Moments of Meeting tells the story of a uniquely important event in twentieth-century intellectual history, the 1957 public dialogue of philosopher Martin Buber and psychotherapist Carl Rogers, and explores the practical implications of that event for contemporary social and cultural theory. Supported by original historical research, close textual analysis, and a variety of interviews, the book illuminates the careers, theories, and practices of two of the last century's foremost scholars of dialogue, while it clarifies what they shared in common. Following a careful case study of the Buber-Rogers public conversation about the dynamics of dialogue itself, the authors conclude that public dialogue cannot be built primarily upon skillful technique. Instead, we must support settings and attitudes that enable unique "moments of meeting."
"Buber came to play a role in the development of so-called third force psychology. . . . In the exchange between Buber and [Carl] Rogers, one can see how far they both were from the world of Freud, which presumes an omniscient analyst dealing with curiously foolish neurotics. Freud’s aloofness might have been self deception, but he never advocated anything like the mutual give-and-take that Buber and Rogers had in mind. . . . Buber’s mind was in another world from that of early psychoanalysis, and the passage of time has shown how relevant his thinking can be to how we approach the healing professions.”—from the Introduction
Martin Buber's work suggests that real life begins with two individuals engaged in dialogue, not just taking care of one's own needs as described in social Darwinism. Arnett argues that the end of the age of abundance demands that we give up the communicative strategies of the past and seek to work together in the midst of limited resources and an uncertain future. Today's situation calls for an unwavering commitment to Buber's "narrow ridge" concern for both self and community. Arnett illustrates the narrow ridge definition of interpersonal communication with rich examples. His vignettes demonstrate effective and ineffective approaches to human community. An effective approach, he makes clear, incorporates not only openness to others' points of view but also a willingness to be persuaded.
These six essays present one of the most significant stages in the development of Buber's philosophical thought and particularly his philosophical anthropology. This edition includes an appendix consisting of an interesting dialogue between Buber and psychologist Carl R. Rogers.
Martin Buber's classic philosophy of dialogue, I and Thou, is at the core of Kenneth Paul Kramer's scholarly and impressive Living Dialogue: Practicing Buber's I and Thou. In three main parts, paralleling the three of I and Thou, and focusing upon Buber's key concepts --nature, spirit becoming forms, true community, the real I, the eternal Thou, turning, -and the two fundamental dialogues-the I-Thou and the I-It- the book clarifies, puts into practice and vigorously affirms the moral validity of Buber's philosophy, with its extension to love, marriage, the family, the community, and God, in the conviction that genuine dialogue will effect better relations with one another, the world and God. Well-researched, and replete with a glossary of Buberian terms, practice exercises for true dialoguing, and discussion questions, Living Dialogue emerges as an invaluable guide to I and Thou. Highlights: - A lens through which to see and understand the philosopher and his work anew. - A must-read for undergraduates, as well as relationship counselors, therapists, and general readers, who will benefit from the work's clarity and ease of expression. - Includes a foreword by Maur
The Martin Buber-Carl Rogers Dialogue offers a corrected and extensively annotated version of this central text in human sciences. Focusing on the sole meeting between these two central figures in twentieth-century intellectual life, Anderson and Cissna return to the original 1957 audio tape and to a variety of other primary sources as they correct and clarify the historical record. The authors highlight hundreds of errors, major and minor, in previously distributed and published transcripts--beginning with the typescript circulated by Rogers himself. They also show how an accurate text enhances our understanding of the relationship between Buber's philosophy and Rogers's client- and person-centered approach to interpersonal relations. Anderson and Cissna discuss the central issues of the conversation, including the limits of mutuality, approaches to "self," alternative models of human nature, confirmation of others, and the nature of dialogic relation itself. Although Buber and Rogers conversed nearly forty years ago, their topics clearly resonate with contemporary debates about postmodernism, forms of otherness, cultural studies, and the possibilities for a dialogic public sphere.
'The publication of Martin Buber's I and Thou was a great event in the religious life of the West.' Reinhold Niebuhr Martin Buber (1897-19) was a prolific and influential teacher and writer, who taught philosophy at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem from 1939 to 1951. Having studied philosophy and art at the universities of Vienna, Zurich and Berlin, he became an active Zionist and was closely involved in the revival of Hasidism. Recognised as a landmark of twentieth century intellectual history, I and Thou is Buber's masterpiece. In this book, his enormous learning and wisdom are distilled into a simple, but compelling vision. It proposes nothing less than a new form of the Deity for today, a new form of human being and of a good life. In so doing, it addresses all religious and social dimensions of the human personality. Translated by Ronald Gregor Smith>