Husserl's Phenomenological Method

Summary

This lecture introduces phenomenology, a philosophical method developed by Edmund Husserl. It addresses three key questions: the purpose of phenomenology, the phenomenological attitude, and how the method is applied. Phenomenology seeks to explore original human experience without presuppositions, contrasting with scientific and dualistic approaches. It emphasizes understanding reality as a unity and describes experience from within, focusing on human subjectivity. Key concepts include epoche (bracketing), eidetic reduction (essence identification), and the intentionality of consciousness. The lecture highlights phenomenology's paradox: to be truly objective, one must embrace subjectivity and intersubjectivity.

Takeaways

• 📚 Phenomenology was initiated by Edmund Husserl, aiming for a presupposition-less philosophy, distinct from sciences that begin with complex assumptions.
• 🔬 The 'natural attitude' refers to the scientific viewpoint, assuming objective, external reality without questioning how we know it.
• 🧠 Phenomenology seeks to transcend the natural attitude to achieve a more fundamental understanding of human experience.
• 🌀 The concept 'back to things themselves' means returning to the richness of original experience, free from prejudices and preconceived notions.
• 👥 In contrast to the dualistic view of humans as a composite of body and soul, phenomenology views humans as embodied subjects or spirits, emphasizing holistic experience.
• 🔄 The phenomenological attitude prioritizes the unity of experience before analyzing its parts, focusing on totality rather than fragmentation.
• 🗣️ Language is seen as an embodiment of thought and culture, not merely a collection of words, illustrating the holistic view of phenomenology.
• 📝 'Epoche' or bracketing involves suspending judgment on preconceived notions to view the world with fresh eyes, essential for phenomenological analysis.
• 🔍 'Eidetic reduction' is a method to identify the essence of an experience by varying its aspects and seeing what remains invariant.
• 🌐 The intentionality of consciousness implies that consciousness is always directed toward something, reinforcing the interconnectedness of subject and object.

Q & A

What is phenomenology and who founded it?

Phenomenology was founded by Edmund Husserl, whose aim was to create a philosophy with minimal presuppositions. It is the study of phenomena and focuses on understanding human experience in its purest form.

Why was Husserl dissatisfied with the sciences of his time?

Husserl was dissatisfied because the sciences of his time relied heavily on presuppositions, especially naturalistic psychology, which treated mental activity as mechanistically conditioned by nature, ignoring deeper philosophical inquiries.

What is the 'natural attitude' according to phenomenology?

The 'natural attitude' is the scientific attitude, which assumes that the world exists independently of the observer and can be explained by objective laws. It divides the world into subject (the observer) and object (the observed).

How does phenomenology contrast with the scholastic approach?

While scholastic philosophy defines humans as a composite of body and soul and takes a dualistic approach, phenomenology views humans as embodied spirits and emphasizes a holistic understanding of human experience.

What is the phenomenological attitude?

The phenomenological attitude focuses on positing unity before analyzing parts. It emphasizes describing phenomena as they are, without imposing external explanations, and is concerned with experience as lived by humans.

What does 'epoche' mean in phenomenology?

'Epoche' is a Greek term meaning 'bracketing.' In phenomenology, it refers to suspending judgments about the natural attitude and setting aside presuppositions to view experiences freshly and objectively.

What is 'eidetic reduction' in the phenomenological method?

Eidetic reduction refers to reducing an experience to its essence by identifying the invariant features that define it. For example, in reducing the concept of a triangle, one would identify that a triangle must have three angles.

What is the role of intentionality in consciousness according to phenomenology?

In phenomenology, intentionality means that consciousness is always directed toward something. There is no pure consciousness without an object; consciousness is always 'consciousness of something.'

What is the paradox of phenomenology according to Husserl?

The paradox of phenomenology is that to be truly objective, one must be subjective. This means that understanding the world requires acknowledging the subjective nature of human experience.

How does phenomenology view the relationship between subject and object?

