Gerda Walther and the Possibility of Telepathy as an Act of Personal Social Mind

Abstract

The phenomenologist Gerda Walther posits the possibility of a new social act, which she terms telepathy. It is marked by an intimate in-terpersonal union in which ego and alter ego become capable of sharing in the identical lived experience, though distant from one an-other. Here, there is no fusion or collective identi􀏔ication; rather, in-dividuals, though they live the experience and mind of the other, never lose or transcend their own individuation. Unlike the act of em-pathy, there is no analogical transfer. This article defends the possi-bility of a restricted sense telepathy. The author argues that four conditions must be ful􀏔illed for telepathy to occur: recognition of a social drive; a partially willed act of mind that results in the assump-tion of a certain stance, but it also comes upon us as an experience; constitution of subjects as persons marked by a “fundamental es-sence”; and I-splitting.

We-experiences and the maintenance of workplace friendships: Being workplace friends together

“…Third, relationship-building practices blend social and professional aspects, and mutual understandings, trust, and memories are built (Calcagno, 2012;León and Zahavi, 2016).…”

“…For instance, Walther (1923) notes that actual we-experiences that are grounded in the present are often vivid and intense but tend to 'dissolve quickly' (p. 48), for example, when specific goals are accomplished or joined interests disappear (Osler, 2020). Similarly, Calcagno (2012) notes that we-experiences that are anchored in personal relationships 'can easily wither and die [. .…”

“…Yet, our findings suggest that their temporal orientation towards the future and the past make retrospective and prospective togetherness. On the one hand, feelings of togetherness that are grounded in a shared history are fragile, particularly when joint memories fade away and members of a group fail to recognize or renew the foundations of their we-experiences (Calcagno, 2012(Calcagno, , 2018. Similarly, prospective togetherness is vulnerable to demise, particularly when shared projections towards future possibilities never translate into present actualities.…”

“…In contrast, personal associations characterize romantic couples, families or friends and signify we-experiences grounded in relational bonds, mutual concerns for each other or shared emotions (León and Zahavi, 2016; Walther, 1923). As Calcagno (2012) expresses, ‘Friends, lovers or members of a group may dwell together, without exchanging words or signs. But they know they are together as one’ (p. 100).…”

“…In addition, a small set of research notes the importance of temporality for how we experience relationships with others and the world around us (Heidegger, 1967; Tomkins and Simpson, 2015). Some we-experiences can arise from immediate concern in the present, while others are grounded in shared histories or imagined futures (Calcagno, 2012; Pokropski, 2015; Walther, 1923). However, the literature has little to say on the practices through which we-experiences are realized and maintained across time and space.…”