Edmund Husserl's Phenomenology: The Principle of Intentionality and The Methods of Reduction Key Words
Edmund Husserl's Phenomenology: The Principle of Intentionality and The Methods of Reduction Key Words
Edmund Husserl's Phenomenology: The Principle of Intentionality and The Methods of Reduction Key Words
Chapter 32
Edmund Husserls Phenomenology:
The Principle of Intentionality and the Methods of Reduction
Key Words:
presuppositionless philosophy, consciousness, phenomena, intentionality
principle, intentional in-existence, essences, natural attitude, bracketing, Epoche,
phenomenological-psychological reduction, eidetic reduction, transcendental
reduction, transcendental ego.
Edmund Husserl (1859-1938) is widely known as the founder of modern
phenomenology, a highly influential movement in 20th century western
philosophy. Husserl was one of the prominent European thinkers of 20th century
and the movement has inspired thinkers from different streams. Though we
consider Husserl as the founder of phenomenology, the approach and method we
call as phenomenological are not his exclusive invention. Many thinkers and
philosophers like Kant, Fichte, Hegel and Mach have referred to the term
phenomenology in their writings before Husserl used it in a more systematic
way. But it was Husserl who developed it into a systematic philosophical
approach and method with certain definite goals. All major contributions in this
area are from Edmund Husserl in whose writings it appears as a philosophy and
as a method. Husserl further conceived phenomenology as a foundational
science and as a presuppositionless philosophy.
Husserl was primarily a mathematician and logician. He was the student
of the great German philosopher and psychologist Franz Brentano, who had
famously reintroduced the intentionality principle. Husserl was also influenced
by the empiricism of David Hume. He found the predominant naturalism and
historicism in German thought objectionable and became interested in exploring
the foundations of mathematics. This interest has led him to study logic and
finally epistemology and philosophy.
What is Phenomenology?
Husserl conceived phenomenology in three important ways. Firstly, it was
conceived as the science of sciences, which endeavoured to discover the basis of
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envisages
isolating
phenomena
by
suspending
all
Husserls Phenomenology
Husserls phenomenology is not confined to a mere philosophical doctrine
about the nature of consciousness and the essences that are directly given
to it. Instead, it proposes a method to isolate this directly given essences. The
central concern of phenomenology aims at isolating the essential aspects which
constitute meanings. In other words, it seeks to isolate the essences. Everything
perceived is bound up with the essence of perception which is different from the
object that exists in nature.
Husserl argues that every intentional experience gives meaning. In other
words, intentional experiences have the essential characteristic of giving some
meaning. The fundamental aim of phenomenology is to grasp the perceived as
such. It tries to grasp what is essentially given. The task of phenomenology is to
capture the phenomenon as meant. Phenomenology searches for essences in the
consciousness, which is the domain of essences. It searches for pure mental
processes which are immanent to the sphere of consciousness that investigates
them. The ultimate focus is on pure consciousness.
The various mental processes like remembering, imagining, judging, willing,
describing,
feeling,
perceiving
etc.
have
their
own
essences.
The
of
our
to
Husserl,
there
are
three
types
of
reduction:
the
Quiz
1. Which among the following is not the way in which Husserl has conceived
phenomenology?
(a) As epistemology (b) Science of sciences (c) First philosophy (d)
Transcendental idealism.
2. According to Husserl, experiences are directed towards entities which
are.?
(a) Mental alone (b) Non-mental alone (c) Neither mental nor nonmental (d) Both mental and non-mental.
3. Which of the following statements are true about Husserls concept of
phenomenology?
(i)
It grasps the mental concepts
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
(a) (vi) alone (b) (ii), (v) and (vi) (c) (i), (ii) and (vi) (d) (ii), (iii) and (vi)
4. Which of the following is not involved in the process of bracketing?
(a) Suspension of inquiry (b) Takes for granted the existence of the world
and its objects (c) Suspends the objects status as reality (d)
Neutralization of belief.
5. What happens during eidetic reduction?
(a) Freedom from natural attitude (b) Description of mental acts free of
theories and presuppositions (c) locates the invariant forms (d) Refrains
from taking any natural-objective position.
Answer Key
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
[a]
[d]
[c]
[b]
[c]
Assignments
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References
Books and Articles
1. Cerbone, David R, Understanding Phenomenology, Durham, Acumen, 2006.
2. Husserl, Edmund, Cartesian Meditations, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1967.
3. ----------, The Crisis of European Sciences and Transcendental
Phenomenology, trans. D. Carr. Evanston, Northwestern University Press
1970.
4. Kockelmans, Joseph J (Ed.) Phenomenology: The Philosophy of Edmund
Husserl and its Interpretation, New York, Anchor Books, 1967.
5. Mohanty, J. N., Transcendental Phenomenology: An Analytic Account.
Oxford and Cambridge, Massachusetts: Basil Blackwell, 1989.
6. Moran, Dermot, Introduction to Phenomenology, London and New york,
Routledhe, 2000.
7. ------------ Edmund Husserl: Founder of Phenomenology. Cambridge and
Malden, Massachusetts: Polity Press, 2005.
8. Spiegelberg, Herbert, The Phenomenological Movement; A Historical
Introduction, Vol. I and II, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1960.
Web Resources
1. Beyer, Christian, "Edmund Husserl", The Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy (Summer 2013 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL =
<http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2013/entries/husserl/>.
2. Smith, David Woodruff, "Phenomenology", The Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy (Fall 2011 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL =
http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2011/entries/phenomenology/
3. For free resources and scholarly tools like searchable database of
keywords, a database of Husserl's writings and Husserl scholarship, and a
concept-database. http://www.husserl.net/.
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