The purpose of this paper is to discuss the potential of “Understanding the other” in learning movement. Though “the other” is merely an object for “myself”, s/he is not only an object but one which is to become a subject leading to “understanding the world”. What aspects of the other can “I” understand? In this paper the author develops an argument as follows: First, the author tries to clarify the points regarding the issue of “the self-the other”. Therein lies a philosophical aporia between the self and the other. We, however, try to communicate with the other through verbal language. The following step the author takes is to investigate the methods of how we in general verbalize our perceptual contents. We have to use metaphorical language in order to communicate with the other. Finally, the author examines the potential of “understanding the other” by means of the method outlined above.
The results are as follows. “I” cannot understand the perceptual contents of the other through learning the movements s/he performs. That is because, even if “I” can perform the same movements as s/he does, “I” cannot prove that the perceptual contents “I” get are equal to what s/he owns. However, when “I” learn movements of the other through employing the metaphorical language, “I” am possibly able to grip the relational structure, re. similarity or difference in relation to her/his perceptual contents. That is to say. “I” somehow understand that the other has the same structure of the body as “I” have.