MARTIN BUBER’S DIALOGUE AND THE POSSIBILITY OF PEACEFUL CO-EXISTENCE IN A PLURAL SOCIETY

Abstract

Martin Buber, a Vietnamese Jewish thinker, in his philosophy of dialogue, identifies a two-fold attitude of man, which can either make or mar relationships. He cites them as I-Thou and I-It outlooks, and that while the former promotes mutual respect and accommodation, hence peace; the latter can lead to hostility, incitement, provocation, conflict, violence and even wars. Consequently, this work argues that failure to check conflict situations and ensure peaceful coexistence in Nigeria is as a result of wrong attitude of the actors involved. Another problem is the improper and/or inadequate employment or application of “genuine dialogue†in checking potential conflict settings. Our findings include the fact that dialogue, implied in the I-Thou theory, has enormous social benefits for man in terms of achieving a peaceful and harmonious co-existence – particularly in a plural society like Nigeria. Despite various efforts, theories, suggestions and policies, conflict seems to be on the increase in Nigeria and Africa, in general. The objective of this work is to contribute towards a possible reduction of conflict, through proper management and to further peaceful coexistence in Nigeria, using the bird-eye view of Buber’s philosophy of dialogue.