Wisdom and the Other: Xenophobia and Xenosophia in Developmental Perspective

This text networks contributions from three disciplines: phenomenological-philosophical perspectives on the other, current discussions in wisdom research, and structural-developmental models. The common thread is the concept of the other, which may involve, on the one hand, othering that is an entry point into vicious circles of xenophobia, hate, and annihilation, which, on the other hand, however, might mean that the other is approached with unprejudiced responsiveness. Deeper insights in the self-other relation emerge from the reading Waldenfels’s philosophy of the alien, which suggests re-directing the focus beyond intentionality and balancing of communicate action onto ego-decentering and responsiveness to the other. This opens new perspectives on the wisdom in self-other relations, for which the neologism ‘xenosophia’ is suggested. And wisdom as xenosophia gets its opposite into focus, namely xenophobia. The progress from xenophobia to xenosophia is explicated in a model of four self-other styles that include the mythic-dualistic, the conventional-ingroup-preoccupied, the reflective-communi¬cative, and the dialogical-responsive style.