I and Thou - Paperback

by Martin Buber (Author)

100 years after its original publication, Martin Buber's landmark work of philosophy and theology I and Thou remains one of the most important books of Western thought and a seminal work of 20th-century intellectual history.

Considered to be one of the most influential books of Western thought since its original publication in 1923, Martin Buber's slender volume I and Thou influenced the way we think about our relationships with one another and with God. Buber unites currents of modern German philosophy with the Judeo-Christian tradition, powerfully updating faith for modern times.

I and Thou is Martin Buber's pioneering work and the centerpiece of his groundbreaking philosophy. In it, Buber--one of the greatest Jewish minds of the 20th century--lays out a view of the world in which human beings can enter into relationships that enhance their mutual existential dignity (I-Thou relations). These "dialogical" relations contrast with those that tend to prevail in modern society, namely the treatment of others as objects to advance personal and collective interests (I-It relations). Buber demonstrates how I-Thou interhuman meetings reflect and embody the human meeting with God. For Buber, the essence of biblical religion affirms the possibility of a dialogue between man and God.

Author Biography

Martin Buber (1878-1965) was a prolific author, scholar, literary translator, and political activist whose writings--mostly in German and Hebrew--ranged from Jewish mysticism to social philosophy, biblical studies, religious phenomenology, philosophical anthropology, education, politics, and art. Upon his emigration from Nazi Germany to Palestine in 1938, he assumed a professorship in social philosophy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Until his death in Jerusalem, he was an unflagging advocate on Arab-Jewish fraternity and rapprochement. Buber was recurrently nominated for a Nobel Prize in literature and in Peace.