Abstract
Only in recognizing others do I recognize myself and my identity. The knowledge involved is not of the kind revealed by chemical analysis. It involves being present to and indeed loving the other person as `another I.' This points me beyond my own goals and perspectives. It shows me that there are other, equally valid, perspectives that I can never fully know. Indeed I can never fully know myself. Knowing and loving another person opens up a longing for fulfilment and for immortality. `To love a being is to say you … will never die.' It also opens up the longing for a justice which no human effort can achieve. The Christian Gospel offers hope for all humanity, a hope which will fulfil all the deepest longings of people of every time and culture. It offers the fulfilment of Marcel's formulation of hope: `I hope in Thee for us.'
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