Introduction

on the disappearance and appearance of persons

pp. 1-13

in: Steen Halling, Intimacy, transcendence, and psychology, Berlin, Springer, 2008

Abstract

To live is to live with other people. Typically, we assume that we understand the people who are important to us, and especially those with whom we are intimate. But how well do we really know these people, be they our friends or lovers, family members or colleagues, enemies or allies? No doubt we have some awareness of their significance to us, and yet it is easy to lose sight of them as persons with their own lives. Also, recognizing people's importance to us is by no means the same as understanding their point of view, knowing something of the world they inhabit, and appreciating what matters to them.