Abstract

This chapter sets the stage for the rest of the book. It opens by demonstrating the centrality of the concept of action in Buber’s dialogical thought. Section “(1)” consists of an analysis of some of Buber’s major writings on dialogue: ‘I and Thou’, ‘Dialogue’, ‘A Question to the Single One’, and ‘Distance and Relation’. It shows that the conceptual distinctions at the heart of Buber’s dialogical essays are all articulated in terms of action. Although action-related concepts and ideas are prevalent in Buber’s writings, highlighting their central role and pervasive nature is critical, as most scholars, for various reasons discussed in section “(2)”, have either overlooked or ignored them. Section “(3)” presents the precise logical linkage between action and dialogue: action in its perfected form is necessarily dialogic. The chapter concludes with section “(4)”, a methodological note. Here, we address the main challenge we encounter in our investigation: Buber’s tendency not to define his terms. We outline the general structure of our investigation in the book which is crafted as a strategy to overcome this challenge. The section ends with the explanation of the rationale behind our selection of Buber’s texts.