The Different Other and Dialogue

The main theses of the article show the ways that various groups, whether ethnic, racial, religious or even ideological fall prey to monological positions without recognizing their own limitations. Thus they assume a “universal” position as all inclusive and true to reality itself. Those who hold such a position are not cognizant that without dialogical engagement there would not be a position. In this sense, the dialogical encounter allows one to have a position and its limitation. Moreover, monological positions tend to define others in such a way, that the others accept such definitions and become part of a specific monologue. The article is designed to show the ways of extricating oneself from monological posturing.