Phenomenology sees no strict division between subject and object. The subject (consciousness) is always aware of the object (world), and the object gains meaning through the subject’s experience. This is called the inter-subjectivity of objectivity.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 Introduction to Phenomenology and its Foundations

The lecture begins with an introduction to phenomenology, a philosophical method developed by Edmund Husserl (1859-1938). Husserl sought a presupposition-less philosophy, unlike the sciences of his time, which were filled with assumptions, particularly in naturalistic psychology. Husserl opposed the idea of viewing humans as mechanistic animals, as seen in naturalistic psychology’s stimulus-response approach. His goal was to create a philosophy that went back to ultimate, irreducible grounds, focusing on transcending the natural attitude, which dominates scientific thinking. The natural attitude assumes the separation of subject and object, fragmentation of knowledge, and the dominance of fixed assumptions. Phenomenology, on the other hand, seeks to return to original experiences.

05:03

🧑‍🏫 Going Back to Original Experience

Phenomenology’s aim is to return to the original, rich experience, free of prejudices. Using examples like the Spanish terms 'desilia' and 'mano' from Cebuano language, the speaker illustrates how phenomenology looks for the meanings in their original contexts. By understanding the cultural and historical background of words or concepts, one can uncover their deeper, original meanings. This approach contrasts with the scholastic method, which focuses on commentary and dualistic interpretations of human beings as composed of body and soul. Phenomenology views humans as embodied spirits, avoiding the separation of body and soul.

10:04

🔬 The Phenomenological Attitude: Unity Before Analysis

This section explores the phenomenological attitude, which starts with the assumption of unity before breaking down experience into parts. The totality of the original experience is key, and any individual part is only meaningful in the context of that whole. An example given is language, which is not just a tool but an embodiment of thought and culture. The attitude also involves describing what is already present in the experience rather than explaining it through external means. The phenomenologist focuses on human experience and uses the concept of 'epoche' (bracketing) to set aside preconceptions and observe experiences freshly.

15:07

📐 Eidetic Reduction: Discovering the Essence

Eidetic reduction is the process of discovering the essence of an experience by stripping away variables that don’t affect the core of the concept. Using the example of a triangle, the speaker shows how one can alter certain aspects of a triangle (size, angle) without changing its essence. The same method is applied to love, exploring what remains essential to the experience regardless of individual variations. This reduction allows phenomenologists to identify the invariant, or essence, of experiences. This step is crucial in phenomenology for understanding the fundamental qualities of experiences and objects.

20:09

🧠 Intentionality and Consciousness in Phenomenology

The final paragraph discusses the transcendental phenomenological reduction, where the subject becomes aware of the subjective aspects of the object, realizing the interconnectedness between subject and object. Husserl's key insight is the 'intentionality of consciousness,' meaning consciousness is always directed toward something (object). In phenomenology, there is no subject without an object, and vice versa. The speaker notes how this is mirrored in the Cebuano language, where the word for consciousness (kalibutan) is the same as the word for world. The paradox of phenomenology lies in achieving objectivity by acknowledging subjectivity and inter-subjectivity. The section concludes by emphasizing the role of human beings as co-creators of meaning in the world.

Keywords

💡Phenomenology

Phenomenology is a philosophical approach initiated by Edmund Husserl aimed at understanding experiences as they are lived and perceived. It emphasizes 'going back to the things themselves,' meaning it seeks to explore phenomena directly, without preconceived notions or theoretical biases. In the video, phenomenology is introduced as a reaction against naturalistic psychology, aiming to understand human experience from within, focusing on the richness of direct experiences.

💡Natural Attitude

The natural attitude refers to the everyday, scientific way of understanding the world that is grounded in assumptions about objectivity and external reality. It assumes that the world exists independently and can be explained through observation and experiment. The video contrasts this with the phenomenological attitude, which seeks to set aside these assumptions and directly engage with experiences as they are lived.

