The Priority of the Other: Thinking and Living Beyond the Self
The Priority of the Other: Thinking and Living Beyond the Self
Professor of Psychology
Cite
Abstract
This book provides a radical reorientation of our most basic ways of making sense of the human condition. Contemporary psychology – as well as our own ordinary understanding of experience – remains largely ego-centric in focus, seeing the self as the primary source of meaning and value. Working from this basic premise, it is proposed that we adopt a more “ex-centric” perspective, one that affirms the priority of the Other in shaping human experience. In speaking of the “Other,” the reference is not only to other people, but also to those non-human “others” – nature, art, God – that take us beyond the ego and bring us closer to the world. At the heart of the book are two fundamental ideas. The first is that the Other is the primary source of meaning, inspiration, and existential nourishment. The second is that it is the primary source of our ethical energies, and that being responsive and responsible to the world beyond us is a defining feature of our humanity. There is a tragic side to this story, however. Enraptured though we may be by the Other, we frequently encounter it in a state of distraction and fail to receive the nourishment and inspiration it can provide. And responsive and responsible though we may sometimes be, it is perilously easy to retreat inward, to the ego. The challenge, therefore, is to break the spell of the “ordinary oblivion” that characterizes much of everyday life. By thinking and living the priority of the Other, we can become better attuned to both the world beyond us and the world within.
Sign in
Personal account
- Sign in with email/username & password
- Get email alerts
- Save searches
- Purchase content
- Activate your purchase/trial code
- Add your ORCID iD
Purchase
Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.
Purchasing informationMonth: | Total Views: |
---|---|
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 2 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 5 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 1 |
November 2022 | 7 |
November 2022 | 3 |
November 2022 | 6 |
November 2022 | 2 |
November 2022 | 2 |
November 2022 | 3 |
November 2022 | 8 |
November 2022 | 3 |
December 2022 | 2 |
December 2022 | 16 |
December 2022 | 4 |
December 2022 | 1 |
December 2022 | 14 |
December 2022 | 15 |
December 2022 | 4 |
January 2023 | 3 |
January 2023 | 3 |
January 2023 | 2 |
February 2023 | 4 |
February 2023 | 2 |
February 2023 | 1 |
March 2023 | 4 |
April 2023 | 1 |
April 2023 | 1 |
May 2023 | 1 |
May 2023 | 1 |
June 2023 | 5 |
June 2023 | 1 |
June 2023 | 2 |
June 2023 | 2 |
June 2023 | 5 |
June 2023 | 2 |
June 2023 | 2 |
June 2023 | 2 |
June 2023 | 4 |
June 2023 | 2 |
June 2023 | 3 |
June 2023 | 1 |
July 2023 | 2 |
July 2023 | 5 |
July 2023 | 1 |
July 2023 | 2 |
July 2023 | 3 |
July 2023 | 2 |
July 2023 | 2 |
July 2023 | 2 |
July 2023 | 2 |
August 2023 | 2 |
August 2023 | 3 |
August 2023 | 2 |
August 2023 | 1 |
September 2023 | 4 |
September 2023 | 13 |
September 2023 | 4 |
September 2023 | 10 |
October 2023 | 4 |
October 2023 | 2 |
October 2023 | 4 |
October 2023 | 2 |
October 2023 | 2 |
October 2023 | 6 |
October 2023 | 5 |
October 2023 | 2 |
November 2023 | 3 |
November 2023 | 4 |
November 2023 | 1 |
November 2023 | 4 |
November 2023 | 2 |
December 2023 | 2 |
December 2023 | 7 |
December 2023 | 2 |
December 2023 | 1 |
December 2023 | 3 |
January 2024 | 10 |
January 2024 | 3 |
January 2024 | 7 |
January 2024 | 4 |
January 2024 | 8 |
January 2024 | 9 |
January 2024 | 8 |
January 2024 | 8 |
January 2024 | 5 |
January 2024 | 2 |
January 2024 | 9 |
January 2024 | 9 |
January 2024 | 5 |
February 2024 | 6 |
February 2024 | 1 |
February 2024 | 2 |
February 2024 | 2 |
February 2024 | 2 |
February 2024 | 2 |
February 2024 | 3 |
February 2024 | 2 |
February 2024 | 3 |
February 2024 | 2 |
February 2024 | 2 |
February 2024 | 6 |
February 2024 | 3 |
March 2024 | 4 |
March 2024 | 6 |
March 2024 | 1 |
March 2024 | 7 |
March 2024 | 1 |
March 2024 | 3 |
March 2024 | 2 |
March 2024 | 2 |
March 2024 | 3 |
March 2024 | 2 |
April 2024 | 12 |
April 2024 | 1 |
April 2024 | 2 |
April 2024 | 2 |
April 2024 | 4 |
April 2024 | 2 |
April 2024 | 1 |
April 2024 | 3 |
April 2024 | 2 |
April 2024 | 2 |
April 2024 | 4 |
April 2024 | 2 |
April 2024 | 2 |
May 2024 | 1 |
June 2024 | 7 |
June 2024 | 1 |
June 2024 | 5 |
June 2024 | 6 |
June 2024 | 5 |
June 2024 | 1 |
June 2024 | 5 |
June 2024 | 5 |
June 2024 | 5 |
June 2024 | 5 |
June 2024 | 5 |
June 2024 | 1 |
July 2024 | 2 |
July 2024 | 1 |
July 2024 | 1 |
July 2024 | 3 |
August 2024 | 3 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 3 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 2 |
September 2024 | 2 |
September 2024 | 4 |
October 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 4 |
October 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 3 |
October 2024 | 3 |
October 2024 | 3 |
October 2024 | 2 |
November 2024 | 2 |
December 2024 | 2 |
December 2024 | 1 |
March 2025 | 2 |
April 2025 | 1 |
April 2025 | 1 |
April 2025 | 3 |
April 2025 | 3 |
April 2025 | 6 |
April 2025 | 1 |
April 2025 | 1 |
April 2025 | 1 |
Get help with access
Institutional access
Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:
IP based access
Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.
Sign in through your institution
Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.
If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.
Sign in with a library card
Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.
Society Members
Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:
Sign in through society site
Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:
If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.
Sign in using a personal account
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.
Personal account
A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.
Viewing your signed in accounts
Click the account icon in the top right to:
Signed in but can't access content
Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.
Institutional account management
For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.