An Academic Evaluation of Martin Buber's I-Thou Thought

On the 100th Anniversary of the Publication of I and Thou

Abstract

In the honor of the 100th anniversary of the publication of Martin Buber's I and Thou (1923), I would like to examine Buber's thought by referring to the commentary and introduction of the new edition of Buber's collection of works, Volume 4 “The Dialogical Principles” and Volume 12 “Philosophy and Religion.” In particular, I would like to show that the leading concept of “I and Thou” is not a dialogue but a relationship, and that his ideas are philosophical anthropology rather than philosophy. Buber regarded philosophy as objectification and abstraction, and pointed out the problem of I-It. On the contrary, under the influence of Dilthey's idea of “Erlebnis,” he formed his own theory of the I-Thou relationship.