Husserl's Phenomenological Method
Summary
TLDRThis 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
🔍 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.
🧑🏫 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.
🔬 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.
📐 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.
🧠 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.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Phenomenology
💡Natural Attitude
💡Epoche
💡Essence
💡Eidetic Reduction
💡Intentionality
💡Scholastic Philosophy
💡Transcendental Phenomenological Reduction
💡Logos of the Phenomenon
💡Intersubjectivity
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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