I, described as "ghostly solitude"). Thus, the book is a contribution to examining and critiquing what became known in the 20th century as mass society theory and has links to that genre in numerous ways (Marcuse, One Dimensional Man et al). Implicit throughout is his deep spirituality/religiosity; in Section 3 he is explicit about this as he explores I-Thou in terms of I-and-the-Eternal Thou" (God; every You/Thou is a glimpse of the Eternal You/Thou. Non-religious readers (or potential readers) should not avoid the book for this reason; indeed, this portion of the discussion helps to clarify the "regular" I-Thou relations. I and Thou was published the same year as Freud's Ego and the Id. Buber's take is an interesting subtle critique of Freud's formulation: according to Buber, the ego is not equivalent to the I; egos are created by setting one ego apart from other egos. The I, on the other hand,is rooted in the person and his/her reciprocal relations with other persons (e.g., Jacques Maritain's thesis). Ich und Id is about controlling and suppressing; Ich und Du is about liberation.

Let me start by saying that I’m in absolutely no position to critique this work. For those familiar with Buber, this book is written in his usual highly intellectual and abstract style.The Preface — Walter Kaufmann delivers an incredible preface that is above par even for his standards! The clarity that Kaufmann provides is an invaluable addition to this work. Kaufmann explains that he was personally asked to write a new preface to this edition from the Buber family, since he was a long-time friend of Martins, and the level of intimacy at which he approaches the text shows beautifully in the preface and transcends the whole book.I and Thou — I call Buber the “Jewish-Hegel” due to his abstract methods of comparison which are sometimes difficult to follow, given the subtle distinctions in language that he uses (the man loves word play, more power to him). Buber surgically dissects concepts, getting to the intuition constitutions that supports them, then delivers valuable insight on what he finds. There’s no real of summarizing this book, given the scope of what he is talking about, but I think it’s a valuable work for anyone to read.If you like Nietzsche, Heidegger, or pretty much any high-level existentialist, then this book is for you.10/10. I dont know what you’re waiting for, buy it.

"I and Thou" by Martin Buber is one of the most important books ever written.First published in 1923, in my opinion, it is certainly the most important book of the 20th century. Over the course of decades, it affected religious and philosophical thinking throughout the Western world, and even in some Asian places.Buber shows how the relationships between people, between people and the world and between people and God are pivotal in how we see the world."To man the world is twofold, in accordance with his twofold attitude ...in accord with the twofold nature of the primary words he speaks ..."The one primary word is the combination I-Thou."The other primary word is the combination I-It ...," says Buber at the beginning of this work.This is much more complex than can be explained here, which is why you need to read this book of only 137 pages, including the postscript.In short, when we approach someone with the attitude of I-It, we see him or her as an object. This is the attitude we often take at work, and the attitude which allows us to exploit the world.When we approach someone with the attitude of I-Thou, we see him or her as the unique and existentially real person he or she really is at heart. We see that person's soul and can never treat him or her as an object in any way.This attitude is also the way we address the world when it seems magical, such as in moments when nature calls to us and we see it as part of ourselves and ourselves as a part of it.I-Thou is how we address God when our hearts and souls open to let the Infinite in, when the spirit of God touches us.In other words, I-Thou is when we are in true relation with anything, when the boundaries we set up between ourselves and the world come down.Unfortunately, since we live in a material world, there are times when we must address the world as I-It, which is where troubles begin.Buber was an Austrian-born Jewish philosopher who was a part of the Zionist movement as the editor of its central newspaper, but later became an advocate of a joint Palestinian-Jewish homeland to share what is Israel today.Since Buber wrote "I and Thou" in idiosyncratic German, with a highly poetic and metaphorical structure, there are differences in how some think it should be translated. Personally, I prefer the translation Buber worked on with Ronald Gregor Smith, because it retains its poetic and reverent tone, but the most available translation is a later translation by Walter Kaufmann. Readers may have to find used copies to find the Smith translation, as I did, get the Kindle edition or try the interlibrary loan system.Even if you've read this gem, it bears reading again. Different chapters of our lives can give it added meaning, which is why I read it every few years.Don't miss this one.

Useful and thought provoking range of ideas.Helpful for thinking about personhood/ person-centred professional practice. Interesting to reflect on institutional and systemic systems of abuse from slavery to post colonialism to environmental exploitation.

Buber writes about our habit of treating people like objects and explains why we can change this to treating them as living beings. Way ahead of his time. An original writing style, almost stream of consciousness at times. A must read.

Some find this a difficult read - it's poetry, really, and it's one of my favourite and foundational books.

era para mi primo,me dice que ha gustado mucho el libro,porque era lo que buscaba el,un saludos a todo. espero

love it