<Articles>Inclusion and Acknowledgement: Towards an Open Community

Abstract

In order to live a communal life in a society, we all necessarily need to form many kinds of identity, which at the same time means to be included in communities. However, in light of Lyotard’s notion of narratives, we found that all communities that presume a shared identity, no matter whether based on shared origins or shared goals, are necessarily closed ones. Therefore, inclusion is the other side of separation, and the exclusion of others from the community has been causing misunderstanding or even violence in the society. Is it possible, then, for us to imagine an open community? Referring to the work of Leonard Lawlor and Sandra Laugier, we found that such a community can be based on the fact that we are all vulnerable and powerless, not only because our lives depend on others’ care, but also because of the fact that we can never know our origins or goals that result in closed identities. Therefore, in order to build an open community, the first thing we need to do is to recognize and acknowledge ourselves’ and each other’s vulnerability, which have long been overlooked in our society.