Phenomenology Thinkers Definitions

Phenomenology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a field of inquiry grounded in the insight that what we first hear is never noises or complexes of sounds, but rather the creaking wagon, the storm whistling in the chimney. Contrary to expectations, to suggest that we hear a pure noise, requires a very artificial and complicated frame of mind. Thus to be in the world is not to have primary sensations but to always already dwell amidst what is available within the world.

Phenomenology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a method whereby everything , be it material or conceptual, is exhibitible as a phenomenon.

Phenomenology (n.) assumes ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠that the biological substratum of things is a secondary accompaniment and what is primary is nothing other than the fact of reaching out and relating to the world.

Phenomenology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a mode of inquiry that does not penetrate or prod or dissect things, but rather lets a being be. After all, what could be easier than to let a being be just the being that it is'.

Phenomenology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a mode of inquiry that is concerned not with the polishing of concepts, but rather with making accessible that which is intended in a concept such that it can show itself from itself.

Phenomenology (n.) does ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not focus on the object, nor on our experiences of it, but trains its gaze somewhere in between. This 'between' does not stretch like a rope from the thing to man, but is an anticipation or fore-conception, reaching beyond the thing and similarly back behind ourselves.

Phenomenology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a study whereby the subject is something that does not show itself but can be made to show itself.

Phenomenology (n.) does ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not so much place itself outside of history as to remain unaffected by it.

Phenomenology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠an attitude whereby one observes the consciousness process [the perception of a perception].

Phenomenology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠concerned with making visible the structure which is the 'world' itself. It seeks not the way entities 'look' but with 'phenomenon' in the phenomenological sense, as that which shows itself as being and as a structure of being.

Phenomenology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠concerned with phenomena, which are unable to lie because nothing is behind them. As such, all entities must show themselves phenomenologically in themselves and for themselves with the kind of access that genuinely belongs to them.

Phenomenology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠concerned with the experience of space rather than with its objective measurement: When I go toward the door of the lecture hall, I am already there.

Phenomenology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠defined obscurely as 'to let that which shows itself be seen from itself in the very way in which it shows itself from itself'. It is key in this definition that the subject of phenomenology must be something which does not show itself but can be made to show itself.

Phenomenology (n.) is, ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠for example, a recognition that the sculptor uses stone just as the mason uses it, in his own way.

Phenomenology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠grounded in the idea that we never perceive a throng of individual sensations combined, rather we 'hear the storm whistle in the chimney' or 'the three-engine aeroplane'.

Phenomenology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠not about either the 'object matter' nor the 'subject matter' of its study. Any exhibiting of an entity, as it shows itself in itself, may be called phenomenology.

Phenomenology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠primarily a methodological conception, not of the 'what' an object is, but of the 'how' of the research i.e., how do we form an understanding which constitutes the 'what of an object'.

Phenomenology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠a methodology whereby the kind of intelligibility arrived at is not the same as the kind of intelligibility sought by traditional ontology (i.e. building up the whole from elements) but is the only kind of philosophical intelligibility available to us.

Phenomenology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the art or practice of 'letting things show themselves'.

Phenomenology (n.) is ⁠​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​⁠the study of how, when, for example we 'see', what comes first is not sensory data, but the phenomenon of seeing. The event of seeing itself comes first and determines how to assimilate and interpret the sensory data.