Within and beyond the world: Ludwig Binswanger's phenomenology of love.
Aurelio Molaro
History of psychology August 31, 2026 DOI: 10.1037/hop0000311 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Key points | Argues that Binswanger's notion of "We-ness" (Wirheit) frames love and friendship as primary modes of being-with that disclose subjectivity, spatiality, and temporality, offering a historically significant alternative to naturalistic and intrapsychic models of mental illness. |
Abstract
This article reconstructs the central features of the phenomenological anthropology developed by the Swiss psychiatrist Ludwig Binswanger through a close reading of the first part of his 1942 treatise Grundformen und Erkenntnis menschlichen Daseins [Basic Forms and Knowledge of Human Dasein], a work that has received limited attention in the English-language historiography of phenomenological psychiatry. Situated at the intersection of clinical psychiatry, phenomenology, and existential philosophy, Binswanger's project is interpreted as a historically significant attempt to overcome both naturalistic reductionism and intrapsychic models of mental illness by foregrounding the fundamentally relational constitution of human existence. Central to this perspective is the notion of Wirheit ("We-ness"), which frames love and friendship not as mere affective states but as primary modes of being-with (Mitsein) that disclose subjectivity, spatiality, and temporality. The article first situates Binswanger's work within the intellectual context of phenomenological psychiatry. It then examines the spatial and temporal structures of the modus amoris (being-together in love), emphasizing their expansive and durational character. The analysis subsequently turns to the paradoxical phenomenon of being simultaneously within and beyond the world as a defining feature of the loving encounter, before addressing the modus amicitiae (being-together in friendship) and its historical, plural, and destinal dimensions. In doing so, the article contributes to the history of psychology and to the historiography of phenomenological psychiatry while also highlighting the continuing relevance of Binswanger's thought for contemporary debates on intersubjectivity, relationality, and psychopathology. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).
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