Lesson 6:

Intersubjectivity
Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person
 I. Intersubjectivity
 Intersubjectivity is an interaction between self and
other which mutual recognition of each other as
persons is. A unique relationship between distinct
subjects. In everyday social interaction, persons
awareness and agree and cooperate with each other. It
is the condition of a man, a subject among other men,
who are also subjects. It refers to the shared
awareness and understanding among persons. It is
made possible by the awareness of the self and the
other (Delgado, 2018).
 Intersubjectivity
 For example. If your mother had not played tennis with
you growing up, you may not have grown to like the
sport. Your experience with tennis can be called
intersubjective because it was influenced by another
person (your mother). In order to better understand
intersubjectivity, we first need to define a subject and
an object.
 How does an individual relate with
another person?
 It means that intersubjectivity is a philosophical
concept that refer to interaction between the self
and the other which is the shared awareness and
understanding among persons. Social-interaction is
evident such as ability to agree and cooperate,
shared common knowledge, consensus and shared
emotions. The table below shows the level of self-
other interaction and its deeper level. (Salegon
2017).
Levels of Self-Other Deeper Level
Interaction
Simple awareness of the Awareness of being seen by
existence of others. others
Uniqueness from other Strangers looking at your
beings direction
Exist outside of our own Someone is staring at you is
awareness or perception aware of you as a person.
 Self-consciousness is considered by philosophers
as a defining characteristic of the self-other
relationship. The awareness of the person staring
at you will initially result in feelings of
consciousness. Philosophers have different view of
human interaction and believe that humans seek
and can achieve and maintain genuine
relationship.
 Jean Paul Sartre
 Self-consciousness is considered by philosophers
as a defining characteristic of the self-other
relationship. The awareness of the person staring
at you will initially result in feelings of
consciousness. Philosophers have different view of
human interaction and believe that humans seek
and can achieve and maintain genuine
relationship.
 Edmund Husserl
 Edmund Husserl believes that intersubjectivity is
more than just shared understanding, but it is the
capability to put oneself in the place where the
other is.
 This means a person would look at another and the
things the other one does from their own
perspective allowing them to go into other persons.
 Rene Descartes
 Rene Descartes was an advocate of individualism.
As a proponent of the doctrine of individualism, he
resolved to doubt absolutely everything that could
possibly be doubted--in the hope of thereby finding
something that was beyond doubt. Whatever he
would find would be the basis for a new body of
solid knowledge.
 II. Recognizing and Relating to Others
 Martin Buber, a Jewish philosopher had a great
interest in the study of relating ourselves to others.
He said that “I” or yourself, can only be realized
through recognition of “others.” “I” cannot be
aware of its uniqueness and existence without
encountering the “other.” Also, it is important to
note that we cannot realize our uniqueness by just
simply meeting with “others.”
 II. Recognizing and Relating to Others
 “I-It” relationship is the second type of relationship.
There are people that more concerned about the
other than themselves.
 II. Recognizing and Relating to Others
 Lastly, there is the “I-Thou” relationship. It is in this
kind of human relations that genuine sharing of
one another takes place. There are people who
treat other people sincerely as persons. They do
not and will not lessen the other into either their
own image or into the status of an object. The
center of this relationship is a genuine form of
conversation: a dialogue (Sioco & Vinzons, 2016).
 “persons with disabilities”
 The term “persons with disabilities” is used to
apply to those persons who have long-term
physical, psychological, intellectual, or sensory
impairments which in interaction with several
unreasonable or discriminatory barriers may
obstruct their full and active participation as equal
members of the society.
 Marginalization
 Marginalization is the act of downgrading an
individual, a group of people, or a thought to an
unimportant, inferior, or powerless position in a
society.
 Marginalization
 Marginalization is the act of downgrading an
individual, a group of people, or a thought to an
unimportant, inferior, or powerless position in a
society.
 Moral duty
 It is our moral duty to uphold human dignity and
importance of life, because even though we are
totally different from each other, our shared dignity
and humanity is the thing that unifies us all.
 TYPE OF RELATIONSHIP
 First is I-I relationship, there are people whose
world revolve around their own selves. They have
no real interest in other people and things.
 Second, there are people who develop interest in
others they will never attempt to reduce the other
into their own likeness-into another I
 I-Thou relationship. There are people who treat
other people genuinely as persons. It is in this type
of relationship that the other is treated as distinctly
other.