Between Man and Man

by Martin Buber, Ronald Gregor Smith (Translator)

Scholar, theologian and philosopher, Martin Buber is one of the twentieth century's most influential thinkers. He believed that the deepest reality of human life lies in the relationship between one being and another. Between Man and Man is the classic work where he puts this belief into practice, applying it to the concrete problems of contemporary society. Here he tackles subjects as varied as religious ethics, social philosophy, marriage, education, psychology and art. Including some of his most famous writings, such as the masterful What is Man?, this enlightening work challenges each reader to reassess their encounter with the world that surrounds them.

Genres: Philosophy, Religion, Psychology, Judaism, Nonfiction, Anthropology, Sociology

211 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1944

About the author

Martin Buber was an Austrian-born Jewish philosopher best known for his philosophy of dialogue, a religious existentialism centered on the distinction between the I-Thou relationship and the I-It relationship.

Buber came from a family of observant Jews, but broke with Jewish custom to pursue secular studies in philosophy. In 1902, Buber became the editor of the weekly Die Welt, the central organ of the Zionist movement, although he later withdrew from organizational work in Zionism. In 1923 Buber wrote his famous essay on existence, Ich und Du (later translated into English as I and Thou), and in 1925 he began translating the Hebrew Bible into the German language.

In 1930 Buber became an honorary professor at the University of Frankfurt am Main, and resigned in protest from his professorship immediately after Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933. He then founded the Central Office for Jewish Adult Education, which became an increasingly important body as the German government forbade Jews to attend public education. In 1938, Buber left Germany and settled in Jerusalem, in the British Mandate of Palestine, receiving a professorship at Hebrew University and lecturing in anthropology and introductory sociology.

Reviews

[Mara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-reading this recently reminded me how much I appreciate Buber's philosophy and writings related to the essential dialogue that is so critical yet so rare in the world as we all wonder why our monologues don't bring us closer to others or our inner selves. Didn't discern the answer on how to reach this place of true dialogue but love the fact that Buber makes it come alive in a way that encourages us to strive towards it.

[Holly Castleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Required reading

“Creation is not a hurdle on the road to God, it is the road itself… to teach acosmic relation to God is not to know the creator”

[Marc Lamot · Rating 3 out of 5]

In itself, this book by the Jewish philosopher Martin Buber (1978-1965) is not exactly ideal to read: it is based on a course Buber taught at the University of Jerusalem after he settled in Palestine in 1938. Hence the rather schematic treatment of various thinkers, including Kierkegaard, Heidegger, Schelling, and so on. However, Buber does follow a common thread in this book, namely the development of a philosophical anthropology.

What he has to say about the mentioned thinkers in that context is certainly interesting, but it is especially in the final third that he arrives at his own anthropology. And that revolves around one central thesis: only in his relationship to another human being (and other people) does a human being reach full development. In doing so, he rejects Kierkegaard’s individualism, which he considers too dogmatic, as well as Heidegger’s closed individualism and the collective view of Marxism. His adage is man-with-man or as this book uses it "Between man and man": “If you consider the individual as such, you will see of man, in a way, only what we see of the moon; for a complete image, you need man-with-man. If you consider the collective in itself, you will see of man, so to speak, only what we see when we look at the Milky Way; for the outlines to be clear, you still need man-with-man.”

I am not a philosophical expert, but I know enough about philosophy to see in this plea an announcement of what would become Emmanuel Levinas's central view. What does surprise me is that at no point does Buber refer to personalism, the social philosophy of Emmanuel Mounier, and that was already calibrated in the 1930s, so before the publication of Buber. It is not clear to me whether Buber was completely unaware of this.

[R.K. Cowles · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

[Allan Savage]

This is a book on phenomenological anthropology which aims to replace the classical philosophy of Aristotle and Aquinas in attempting to answer the newly disclosed problematic of man. Post-Aristotle and Post-Aquinas Western humanity, (i.e. modernity), faces a crises in life of feeling no longer “at home in the universe.” Phenomenological anthropology is a Continental philosophical approach to the question. This collection of essays reveals the development of Buber’s attitude and stance in investigating this question under various headings such as Dialogue, The Single One, and the Education and Man. Classical idealism finds no place in Buber’s thinking. He considers phenomena as giving the data within which existential relationships are forged. Buber brought together these essays in connection with his book, I and Thou, and “with particular regards to needs of our time” (ix). It is through the relationship of man and man that the essence of humanity is grasped, and not ideally so, Buber maintains.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those who question the coherence of “I and Thou,” Buber also provided this book. The five essays collected in “Between Man and Man” elaborate the dialogical view of man espoused in the earlier, more famous book. Buber situates his I-Thou dualism within intellectual history and attacks individualistic and collectivistic views of man. The writing gains poignancy from the personal anecdotes Buber relates and from being the thoughts of a prominent Jew trying to maintain Jewish intellectual life in Germany and Austria during the 1930s. He finally fled to Jerusalem in 1938.

[Ryan]

I just picked this gem up yesterday. This guy was Levinas' mentor and friend and his work about friendship and others informs much of Levinas' work. I'm using this book for my seminar paper.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Requires focus. Not a casual read. However, his notion of "I-Thou" and how educators ought to interact with their students is inspiring.

[Rhonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Information Density The book contains a significant amount of information that requires careful reading. Every chapter adds a new layer to the overall picture created by the author. It is the kind of material that might require a second reading to fully grasp all the nuances. Check out the link for a helpful summary of the key facts. >>> https://script.google.com/macros/s/AK...

[Justin]

It could be good, but I don't think buber's style of writing is for me

[John]

nonfiction,philosophy,religion

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The brilliance of "I and Thou" for personal interactions, whether with people, trees, or even the sky.

[Gregory Kaplan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buber's strongest collection of essays fleshes out the compact insights of _I and Thou_.

[Me]

People are people.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find Buber hard to read, yet worth it, akin to finishing every last bite of your hearty oatmeal/quinoa/amaranth breakfast.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Buber more than I originally thought.