In this two-part episode, we explore how to dive into the profound and paradoxical idea that true connection begins not with perfect understanding, but with shared strangeness. In 'The Uncanny We,' we explore Eric Santner's concept of the 'universal of otherness'—the groundbreaking insight that the very foundation for communal life (a 'We') lies in our mutual, irreducible non-self-identity.
Discover how the 'internal alienness' within each of us, described as a 'constitutive too muchness' that we can never fully control or know, is precisely what we share with our neighbor. This isn't a flaw to be corrected, but a 'structural glitch' that defines our very subjectivity and opens us to the enigmatic otherness around us. Santner redefines revelation itself as an "openness toward what is singular, enigmatic, even uncanny about the Other".
This podcast re-imagines ethical engagement not as an attempt to assimilate or 'fix' the other, but as a fundamental 'answerability to our neighbor-with-an-unconscious'. We delve into how accepting this inherent strangeness—both within ourselves and in others—can lead to a deeper, more authentic form of belonging, fostering a community grounded in grace, vulnerability, and the difficult, yet rewarding, work of bearing with the un-assimilable. Join us to explore how being a stranger to yourself might just be the key to truly connecting with everyone else.
