The Other – a troublesome dyad?

ABSTRACT

The ‘Other’ can be near to us, or far from us. We are in-relation with both. Given that, we explore whether, from a moral philosophical perspective, the ‘near-other’ is in tension with the ‘far-other’. We argue that we find our relationship with the near-other through a transcendent metaphysical empathy derived from the noumenon, which is manifest in the phenomenon as compassion and justice. We then argue that perceived differences in the phenomenon mean that we do not reliably transfer this empathy for the near-other, to the far-other. Further, empathic and constructive dialogue is made more difficult because of our proclivity to actively engage in ‘othering’ those not-like-us. Properly, moral decision-making is positioned in a space cognizant of the other. Near-otherness makes consensus in the decision-making process easier, while far-otherness makes consensus more difficult. In our post-modern, multicultural and multifaith era, we need to be alert to the other’s perspective, to find a way to have a meaningful dialogue and thus achieve consensus in our moral decision-making.

KEYWORDS:

• Moral decision-making
• dialogic consensus
• the Other
• noumenon
• phenomenon

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the three reviewers for their help in clarifying our argument.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s)

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Paul Walker

Paul Walker, OAM MBBS PhD FRACS, FACS, is Conjoint Professor in the Clinical Unit in Ethics and Health Law, Faculty of Medicine and Health, at the University of Newcastle. He is a surgeon in Newcastle, NSW, Australia.

Terence Lovat

Terence Lovat, BTh, BLitt, BEd, MA, ThM, PhD, is Professor Emeritus in Philosophy, Religion and Theology at the University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia, and Senior Research Fellow at Oxford University, UK, Honorary Professor at the University of Glasgow, UK, and Adjunct Professor at Royal Roads University, Canada.