● Phenomenology

Phenomenology, philosophy illuminating the dawn.

Edmund Husserl(1859-1938), a German philosopher, is widely regarded as the founder of phenomenology, a philosophical movement that aims to study structures of consciousness as experienced from the first-person point of view. His development of phenomenology was influenced by his background in mathematics, as well as his studies in philosophy and psychology.

Mathematical Background

Husserl initially studied astronomy and mathematics, receiving a Ph.D. in mathematics. His mathematical training influenced his philosophical work, leading him to value precision and clarity in thought.

Studies in Philosophy and Psychology

Husserl studied under Franz Brentano, a philosopher and psychologist, who introduced him to the idea of “intentionality” — the concept that consciousness is always consciousness of something. He was also influenced by Carl Stumpf, another student of Brentano, and later by the work of Bernard Bolzano, a logician and philosopher.

Logische Untersuchungen (Logical Investigations)

Published in 1900-1901, this work is considered Husserl’s first major philosophical work, where he critiques psychologism (the idea that logical truths are based on psychological laws) and argues for the necessity of a pure phenomenology, separate from empirical psychology.

Development of the Phenomenological Method

Husserl’s phenomenology started as a method of philosophical inquiry that sought to describe the structures of consciousness from a first-person perspective. He emphasized the importance of “phenomenological reduction,” a process of bracketing or setting aside one’s preconceived beliefs and biases to directly observe the phenomena of consciousness.

Transcendental Phenomenology

Over time, Husserl’s work evolved into a form of transcendental phenomenology, where he argued that all consciousness is intentional and directed toward objects, and that to understand this intentionality, one must study consciousness from the first-person perspective.

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Later Works

• Ideen zu einer reinen Phänomenologie und phänomenologischen Philosophie. Erstes Buch: Allgemeine Einführung in die reine Phänomenologie, 1913, (Ideas Pertaining to a Pure Phenomenology and to a Phenomenological Philosophy).
• Die Krisis der europäischen Wissenschaften und die transzendentale Phänomenologie: Eine Einleitung in die phänomenologische Philosophie, 1936, (The Crisis of European Sciences and Transcendental Phenomenology).
• Ideen II: Phänomenologische Untersuchungen zur Konstitution, 1952.
• Ideen III: Die Phänomenologie und die Fundamente der Wissenschaften, 1952.
• ETC

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