The I-Thou and I-It relations are central to Martin Buber’s philosophy and provide the dichotomy with which he describes reality and the world around us. The I-It relationship is straightforward, as it is the subject-object relationship we are accustomed to. The I-Thou is, in the words of Maurice Friedman, “the relationship of mutuality, directness, presence, and openness.” This relationship leads to Buber’s conception of how we relate to the world, nature and, ultimately, God.

Buber’s reality is one of relations with others, or with individuals. These relationships with other individuals can only be truly cultivated when there is a distance observed between the two parties. This distance preserves independence and the individual self of each participant, as the two confirm one another. In this way, each participant is “made present” by the other and retains a uniqueness not found otherwise. For Buber, however, this self-realization is merely the by-product of the goal of confirmation and dialogue allowed for in the distance relation.

As humans we have the unique ability to “impose an insurmountable limit to [our] objectification.” The only way in which we are able to be perceived as whole is through a relationship with a partner, but this wholeness is impossible if the partner remains just an observed object. A key distinction for Buber in this relationship is the distinction between being and seeing.

This distinction hinges on perception and spontaneity. If one individual in the relation is “dominated” by being then the relation is spontaneous and she throws herself into the interaction without analyzing the consequences. The seeming person, however, is preoccupied with the other’s thoughts about her and instead of acting spontaneously interacts with the other in a premeditated manner that belies authenticity. This is driven by the need for confirmation, and the preference for false confirmation over the prospect of no confirmation at all. The only way to truly be in possession of a self is to go through the process of mutual confirmation with an other that is the product of a relationship through distance and predicated on spontaneity.

The I-Thou is direct knowing that involves a fully reciprocal relation between existences. This relation is mediated by the senses and the “word,” which includes such things as art, literature, ritual, language, and music. These are the things which enable the entering into an I-Thou relation for individuals. The I-It knowledge is then the product of the I-Thou relationship. If this knowledge is forgotten or obscured then it is unable to point back to the direct knowing of the I-Thou and becomes a hindrance instead. In this conception, the true nature of knowledge is communication.

Since the I-It knowledge ends up as the product of the I-Thou relation, it always occurs after the present has become past. The I-Thou relation, conversely, is always entered into in the present. Since the I-Thou is distinctly present, our interaction with the other is solely based in the things as they are and not as they have already been filtered through our minds previously; all we know is our immediate relation to the other.

This I-Thou relation can also be extended to nature, and then to God. This will be continued in the next post.