Phänomenologie

Phänomenologie is a philosophical method and movement founded by Edmund Husserl. It seeks to describe conscious experience from a first-person perspective, focusing on the phenomena as they appear to consciousness. The core idea is to set aside preconceived notions and theories about the world, a process known as epoché or bracketing, to directly examine the essences of our experiences.

Husserl distinguished between the natural attitude, our everyday unreflective way of engaging with the world, and the phenomenological attitude, which involves a critical and reflective examination of consciousness. The goal is to understand the structures of consciousness and the way in which objects are given to us. Key concepts include intentionality, the idea that consciousness is always directed towards something, and eidetic reduction, the process of identifying the essential features of a phenomenon.

Other significant figures in phenomenology include Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and Max Scheler. While Husserl focused on transcendental phenomenology, others explored existential phenomenology, which emphasizes the lived experience of being in the world, freedom, and responsibility. Phenomenology has influenced various fields beyond philosophy, including psychology, sociology, and literary theory.