I And Thou

Buber's basic distinction is between the I- It, and the I- Thou relationship. In the I-It relationship we treat others as objects and make use of them for our own selfish purposes. In the I - Thou relationship we treat others with full respect, and seek to understand their inwardness as we understand our own. In the I- Thou relationship as Buber conceives it true dialogue and true relationship is possible. And in this kind of meaningful relationship between two understanding and empathetic human beings we come into a kind of holy relationship. And this kind of holy human relationship parallels the proper relationship we are to have with God. While this single idea might seem too all encompassing to really analyze the complexity of our human relationships, I believe it is a basically right guiding concept. Buber in this short work sets out his theoretical understanding of the concept. Buber is ordinarily a clear writer, and a remarkable storyteller as in his 'Tales of the Hasidism' work. But here the theoretical structure means that there is much abstraction often difficult to understand. Philosophy meets poetry here but not always in a readily comprehensible way. But again this is the key concept of a major thinker, and a concept which illuminate the path for each of us to a better and more humanly fulfilling life.

Martin Buber has achieved something amazing in this slim book. All you really need to read is Part One of I and Thou (more appropriately translated as 'I and You' in my opinion) to understand his very practical philosophy. There is more profundity in those 30 pages than in all the religious / "metaphysical studies" / spirituality aisle books you'll ever see.For some reason, Buber is always shelved under Judaica, when Philosophy seems like a better place for him, but anyway don't be scared off by the religious categorization. This book is as secular as they come, and therefore safe for the avowed atheists out there.Anyway, after reading enormous doses of literature, and a pretty good smattering of Western philosophy, this was the first book to have simple, applicable advice; it is at one and the same time a metaphysical system and a doctrine of how to live the good life. As far as I know, these two branches of philosophy usually seem pretty far apart, except in religion, in which case you are forced to accept absurdities as the price of this marriage.Buber is neither an optimist nor a pessimist. He's an existentialist but I find him more 'useful' than other Ex's because his theory is not just a laying bare of hypocrisy -- Buber actually gives you a way of taking positive action to enrich your life.Lest you misunderstand this convoluted review, there is nothing Anthony Robbins-ish about Buber. He's not a rah-rah go team life coach lightweight.Just read it.

In 1988 my life was completely transformed by this tiny book, and those effects continue today. Buber's powerful stance on human (and divine) relations is even more relevant and poignant today as we spend more and more time in enclosed rooms trying to communicate with strangers through machines. Buber understood human isolation so well and so eloquently mourned its harmful effects, proposing a far better way to live and relate to others.I hope that readers will take the time to digest what Buber has to say. As for which transation to read, I began with the Kaufmann, but soon found the older one by Ronald Gregor Smith to be more direct, less wordy, and much more beautifullly written. However, regardless of which translation you read, this book is truly a gem.

This book was truly amazing and I continual refer to it with my relationships with other people. And that is the central commandment - to realize that we have relationships with people, trees, dogs, and god (an I-You relationship). We do not experience the abovementioned as objects (an I-It relationship) but they have life that reciprocates our actions. Buber explains our relationships and how we should go about interpreting them. For example, animals and plants are a relationship beneath language, people our related to within language, and finally the eternal you (god) is above our function of language."Feeling dwell in man, but man dwells in his love. This is no metaphor but actuality: love does not cling to an I, as if the You were merely its "content" or object; it is between I and You. Whoever does not know this...does not know love..."The only way one can find themselves is to experience the relationship. I highly recommend this book, but I do suggest a dictionary nearby because the wording can get rather tricky. Admittedly it is a difficult read, but taking your time with each paragraph and rereading when necessary, I am confident that if you truly want to find out more about a simple but thought provoking philosophy you will find yourself done with the book in a matter of weeks.

This small book is obscure at times and difficult to grasp, yet it completely changed my life. I honestly think Buber wrote it poetically to encourage the reader to slow down and potentially I have a true encounter with the ideas. Most of Buber's later books seem to be developing the ideas expounded in I and Thou, so it might be helpful to read another Buber text, like Between Man and Man, alongside I and Thou. He becomes his own commentary. If you have the patience, I think you'll find this book opens a whole new perspective on relationships, our perspective on the world, and the potential for truly divine encounters.