TOPIC: INTERSUBJECTIVITY

Intersubjectivity of human beings

• Intersubjectivity presupposes human being’s connectivity with other human beings.

• Continuous sharing of meaning leads to open communication of myself to the other.
• Human being is a social being
• Human being is born and creates himself/herself in social interaction.

The self in isolation

• Human being lives in isolation when he/she does not recognize the existence of other human beings.
• He/she does not establish vocative situation with others
• He/she does not establish relational interaction
• Jasper points out that if this becomes absolute, there is a danger of making a judgment and using it as a
basis of understanding of realities around him/her.
• For Jaspers, it is in open communication that human being true self can manifest itself to others and
experiences self-realization.

The self in the realm of pretentions

• Deception is a hindrance toward the establishment of communicative situation or dialogue between or

among human being.
• Deception hinders the true being from unveiling itself.

The self in the realm of manipulation

• Manipulation between or among persons occurs when one says to the other “I create your world and you
must only think, feel and act within the boundary”
• In this situation, a human being sees the other person as a mere “thing or it.”

The self in realm of selfishness

• Self-centeredness is another factor that hiders the establishment of communicative manifestation or

vocative situation between human beings
• The “I” sees only itself as the basis of truth and social existence.

Self-consciousness and dialogue

• Self consciousness begins with the consciousness of another’s consciousness communicating each other
in a dialogue
• Gabriel Marcel claims that in establishing relation with other person, self-consciousness becomes more
aware of itself.
• Marcel believes that self-consciousness is in co-existence with other consciousness.

Selfhood and dialogue

• Selfhood means individuality

• Karl Jaspers affirms that dialogue fosters individuality
Freedom and dialogue: unfolding of self

• Freedom is a human aspect that he/she becomes conscious of himself/herself.

• Human being has to risk his/her freedom in the communication with other human being
• It is only in risking and losing freedom in relationship that one finds freedom and its true meaning
towards the realization of selfhood.

Truth and dialogue: making present

• Truth is never revealed in isolation

• As human being constantly communicates his/her selfhood with another he/she at the same time is
unveiling the truth

Spontaneity in Dialogue

• The self-expression of my being carries a lasting communicative manifestation with the other
• Martin Buber states that interpersonal relationship arises between myself and the other
• Karl Jaspers stated that human being existence can come into its own with other existence
• Spontaneity reveals the mystery of self-being

Overcoming the “I” Centeredness

• Communicative manifestation demands surrendering of one’s self being to the other.

• Leonardo Mercado affirms that human being influence each other; both are open to each other.
• As the one leaves himself/herself as the center of vocative situation, he/she consider the other as more
important to himself/herself.

Relational Responsibility

• Human being is essentially relational.

• Gabriel Marcel affirms that human is not some disconnected, completely self-standing being.
• Relational responsibility is concretely expressed through the following: knowledge, respect and care.

Love in Dialogue: The Will to Communicate

• The choice to communicate has to be rooted on love.

• When one decides to establish relationship with other human being, it has to be loving struggle.
• Love that commands human being to choose to communicate and establish relationship with others is an
active and creative.