Discussion
Ask a question about 'Private sphere' Start a new discussion about 'Private sphere' Answer questions from other users |
The
private sphere is the complement or opposite to the
public sphereThe public sphere is an area in social life where individuals can come together to freely discuss and identify societal problems, and through that discussion influence political action...
. The private sphere is a certain sector of societal life in which an individual enjoys a degree of authority, unhampered by interventions from governmental or other institutions. Examples of the private sphere are
familyIn human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
and
homeA home is a place of residence or refuge. When it refers to a building, it is usually a place in which an individual or a family can rest and store personal property. Most modern-day households contain sanitary facilities and a means of preparing food. Animals have their own homes as well, either...
.
Martin HeideggerMartin Heidegger was a German philosopher known for his existential and phenomenological explorations of the "question of Being."...
argues that it is only in the private sphere that one can be one's authentic self.
In
public-sphere theoryThe public sphere is an area in social life where individuals can come together to freely discuss and identify societal problems, and through that discussion influence political action...
, on the bourgeois model, the private sphere is that domain of one's life in which one works for himself. In that domain, people work, exchange goods, and maintain their families; it is therefore, in that sense, separate from the rest of society.