💡Epoche

Epoche is a method of 'bracketing' in phenomenology, where one suspends judgment about the natural attitude or preconceived notions about an object of inquiry. This allows the phenomenologist to view experiences in their pure form. The video describes epoche as a key step in phenomenological analysis, essential for returning to the original experience of phenomena without external influences or biases.

💡Essence

Essence, in the context of phenomenology, refers to the fundamental nature of a phenomenon that remains invariant across different instances of the experience. In the video, the concept of essence is explained through the process of eidetic reduction, where one abstracts the core qualities of an object or experience, such as reducing a triangle to its essential feature of having three angles.

💡Eidetic Reduction

Eidetic reduction is the phenomenological process of identifying the essence of an experience by stripping away its non-essential characteristics. In the video, this concept is explained using the example of a triangle, where changes in size or shape do not alter the essence of the triangle, but removing one angle would. This reduction helps to identify what is essential to the nature of any given phenomenon.

💡Intentionality

Intentionality in phenomenology refers to the idea that consciousness is always directed toward something; it is 'consciousness of' an object. The video emphasizes this as one of the main insights of phenomenology, explaining that there is no consciousness without an object and no object without a subject. This directedness connects the subject with the world, making experience inherently relational.

💡Scholastic Philosophy

Scholastic philosophy is an approach rooted in medieval thought, particularly that of St. Thomas Aquinas, which focuses on logical reasoning and the relationship between body and soul. The video contrasts this dualistic, external-to-internal approach with phenomenology's holistic, internal-to-external understanding of human beings. In scholasticism, humans are often defined as rational animals, a concept the speaker critiques for its objectifying tendencies.

💡Transcendental Phenomenological Reduction

Transcendental phenomenological reduction is a deeper step in phenomenology where the focus shifts to the subject who is experiencing the object. The video explains this reduction as the point where one becomes conscious of the 'I' that evaluates the validity of an experience, recognizing that the subject's perspective shapes the nature of the experience. It highlights the interconnectedness of the subject and the object in phenomenology.

💡Logos of the Phenomenon

The 'logos of the phenomenon' refers to phenomenology's aim to describe the essence and meaning of phenomena as they are experienced. The video emphasizes that phenomenology seeks to uncover the full richness of original experiences, rather than merely analyzing their parts or reducing them to scientific categories. The phrase encapsulates the idea of phenomenology as a study of meaning as it emerges from lived experience.

💡Intersubjectivity

Intersubjectivity in phenomenology refers to the shared, communal nature of experience. It suggests that subjectivity is not isolated but is formed in relation to others and the world. The video touches on this idea by discussing how phenomenology highlights the 'subjectivity of objectivity' and the need for both subjective and intersubjective perspectives in understanding the world, suggesting that true objectivity must account for the subjective dimension of experience.

Highlights

Phenomenology, as defined by Edmund Husserl, aims to be a presupposition-less philosophy.

Phenomenology contrasts with the naturalistic psychology of Husserl's time, rejecting mechanistic views of humans as stimulus-response animals.

Husserl emphasized transcending the natural scientific attitude to return to 'things themselves'—the original experience, free from assumptions.

The natural attitude, according to Husserl, assumes that the world is 'out there' and knowable through objective laws, while humans are pure consciousness.

Phenomenology seeks to uncover the rich meaning of human experience by setting aside preconceptions and focusing on subjective experience.

Husserl's phenomenological attitude begins by positing unity before analyzing parts, as original experience is holistic.

Language, as described through phenomenology, is seen as an embodiment of thought and culture, not merely a system of words.

The method of phenomenology emphasizes description over explanation, unfolding what is already present in experience.

Phenomenologists are primarily concerned with lived human experience and the world as experienced by the human subject.

Epoche, a key concept in phenomenology, involves bracketing the natural attitude, suspending judgment to allow fresh examination of experiences.

