The Role of the Other in the Construction of Identity: Considerations Around Martin Buber and Emmanuel Levinas

By comparing Buber and Levinas, this article aims to clarify the constitution of the self as a place of identity. Both authors recognise, at first, that the self is only defined in relation to others and, ultimately, in relation to the You. However, the definition of that relationship is opposite in both authors. Levinas’ interpretation echoes Luther and Kierkegaard, as it establishes an insurmountable difference between you and me. Buber, although he borrows many concepts from the Danish philosopher, fundamentally, the definition of the individual as a relationship, contradicts Kierkegaard by defining the relationship not as a simple ‘facing’, but as a third party between me and you. Finally, it is concluded that although the individual must be preserved in the I–You relationship, this cannot be understood as something in itself, as a third part, and, on the other hand, there must be a certain knowledge about the Thou for the relationship to be real.