Module 6 - Intersubjectivity PDF

# Module 6 - Intersubjectivity Intersubjective means: Prefix "inter" which connotes "among and between" and the philosophical term, "subject" is equivalent to a "conscious being". - In general, it means "sharing of subjective states by two or more individuals". - It refers to the shared meaning con...

# Module 6 - Intersubjectivity Intersubjective means: Prefix "inter" which connotes "among and between" and the philosophical term, "subject" is equivalent to a "conscious being". - In general, it means "sharing of subjective states by two or more individuals". - It refers to the shared meaning constructed by people in their interactions with each other. - It is the Philosophical concept between the self and the other, The Mutual recognition of each other as persons. - The shared awareness, understanding among persons. - It is the organic union of the subjective reality and the objective reality of beings. - As a person, we have a personal regard to self but we cannot deny the fact (objective - fact of reality we all share) that we live with others so we also regard them as part of ourselves. ## What Philosophers Say About Intersubjectivity? - Intersubjectivity is universal. - It exists when and where humans exist. Here are some philosophers who took philosophical inquiry on Intersubjectivity: 1. **Jean Paul Sartre:** He explains that when you look at a person, the act of objectification allows you to capture that person's freedom to be what he/she wants to be. That is, you are limiting a person's possibilities by the look. This is evident when you stereotype or label a person based on his/her appearance or certain actions. **Totalization:** It occurs when one limits the other to a set of rational categories, be the racial, sexual or otherwise. One totalizes the other when one claims that he/she already knows who that person is before they can even speak to. 2. **Edmund Husserl:** He believes that intersubjectivity is more than just shared understanding, but the capability to put oneself in the place where the other is. ### 3 Ideas on Intersubjectivity are: 1. **Empathy:** Putting yourself on the shoes of others. 2. **Availability:** Willingness to be present or to be at the disposal of another. 3. **Ethics of care:** An ethical theory that emphasizes the moral dimension of interactions. - It encourages individuals to help people, especially the vulnerable. 3. **Confucius (551-479B.C.E.)**: One of the main ideas of Confucianism is Ren or "human-heartedness". It is a virtue central to man that can be found in his sociality or intersubjectivity. In his philosophy, Confucius stresses order and harmony in the world. 4. **Martin Buber (1878-1965)**: Is a Jewish philosopher who introduced the "I-Thou" and "I-It" relationships to embody his philosophy of intersubjectivity. For Buber, we have to treat another person as a subject (a being different from things or objects). Persons are not inanimate objects to be used. - "I" refers to the self and "Thou" or "You" refers to others. This "I-Thou" relationship is the most meaningful relationship in the realm of humanity. - In a simple I-It relationship, you have two entities: a subject and an object. The subject - you - is the I, and the object is the it. ## 3 Kinds of Relationships: 1. **I-I relationship:** People make themselves the center of their world. - Talking to other people do not interest them and if they talk to others, It is I will be the center of the conversation. - It's all about I, me, and myself. 2. **I-It relationship:** - Treat other people as mere object or "It". - This will result to alienation. - When human relationships are inauthentic, deceptive and exploitative. - This will lead to the dehumanization. 3. **I-Thou relationship:** Refers to the kind of relationship that is genuine in treating other. - "I-Thou" relationship treats other people as subjects or equal. - This relationship entails open-mindedness, respect, mutual trust, love, care, etc. - "I" refers to the self and "Thou" or "You" refers to others. - "I-Thou" relationship is the most meaningful relationship in the realm of humanity. - The "I" is the same with "Thou" and there should be mutual relationship between them. - This is a "person-to-person" relationship, "subject-to-subject" relation. - We need to accept, respect, be sincere, and have dialogue with the other. 4. **Karol Wojtyla (1920-2005)**: He is also St. John Paul II but as a philosopher, we use his real name. For Wojtyla, human action is the foundation of our being. But human reality is also about being with others, so our actions are also directed towards others. This form of action is now called "Participation". ## What is Dialogue? It is a deep and genuine relationship between persons. It happens when two persons acknowledge each other's presence and treat each other as equals. Authentic dialogue is defined as open and honest conversations that abide by the Habermas speech conditions in which fair exchanges of thoughts lead to detecting and correcting errors (or reconciling differences) amongst engaged actors. ## Obstacles to a Dialogue 1. **Seeming** is a way of approaching the other governed by the image one desires to impress on the other. It involves deliberately playing or hiding aspects of yourself to appear more desirable or impressive. It is the essential cowardice of man, the lying that frequently occurs in self-presentation when one seeks to communicate an image and make a certain impression. 2. **Speechifying** refers to one's talking past another. It is hearing without listening to what one says. 3. **Imposition** constitutes holding one's opinion, values, attitudes and oneself without regard for those of another. It is telling the other how he/she should act, behave or respond to things. ## Promotes Dialogue **Being** proceeds not from an image, but from what one really is. It is an acceptance of the other in the way that it is also an acceptance of the self as it is. **Personal making Present** - is the process of fully opening oneself to the other. **Unfolding** constitutes finding in the other a disposition toward what one recognizes as true, good and beautiful. It involves seeing the other as a unique singular individual capable of freely actualizing oneself. ## The Following Are Some Authentic Examples of Disadvantaged Individuals Who Contributed to Society: 1. **Stephen Hawking:** A physicist and cosmologist who, despite his rare medical condition called amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), made significant contributions to contemporary studies of relativity, quantum physics. 2. **Joxy Sasutona:** Painter - Having lost the use of his hands after a diving accident, has spent decades using his mouth and feet to paint vibrant slices of Filipino life. He's also been honored internationally, winning first prize in the 2007 International Art Competition of the Association of Mouth and Foot Painting Artists held in Vienna, Austria. 3. **Roselle Ambubuyog:** Mathematician and Motivational Speaker Roselle was Ateneo de Manila University's first visually impaired student. Following her colorful academic life, she has spent her professional career working for leading tech companies around the world, contributing to the advancement of technologies for the blind. She somehow manages to be a motivational speaker as well.