La Einfühlung (intropatía) como comprensión intercultural y superación de conflictos

Abstract

The cultural diversity among human beings is a natural phenomenon, which, by itself, can be the start of never-ending conflicts. Edmund Husserl, the creator of the Phenomenology, was also concerned about this phenomenon, and we can say �grossus modus� that he dedicated to this subject the three enormous volumes titled Zur Phänomenologie der Intersubjektivität. The Einfûhlung, a necessary complement of the inter-subjectivity, appears, in the perspective of Husserl, like the way to access and understanding of the intercultural, and, consequently, the most efficient method to overcome differences and resolve conflicts. Contrary to those who intend to transform the world by any means possible, especially through use of violence, Husserl extols a rationality (Vernunftigkeit) and a skill (Tuchtigkeit) that makes the transformation not painful for mankind. The evolution (Entwicklung) of the world and the progress of history suggest changes in the consciousness of man �as individual� in order to achieve a universal agreement (universellen Akkord). What is demanded, at least, is an intersubjective coherence in a world of responsible human beings. For this inter-subject coherence, Husserl essentially points out that the Einfûhlung distinguishes different forms and kinds. This theory is also designated by �adding intentionality� that contributes to a dynamic association of processes of �communities biding� and empathy that witness precisely the origins of the intersubjectivity relations in the life-world (Lebenswelt). Husserl discussed this dynamic process, with its ups and downs, in relation to the primitive civilizations of the Greeks, the Roman Empire, and through history until the present time. In our world, so scarred by selfishness and violence, it almost seems utopian to claim an exhaustive understanding of �other� for processes of intropathy. But it is just for this reason that the doctrine of Husserl on this subject is always updated.