Eidetic reduction is the process of stripping away variable elements to reveal the essence of an experience or concept.

Husserl's transcendental phenomenological reduction shifts focus to the subject's consciousness, examining how objects are perceived through the subjective lens.

Phenomenology's key insight is the intentionality of consciousness, meaning consciousness is always directed toward something—there is no consciousness without an object.

Husserl's phenomenology ultimately reveals the paradox that objectivity requires subjectivity, and subjectivity leads to inter-subjectivity.

In phenomenology, the human being is seen as a co-creator with God, imbuing the world with meaning through consciousness.

Transcripts

[Music]

welcome to jose's phenomenological

method

i have three questions to answer in this

lecture

one why phenomenology

two what is the phenomenological

attitude

and three how is the australian method

applied

why phenomenology phenomenology was

started by edmund husserl

1859 to 1938 whose aim was to arrive at

philosophy asari guru science

by philosophy as a regular science

hustle meant

a pre-supposition-less philosophy a

philosophy with the least number of

presuppositions

unlike descartes usual was dissatisfied

with the sciences of his time

why because they start with a complex of

presuppositions

and in particular he was reacting

against naturalistic psychology

which treats mental activity as

costly conditioned by events of nature

in terms of stimulus reaction

relationship the presupposition here

is that man is a mechanistic animal

and so herself wanted philosophy to be a

science of

ultimate grounds where the

presuppositions are so basic

and primary that they cannot be reduced

further

now how does one arrive at that

philosophy

by transcending the natural attitude

what is the natural attitude the natural

attitude

is the scientific attitude which was

predominant in hustle's time

and carried to the extreme to become

scientistic

the scientific attitude as we know

observes things

express their workings in singular

judgment

make experiments and then by induction

and deduction arrives at concrete

results

but this attitude really contains a

number of assumptions

one assumption is that there is really

no need for us to know

how we know another assumption

is that it assumes that the world the

object

is out there existing and explainable

in objective laws while man

is the subject is pure consciousness

clear to itself and able to know the

world

as it is and the third assumption here

is that it takes for granted the world

totality

in short the natural attitude looks at

reality

as things a fact world

and the way of knowing in the natural

attitude is

fragmented partial fixed

clear precise manipulative

and there is no more room for mystery so

it was in a way

moving away from the heart of things and

so the motto of whosoever

and company the phenomenologist was

back to things themselves

what do they mean by back to things

themselves

ursul really meant the entire field of

original experience

let me give an example in cebuano we

have

these terms decilia and the mano

the cilia means to turn left and the

mano means the third right

now what is the original experience of

these concepts

there is a hint there no the cilia and

the mano are

spanish words and so

we have to go back to the spanish times

where the original means of

transportation

was the kalesa and the original khalesa

is found

in cebu there in cebu the cochero

sits on the left and so

if a passenger wants to turn left he

says to the

cochero the cilia porpo

from your chair and if the passenger

wants to turn right

he has to put out his right hand mano in

spanish

to signal to turn right so the aim of

phenomenology is really to go back to

the original experience because this

original experience

is very rich and full of meaning to the

human being

to see things as they really are

independent

of any prejudice and thus phenomenology

is the logos of the phenomenon

here in the ateneo perhaps in the whole

country

the phenomenological approach was

introduced in 1967

right after my graduation before that

when i was in college

we were using the scholastic approach

and scholastic philosophy is really the

commentary on the commentary on the

commentary

on the philosophy of saint thomas

aquinas

and so it is what was really moving away

from the original saint thomas aquinas

now let me give you the contrast of

these two approaches

in the scholastic method the human being

is defined as

rational animal or a composite of body

and soul

in contrast phenomenology looks at the

human being

as embodied subject or embodied spirit

in the scholastic philosophy under the

aspect of body

the human being is like any other animal

a substance

mortal limited by time and space

and under the aspect of soul the human

being is rational

free and immortal and so the soul is

deduced

from the behavior of man to think

and to decide so the approach of

scholastic philosophy

is really from

the external to the internal and you can

