100 years after its original publication, Martin Buber's landmark work of philosophy and theology I and Thou remains one of the most important books of Western thought and a seminal work of 20th-century intellectual history. Considered to be one of the most influential books of Western thought since its original publication in 1923, Martin Buber's slender volume I and Thou influenced the way we think about our relationships with one another and with God. Buber unites currents of modern German philosophy with the Judeo-Christian tradition, powerfully updating faith for modern times. I and Thou is Martin Buber's pioneering work and the centerpiece of his groundbreaking philosophy. In it, Buber--one of the greatest Jewish minds of the 20th century--lays out a view of the world in which human beings can enter into relationships that enhance their mutual existential dignity (I-Thou relations). These "dialogical" relations contrast with those that tend to prevail in modern society, namely the treatment of others as objects to advance personal and collective interests (I-It relations). Buber demonstrates how I-Thou interhuman meetings reflect and embody the human meeting with God. For Buber, the essence of biblical religion affirms the possibility of a dialogue between man and God.
Buber, Martin MARTIN BUBER (1878-1965) was a Jewish philosopher, theologian, Bible translator, and editor of Hasidic tradition. He was also known as one of the paramount spiritual leaders of the twentieth century and is best known as the author of "I and Thou"--the basic formulation of his philosophy of dialogue--and for his appreciation of Hasidism, which made a deep impact on Christian as well as Jewish thinkers. Fleeing Nazi Germany in 1938, he immigrated to Israel, where he taught social philosophy at the Hebrew University.