I-Thou-We: Buber's Theory of Communityand the Kibbutz

Buber's theory of community, in which the kibbutz plays a key role, is compared with the social philosophy of the kibbutz, as expressed in the writings of its members. The two concepts are found to coincide with respect to the desirability of dyadic I-Thou relationships and mutual responsibility; but Buber presents an ideal and distorted picture of the kibbutz. He ignores its members' views on the varieties of communal experience, the values of work, pioneering and their results, rejects the idea of non-religious communal experience, and ignores the elements of democracy, equality and self-realization. It is argued that, on Buber's own showing, the real kibbutz is a better model for a philosophy of community than his version.