I and Thou | Martin Buber

Why it is included:

Written in 1923, this is the philosophical cornerstone of connection.

Buber distinguishes between two ways of relating: I-It (experiencing the other as an object to be used, measured, or analyzed) and I-Thou (encountering the other as a whole, sacred being).

We include this because a thriving civilization cannot be built on "I-It" transactions.

Buber argues that true reality only exists in the "Space Between" subjects.

This book reminds us that we cannot "hack" connection; we must enter into it with total presence, recognizing the divinity in the other.