Edith Stein on Individual and Community: Critical Insights on a Philosophy of Inclusion

Abstract

Discourses concerning “inclusivity†in different facets of society, have recently gained attention in various disciplines. It is saddening to hear of news involving discrimination and exclusion in various forms still occurring in the world. Discussions on inclusivity should introduce and build on ideas that help the world be more inclusive. This paper argues that critical insights from Stein’s analyses of the individual and community can be relevant to discourses on philosophy of inclusion. A genuine community for Stein involves intersubjective relations between individuals that entail an open commitment to and “living†in the shared world with the community. Through the mental and sensate levels, the individual knows and experiences, respectively, the shared values and meanings of the community; and the shared lifepower of the community which shape the character of the community’s members. The idea of inclusivity should be a part of the shared values, meanings, and lifepower of the community that should be reiterated and practiced. If society is to be more inclusive, then its members need to strive to be more than just a mass of individuals but, a genuine community.