When did Martin Buber publish the book I and Thou?
Martin Buber published Ich und Du in 1923. The German title uses the informal pronoun Du, which lacks the poetic weight of the English word Thou.
Martin Buber published Ich und Du in 1923. The German title uses the informal pronoun Du, which lacks the poetic weight of the English word Thou.
Ronald Gregor Smith released the first English translation in 1937. Walter Kaufmann followed with a second version in 1970 that became the standard text for many readers.
The I It attitude treats entities as separate objects to be categorized or measured while the I Thou mode enters a living relationship without discrete bounds. One cannot disconnect from God when I, Thou guides actions because God remains ever-present in human consciousness manifesting through music or literature.
Carl Rogers engaged Buber in a famous Dialogue during 1957 to compare person-centered therapy to the I, Thou relationship found in the book. They discussed how therapist and client relationships operate on somewhat unequal footing yet share momentary true connections.
Martin Luther King Jr. quoted these concepts in his Letter from Birmingham Jail to describe segregation as an I, It relationship reducing human beings to things. He stated he could not reach fulfillment without thou because this unique relationship became central to his critique of cultural and legal climates of inequality.