Originally published in German in 1923, I and Thou was an influential work that explained the meaning behind human existence. Buber explains that existence can be addressed in two ways: First as "I" towards "It," meaning our interaction with objects in our world that we use or experience. The second as "I" towards a "Thou," meaning our search for r

Author Biography

Martin Buber was born in Austria in 1878. Though Jewish, he quit participating in the Jewish religious practices at a young age, opting to believe in a less legalistic modernization of the religion and culture. Buber founded the monthly Der Jude ("The Jew") in 1916 and became an educator, eventually becoming a director for Jewish adult education, despite living in Nazi Germany. In 1938, the Nazi secret police forbade his teachings and Buber moved to Jerusalem where he continued his career in education and fought for peace between the Israeli and Palestinian people until his death in 1965.