Sættelses

Sættelses is a concept within the field of phenomenology, a philosophical movement that focuses on the study of conscious experience. The term, which originates from the Old Norse words "sætta" meaning "to settle" and "elses" implying "other's", was introduced by Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard in his work "Either/Or". Kierkegaard's use of the term aimed to convey the idea of setting aside one's own existence, preferences, and desires in order to consider the perspective of others.

In the context of existential philosophy, sættelses can be understood as the act of settling into the self of another person, thus suspending one's own being. This concept draws parallels with the idea of empathy, where one tries to put themselves in another's shoes and explore their thoughts, feelings, and experiences without any preconceptions or biases.

The concept of sættelses highlights the relationship between self-awareness and other-awareness. It is the activation of an experience where one attempts to fully inhabit the perspective of another, as fully as possible, while still maintaining the boundaries of one's own self. While closely related to the concept of self-surrender, sættelses emphasizes the importance of entering into and inhabiting the other's perspective without any intention of fully merging with it.

In practice, sættelses involves suspending one's own judgments and starting afresh from the center of another person's subjectivity. It requires an openness to alternative perspectives, allowing one to step into the shoes of the other and truly experience their point of view.