Intersubjectivity, Sociality, Community

The chapter discusses how various early phenomenologists by starting from an examination of empathy and other forms of dyadic interpersonal relations went on to develop analyses of larger social units in order to address questions concerning the nature of our communal being-together. More specifically, it shows how an investigation of dyadic empathic encounters figures prominently in not only Husserl’s, but also Scheler’s and Walther’s subsequent analyses of experiential sharing and we-intentionality. Not all phenomenologists, however, agreed with this prioritization of second-person engagement and face-to-face relationships. The chapter concludes with a brief discussion of Gurwitsch’s and Heidegger’s criticisms and alternative approaches.