A Phenomenological Approach to the Korean “We”: A Study in Social Intentionality

Abstract

This paper explores the phenomenological concept “we” based on a pre-existing understanding of traditional phenomenology alongside a new aspect of the concept by introducing an analysis of “we” in Korean. The central questions of this paper are whether the “we” can be understood as more than a collection of individuals, whether the “we” can precede both “I” and “thou,” and whether the “we” as an extension of the “I” or an extended self should necessarily mean the plural of the “I.”

Key words： intersubjectivity; subjectivity; the “we; ” phenomenology; Korean language