The Relationship between the "Other Presence" and "Meaning of Life" in the Thought of Jean-Paul Sartre and Martin Buber

Abstract

Jean-Paul Sartre and Martin Buber have considered the human being, his existential issues, and anxieties in their philosophical issues. Among these topics is the subject of the "other" and "meaning of life". Sartre's views appear in the position of an atheist thinker about the "other" and meaning in life in two approaches. First, his radical view of the "other" is so pessimistic, and he calls it "hell", and the relationship with the "other" is based on "conflict". At this point, life is absurd and meaningless. He takes a moderate approach in his later views, believing that he has to invent a meaning for life and that the "other" can play an essential role in this meaning. Buber is a divine existentialist and sees the "other" and "meaning of life" in a deep bond. In his mind, the pursuit of authentic communication and the discovery of the meaning of life can only be possible when there is "Thou". Of course, Thou has a hierarchy, and the highest "you" is "eternal", and in the shadow of his grace, the meaning of life is discovered.

Keywords

• the invent
• the discovering
• meaning
• the other
• conflict