Coetsier
"You-Consciousness". Towards political theory: Etty Hillesum's experience and symbolization of the divine presence
dr. Meins Coetsier (EHOC, Gent)
"You-Consciousness" is the symbolic form of the soul's response to the transcendent irruption of the "Presence." This unusual symbolic form, coined by Coetsier, is embedded in Etty Hillesum's Letters and diaries, and his paper is an attempt to describe it. His study of You-Consciousness focuses on Etty Hillesum's experience and symbolization of the divine presence as "You" ("Jij"), i.e. her ongoing dialogue with "God" or"You" through writing, while reflecting on the consequences of such experiences for political theory today. Coetsier draws on the theoretical foundations provided by the anamnetic meditation, the philosophy of consciousness, of the German philosopher of history Eric Voegelin and the language symbols that have been developed in recent times by, among others, a diverse group of philosophical writers who have articulated the notion of persons in dialogue, including Franz Rosenzweig, Martin Buber, Gabriel Marcel and Emmanuel Levinas.
