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What were the two attitudes toward the world described in Martin Buber's book Daniel?

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In his 1913 book Daniel, Martin Buber describes two basic stances, or attitudes, that humans take toward the world:1

  • Orientation: This attitude views the world as a static state of affairs governed by comprehensible laws. It is characterized as a receptive, analytical, or systematizing approach.1
  • Realization: This is a creative, participative attitude. It involves experiencing the full reality of the world through one's own full reality and operating within an open horizon of possibilities to realize the potential inherent in things.1

While these concepts represent an earlier mystical period in Buber's work, they laid the groundwork for his later, more famous philosophy of dialogue, which distinguishes between I-Thou and I-It relationships.21