The philosophy of Edmund Husserl - Phenomenology

Edmund Husserl (1859-1938) was a German philosopher who is considered the “father” of the philosophical movement known as phenomenology. Phenomenology can be roughly described as the sustained attempt to describe experiences (and the “things themselves”) without metaphysical and theoretical speculations. Husserl suggested that only by suspending or bracketing away the “natural attitude” could philosophy become its own distinctive and rigorous science, and he insisted that phenomenology is a science of consciousness rather than of empirical things. Indeed, in Husserl’s hands, phenomenology began as a critique of both psychologism and naturalism.

 

Husserl argued that transcendental consciousness sets the limits of all possible knowledge, and redefined phenomenology as a transcendental-idealist philosophy. His thought profoundly influenced 20th-century philosophy, and he remains a notable figure in contemporary philosophy and beyond.

 

Phenomenology

 

Phenomenology is a philosophical movement that focuses on the direct investigation and description of phenomena as consciously experienced, without theories about their causal explanation and as free as possible from unexamined preconceptions and presuppositions. In its most basic form, phenomenology attempts to create conditions for the objective study of topics usually regarded as subjective: consciousness and the content of conscious experiences such as judgments, perceptions, and emotions.

 

An example of phenomenology in practice is the study of dreaming. The phenomenological approach to dreaming would involve describing the experience of dreaming as it is consciously experienced, without attempting to explain its causes or make assumptions about its nature. The focus would be on the content of the dream, how it is experienced by the dreamer, and the structures of consciousness that are involved in the experience. This approach differs from other approaches to dreaming, such as those that focus on the neurological or psychological causes of dreaming.

 

There are other forms of phenomenology that have developed since Husserl’s time, and these forms differ from Husserl’s phenomenology in various ways. For example, some phenomenologists have focused more on the study of intersubjectivity, or the ways in which we experience and understand other people, while others have emphasized the importance of embodiment and our physical interactions with the world2. Additionally, some phenomenologists have developed their own methods for studying consciousness and experience that differ from Husserl’s phenomenological reduction2.

 

In summary, while Husserl’s phenomenology is considered the original form of phenomenology, there are other forms of phenomenology that have developed since his time that differ from his approach in various ways