see that

by defining the human being as composite

of body and soul

there is a dualism it looks at the human

being more as an object

and an animal in contrast

the phenomenological approach proceeds

from the internal to the external

and it describes the human being from

what is properly human

and that is his subjectivity and

also it is holistic in contrast to the

scholastic philosophy which is dualistic

i have also to mention here that there

is a problem

with the dualistic approach of the human

being as a composite of body and soul

and that problem comes when you talk

about death

what happens after that the soul is

immortal

but the body is mortal and so death is

defined

as the separation of body and soul

so what happens after that we become

angels

without bodies anymore now that this

that is not

a problem when you look at the human

being as an embodied spirit

because that will just be the end of

another aspect

of the human being as embodied

so now let me go to the phenomenological

attitude

what is the second the second question

what is the phenomenological attitude

let me cite several characteristics of

the phenomenological attitude

first characteristic of the

phenomenological attitude

is that it posits unity first

before analyzing the parts or aspects

of this unity because if the aim of

phenomenology is to go back to original

experience

the original experience is a totality

it's a unity you know

so when i look at you i look at you

in totality it is only later that i

discovered that you are wearing a blue

shirt

or your hairdo is this this kind of

hairdo

the parts only come later but the

original experience

is really a total experience so the

phenomenological attitude

posits unity first he is faithful to the

original experience

because in original experience there is

no opposition

between subject and object and if a

phenomenologist

is interested in a part it is always

insofar as this part lies in the context

of the totality of human experience

so let me give you an example language

is an aspect of the human being

language is not just a body of words

it's not just a clothing of ideas but

it is the embodiment of thinking

the embodiment of thought of culture

for example a teacher asks a question

as a student a question and the student

answers by saying

spirals their case you know i often ask

the student

uh this question and him spirals their

case and they cannot answer

verbally but they would make gestures

like this no

so that is body language so the student

knows what a spiral staircase

although he may be he may not be able to

enunciate it or to say it verbally

so that's the first characteristic the

phenomenological attitude

looks at unity first before the parts

and if he looks at the parts it is

always in the context

of unity or totality another example i

can give here is the

question and by filipino nang the rights

that you plan

and sagot

the rice that you harvest palais the

rice that you cook

vegas the rice that you eat canning

the rice that you fry

so we have different tagalog words for

this because

we are a rice eating culture in the

english language there's only one word

rice because

they are not a rice eating culture

so the second attitude the second

characteristic

is that the phenomenologist describes

explicates unfolds what is already there

in contrast to explanation

when you explain you bring in something

outside

to account for what is there that is

explanation

but since original experience is a

phenomenon

it is there all you have to do is

describe it

to bring out what is already there

and because reality is so rich so

inexhaustible

the description is never final

third characteristic of the

phenomenological attitude

is that the phenomenologist is primarily

concerned

with experience and with the human being

with the world as lived by the human

being

and fourth characteristic of the

phenomenological attitude

is that the phenomenologist uses epoche

epoche is a greek term which means

bracketing and what do you bracket the

natural attitude

ursel was a mathematician and so he

borrowed

certain mathematical terms to apply

to use it in his phenomenology in math

when you put something on brackets

you set it aside the function

is something that you set aside

so now we go back we go to the third

question

how is the method applied hip okay is

the

is the first step in the method

literally meaning bracketing

and what do i bracket i bracket my

natural attitude

towards the experience the object that i

am investigating

this would be my prejudice my clear

and precise conceptual knowledge of the

thing

now when i bracket i do not deny

nor affirm but simply hold in abeyance i

suspend my judgment

on that experience so apoca is very

important

in the phenomenological method because

it is a necessary step a preliminary

step

to see the world with new eyes and to

return to the original experience

from where our conceptual natural

attitude was derived so for example

what is my natural attitude towards a

religious

a priest or a nun divides

