More Than One Encounter: Exploring the Second-Person Perspective and the In-Between

Abstract

In this essay, I explore the notion of the encounter as a challenge to the second-person perspective. I do so by turning to Jacques Derrida’s account of the encounter with the associated notions of address, second-person perspective, otherness, and the secret involved in the understanding of the encounter. My argument is not only that such a dynamic can be seen in Derrida’s deliberation, but also that drawing the connection between encounter and Derrida’s account highlights the complex way in which the second-person perspective is involved in the dialogical situation.

Keywords

• encounter
• second-person perspective
• derrida
• address
• dialogue
• understanding