The Dissenter

#1224 Dan Zahavi - Being We: Phenomenological Contributions to Social Ontology

Mar 6, 2026
Guest
Dan Zahavi
Dan Zahavi, philosopher and professor known for work on phenomenology and selfhood, discusses how we-ness forms. He explores collective intentionality, the distinction between experiential self and social identities, and how empathy, second-person engagement, imaginative perspective-taking, and mindreading contribute to interpersonal understanding. The conversation maps thin versus thick we’s across dyads, institutions, and nations.
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INSIGHT

Embodied Perception Is Foundational For Intersubjectivity

  • Multiple routes enable intersubjectivity: detached theory of mind, imaginative perspective-taking, and norms, but phenomenology emphasizes embodied perceptual relations as foundational.
  • Zahavi cites developmental evidence: infants first engage socially via embodied interaction before theory of mind.
INSIGHT

We Membership Depends On Self Identification

  • Membership in a we requires personal identification; unlike externally assigned group membership, being part of a we presupposes you adopt the first-person plural perspective.
  • Zahavi contends you cannot be counted into a we without your own perspective and identification.
INSIGHT

Thick We's Require Shared Norms And History

  • Thick we identities rest on shared values, norms, history and enculturation, not mere perceptual resonance.
  • Zahavi explains national or transgenerational we's hinge on shared commitments rather than specific current members.
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