1.

HASIDISM
2. ICH ES AND ICH DU
3. CRITICISMS OF MODERNITY
HASIDISM (HASIDIC JUDAISM)
• Best known for his re-creation and interpretation of Hasidism. Buber, almost
single handedly, transformed it into one of the most recognized mystical
movements of the world.
• Hasidism refers to God’s presence in all of our surroundings and how we should
serve God in our every word and action
• Teachings emphasize God’s immanence in the world and the need to be one with
Him.
ICH ES AND ICH DU (I-IT AND I-THOU)
• Buber was also well known for the novel he wrote in 1923, “I and Thou”.
• Within it, he addresses how we are guilty of recognizing both objects and people
by their functions, instead of appreciating what each object or person contributes
into our world.
• His philosophy of “dialogue “became heavily influenced by a strand of Judaism
known as Chassidism.
• The central theme to Chassidism is a longing for God as well as maintaining a
deep religious sentiment within our lives.
• Chassidism draws emphasis to the importance of not only emotional values but
also joy and ‘active love’.
 “I AND THOU”
• Within his novel he explains how human existence is expressed through relations with
others, he does so by separating them into two different types:

I-IT
• Represents relations in which we experience in
our everyday lives.
• Explains how we categorize things in the world
and distance ourselves from them.
“For Buber, inter human meetings are only a
reflection of the human meeting with God”. –
Schmidt
I-THOU
• Represents relations in which we enter into with
our innermost being and which we give our entire
attention to.
• I-Thou relations consist of both partners being
willing to help each other change as well as
being willing to experience change within
themselves.
• The bonds created through I-Thou relationships
are seen to develop character by enhancing
personal traits, seeing as responsibilities are
shared within the partnership.
“I-IT AND I-THOU” CONTINUED
• Throughout his novel he explains how humans move in and out of I-It and I-thou
relations on a daily basis.
• However, attempting to achieve an I-Thou relationship only objectifies it, thus non-
intentionally turning it into an I-It relationship.
• Buber underlines that although we should not try to seek for an I-Thou
relationship, he encourages us to open ourselves up to the possibility of one. This
could be achieved through art, poetry or music.
• A key feature which runs throughout Buber’s novel, “I and Thou”, is how he
describes God to be the Eternal Thou and so rationalist philosophers, such as
Descartes and Kant, automatically established an I-It relationship with God
through their attempts to prove His existence.
• He instructs how I-It relationships with God should be avoided. However, God has
become commonly objectified to churches, mosques and synagogues as well as
legislator of rules and prayers.
THE TREE ANALOGY
Buber uses the example of a tree to illustrate 5 different relations:
1. Viewing the tree as a picture with the colour and detail through the
aesthetic perception.
2. Identifying tree as movement. Movement including the breathing of the
leaves, the roots sucking the water, the never-ending activities between
the tree and earth and air and of course the growth of tree.
3. Categorizing the tree by its type, studying it.
4. Exercising the ability to look at something from a different perspective.
5. Interpreting the experience of the tree in mathematical terms.
CRITICISM ON MODERNITY
• Buber has become highly influential with regards to education.
• He views modern society as entirely built up based on the premise of I-It.
• He refers to politics, economics, public institutions and even much of our
personal lives to be fundamentally grounded due to the fact that humans view
others as an It, rather than a You.
• How today, man has become to feel alienated due to modern society exclusively
possessing an I-It reputation.
• However, due to his courageous and expressive thoughts on his society back
then, it led many to view him as dangerous within the country of Israel.

“As we live, we grow and our beliefs change. They must change. So I think we
should live with this constant discovery” – Martin Buber