Abstract

Dear John, You would have agreed with me that by writing to you I am putting into practice what your essay is all about: an act of cognitive intersubjectivity. It aims at reaching a common understanding or even a shared interpretation that is sufficiently wide to include whatever differences may remain between us. At the same time, I am aware, and painfully so, that this intersubjectivity has become asymmetrical, for you will not be able to respond this time. The symmetry has been broken (and you know better than I what this means in physics). And yet, cognitive intersubjectivity enables me to render you fully present in my imagination. Therefore, by writing to you as I have done in the past, I wish to render homage to you as a friend and colleague. But it is also a tribute to your endless curiosity, your firm belief in the power of ideas and to your wisdom. For you have chosen intersubjectivity as one of your last intellectual puzzles to solve. May the bonds of intersubjectivity live on for generations to come.