Alterity and lifea contrast of perspectives from the proposal of charles taylor

Zusammenfassung

The question of alterity is as old as humanity itself. It is a relevant theme for every culture and for every generation that faces the mystery of the person and seeks adequate answers to the problem of personal existence. Our study aims at penetrating this very fundamental issue. Alterity philosophically has to do with our concern for the other, whether it is a concern for something or someone who is different from me. We are convinced that for any integral understanding of the human being, alterity and interpersonal dimensions of our existence must be taken into account. We are beings who cannot exist in isolation and as they say, no man island, and no one has the monopoly of knowledge. Thinking about the other, who is different from me and yet both are called to a common existential project, is an all-time theme. It is a subject that is always new because of the nature of human life. At all times, we find ourselves called to be existentially involved in common life. Alterity as we know is a very broad concept and much has been said about it in different systems of thought. To avoid this ambiguity, we had to narrow down the topic further to a particular author who could act as our guide throughout our study. Charles Taylor is the author chosen for his holistic view of the human being where he maintains the tension between the individual and the community as two entities that must coexist. However, Taylor alone does not exhaust this theme. This made us to devise a method that not only analyzed Taylor's ideas, but also took into account other authors who have contributed greatly to the subject matter. Our method has therefore been comparative where Taylor’s ideas are contrasted with that of others.. It is an enriching method because it challenges, enriches and deepens our understanding the ideas of our author. The reason why we put Taylor to dialogue with other authors is born from the fact that alterity as a theme also implies involving others in the task of thinking.