I and Thou

By Martin Buber,

Book cover of I and Thou

Book description

Buber's main proposition is that we may address existence in two ways: [1] that of the "I" towards an "It", towards an object that is separate in itself, which we either use or experience; [2] that of the 'I' towards 'Thou', in which we move into existence in a relationshipā€¦

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Why read it?

3 authors picked I and Thou as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I first read this book in college, and it has powerfully shaped my philosophy of life. Martin Buber, the great Jewish thinker, distinguished between ā€œI-Itā€ relationships, in which we use another person instrumentally, and ā€œI-Thouā€ relationships, in which we encounter another face to face. He argues that personhood begins in the prenatal life of the child flowing to and from its mother, but ends in God where all parallel relations intersect.

As a lifelong cat lover, Iā€™m especially fond of his idea that personhood is not limited by species. Buber recognized that we can authentically say ā€œThouā€ to a catā€¦

From Barbara's list on being a person in community.

When I read this book the first time, I discovered the difference between two ways to relate to others and yourself. You can relate as if the other part were a thing. Predictable and without intentions and feelings. ā€œI and itā€ Buber names this way to relate. The second way is to relate as if the other part is a living being, ā€œI and Thou.ā€
I discovered that I sometimes related to myself or others in the first way. And that the second way was a bit scary, because there you can predict nothing and you must be ready toā€¦

Bold in its simplicity, Buber communicates the importance of being in the present, recognizing the Divine in each and every human interaction. Rather than a ā€œme and youā€ conversation, he explains how human communication should be ā€œI and thou.ā€

From Brenda's list on changing my way of viewing the world.

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