that priests and nuns are up there very

spiritual

okay so i have to put that in a band

i have to suspend that another example

what is my natural attitude towards love

many a natural attitude towards love it

could be that

love hurts

no or that love is a many splendor

thing no so i have to bracket all of

this

meaning to suspend judgment towards them

the next step in the phenomenological

attitude is the identic reduction

there are several reductions of course

in whistle but very important reduction

is the eidetic reduction reduction again

is another mathematical term to refer to

the procedure

by which we are placed in the

transcendental sphere

now the sphere in which we can see

things as they really

are independent of any prejudice

now the word eidetic is derived from the

word

which means essence and so in either

reduction i reduce the experience

to its essence now how do i do that

i arrive at the essence of the

experience by starting with an

individual example

and then finding out what changes can be

made

without it ceasing to be what it is

that which i cannot change making the

object cease to be the thing it is

is the invariant that is the ideas

of the experience okay let's take an

example

so i want to arrive for example at the

essence of a triangle

so what do i do i start off with an

individual example of a triangle

and then i make changes the size

small triangle big triangle

i change the angle right and

right triangle or the sides i change the

sides

isosceles triangle okay now supposing i

make a chains

this kind of chains where you only have

two

or one angle or two sides

it would no longer be a triangle so the

essence of a triangle therefore

is that it must have three angles

let's take another example supposing i'm

doing a phenomenology of love

so i start out by bracketing my biases

my natural attitude pre-conceptual

knowledge of love no

i set them aside and then i reduce

the object to the phenomenon

of love so here in eidetic reduction

i begin with an example of a

relationship of love

between two persons

i can change their age i can change

their race

their social status do all this

matter in love no

so what is it that i cannot change no

perhaps i may arrive at the

unconditional

giving of the self to the other

as the other then this would be

part of the essence of love

the last step in the transcendental

method

is that in the phenomenological method

is the transcendental phenomenological

reduction

in this step i now become conscious

of the subject the i

who must decide on the validity of the

object

i now become aware of the subjective

aspects of the object

when i inquire into the beliefs the

feelings

the desires which shape the experience

in other words the object now is seen

in relation to the subject

and the subject in relation to the

object

so in our example of love maybe

i see the essence of love as the giving

of self

to the other because of my perspective

as a lover if i take the perspective of

the beloved

maybe the essence is more receiving

than giving and if i take the

perspective of a religious

maybe love is seen as a participation

in god's love so here in the

transcendental phenomenological

reduction i hit upon the main

insight of phenomenology and what is

that main insight

the intentionality of consciousness

consciousness is intentional

by intentional here we do not mean

purposeful

intentional inc intentional means

directedness

oriented to so consciousness is

intentional

means that consciousness is

consciousness

of something other than

consciousness itself no you never say

i see period no i see something i hear

something there is always an object of

the seeing consciousness

the hearing consciousness and other

forms of consciousness

this is the unity in phenomenology of

the noises

consciousness and the noema the object

of consciousness

in other words there is no subject

without an object

and there is no object without that

subject

no there is no consciousness without a

world

that it is conscious of now this is very

uh interesting in cebuano because

the word for consciousness in cebuano is

kalibutan

and the word also for world in cebuano

is kalibutan so like

consciousness is consciousness of a

world

so there is no consciousness without the

world and there is no world

without a consciousness so this is the

paradox of husserl's phenomenology

he was he wanted to arrive at

philosophy as a regular science but then

in the end

he discovers that to be really objective

you need to be subjective and to be

subjective

you also need to be inter-subjective

so this is the paradox of phenomenology

the subjectivity of objectivity

in other words the human being is

created

to be a co-creator of god

god who creates from nothing the human

being

creates from the nothingness of his

being

being consciousness promise

thinkness he makes beings be

he makes the world full of

meaning thus you have the subjectivity

of objectivity

and the inter-subjectivity

of objectivity

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you