I and Thou

- The true self must be found not in the abstract concept of self, but in [[the relationship between]] I and Thou. I find the Absolute Other, the Thou, at the bottom of the self, and conversely see the self in the Absolute Other. This is the basis of true self-consciousness.

• This I-thou relationship is the foundation of personhood and provides the basis for the real world in which we exist. The absolute other whom the self encounters is not mere material nature or objective spirit, but thee, the other personality that calls to the self and limits the self.

• The encounter between I and Thou occurs in history. The personal self is always historically situated and limited. History is where I and thou meet.

• Love in the sense of agape, or self-sacrificial love for others, is key to true personhood. In agape, one dies to self and lives in others. This is in contrast to eros, which is an acquisitive love that seeks the expansion of the self.

• Value and culture must be based on this agape I-thou relationship. Value is created through the historical I and Thou encounter, not its foundation. God reveals himself not in abstract value, but in history, in the call of the Absolute Thou.

In summary, the text argues that the true self and the real world are based on the historical encounter of personality, i.e., I and Thou, and the self-sacrificial love (agape) that dies to self and lives in the other. This concrete, personal encounter is the basis of personhood and reality, not abstract concepts of self, spirit, and value.

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