Husserl :
The Husserlian Method :
Husserl wanted to laydown the foundation of such type of
philosophy which can become the basis of the scientific knowledge.So,he said,we
should search for the absolute evidences before being involved in philosophical
thinking.He says that, ‘…we must not make assertions about that which we
ourselves do not see.’
It must not be based on any pre-assumption.He wanted the
total reform of philosophy.He said that we should renounce all previous
knowledge before searching for absolute foundation of knowledge.We should not
even assume that it is possible to achieve the goal.By following scientific
attitude we should accept any truth on the basis of absolute evidences.In
search of this absolute evidence we devide from our objective world of science
and enter in the realm of pre-scientific world of our own experiences and
thinking.
It may be argued that our knowledge of the objective world is
also directly perceived and prior to all things.Our knowledge of external world
is true and uncertain.But in this phenomenological radical philosophy,this
experience of world has been as
rejected.Even the reality of world has been said as pre-assumption,which should
be investigated and proved.He writes :
“His(Descarte’s)proof is carried out by much too superficial
criticism of sensory knowledge.We will keep this much.Eperiential evidence that
is
to serve as radical foundation for knowledge needs,above
all,a critique of its validity and range….Even the experience of the world as
the true universal ground of knowledge becomes an unacceptably naïve belief.We
can no longer accept the reality of the world as a fact to be taken for
granted.It is a hypothesis that needs verification.”
According to phenomenologists,the matter of our investigation
must be devoid of factual aspect of our experience.It must be aimed at the
ideal aspect of the existence.This method of phenomenologists is called
‘epoche’ or ‘bracketing’.Philosophical inquiry is concerned with the primary
subject matter.Ideal essences of those particulars are required here.In
phenomenology ‘epoche’ means suspension of judgement.Before any investigation
our judgement must be suspended regarding the physical aspect of
consciousness.This is called ‘bracketing’ of physical or psychical existence.This
is the method of pure mathematics.Phenomenal method is devoid of factual aspect
of our special experience.It is interested in only ideal relation of those
factual experiences.As R N Sharma writes :
“According to Husserl’s phenomenology,like mathematics,is the
science of pure possibilities.It must everywhere precede the science of real
fact.’
These phenomenologists are concerned with the ideal
entities,which are presented to our consciousness;minus its physical
existence.In a sense these are similar to Platonic ideas.But Husserl is not
interested in the reality behind those phenomenological ideas.That’s why he has
used this technical term i.e. ‘intentionality of consciousness’.
He is interested in the relation of consciousness with the
object as such.This is subjective process of consciousness.The object of
phenomenological inquiry are in Husserlian term , ‘intentional objects.’They
are not interested in their ontological status.Envisaged ideas are merely
matter of concern for them.They are concerned with the interrelations of the
ideal objects,not with their status.
But Husserl claims to be radical empiricist,in spite of his
all ‘bracketing’ or ‘elimination’ theory.He says that ‘if positivism means
nothing but founding all science without any prejudices whatsoever upon the
‘positive’,i.e. upon what is to be grasped at first hand,then it is we who are
genuine positivists.’
R N Sharma – p. – 289
Intentionality :
‘The essence of consciousness,in which Iive as my ownself,is
the so-called intentionality.Consciousness is always consciousness of
something.’ Paris
Lectures, p. – 12-13
Husserl has defined phenomenology as the description of
subjective process in the first edition of Logical Investigatiions.Phenomenology
is the study of phenomena,according to him.Phenomena is found in our experience
of object.What the subject is concerned with in his experience is
phenomena,according to Husserl.It is not the
appearances of things-in-themselves,as according to Kant.As A
N Sharma writes, ‘ Like, Brentano and Meinong,Husserl made phenomenology
coextensive with psychological subject matter.Phenomenology,however,is not
psychology.Psychology aims at the explanation of phenomena in causal and
genetic terms.Phenomenology,on the other hand,analyses and describes phenomena
as they are presented.’
Like Meinong,Husserl invokes the theory of intentional
reference in his interpretation of the objects of phenomenological study.As R N
Sharma writes, ‘According to him intentionality is an intrinsic trait of the
subjective processes of consciousness by which they refer to object.’
Thus,the object of phenomenal inquiry are intentional
objects.Phenomenologists don’t give it ontological status.They are mere
considered as they are envisaged.
Phenomenologists are concerned with subjective
experiences.Phenomenology deals with ideal meaning and universal relations with
which the ego is confronted in its experience.
Consciousness,according to Husserl, is consciousness of
something.He says it is intentional or directional of something.Every thought
is thought of something,remembrance of something,or imagination of something
of.Every desire is desire of something.Due to this directionality consciousness
it is called as intentional.Every time it will act or react,it will act or
react about something.Intention is not futuristic here.It is related to the
present situation.It should not be
taken as aim or motive.Intentionality means,according to
Husserl,that every consciousness is an outgoing nector,which has three aspect –
ego,cogito and cogiteta.The source of the vector is,soul and the target of this
vector is the object.Thus there are two poles of intentional activity of which
Husserl calls – noetic and noematic poles or subject and object. He calls them
as subjective and objective poles.He doesn’t divide these two as two substances
like Descartes.He says that this duality of substances is the main cause of
problems regarding realism and idealism.He wanted to eliminate this duality
through his concept of directional consciousness.It is due to the unity of
conscioussness,the becoming of subject as object and object as subject is
existence,according to Husserl.
Subjectivity is subjectivity due to presence of object of
which it is intentional.Pure subjectivity is meaningless word for
Husserl.Consciousness is the basis of all events.It is the basis of
subject-object relation.Consciousness is not limited to the subject only,it
includes the whole existence.In his own words :
“….Transcendental subjectivity is the universe of possible
meanings;any externality to it is meaningless.”
He says that object is the necessary co-relate of the
subject.But the object of the intentional subject is not the object or the object
as such.Phenomelogists are interested in knowing the pure forms of any
object,event or activity.These pure forms are created by consciousness.This
consciousness is intentional and pure view.
Spacial unity of various object,being presented to the subjectivity,is
due to the intentional nature of consciousness.And the nature of those objects
also don’t change,even though of they
are within the realm of time because of the intentionality of
consciousness.They become known as one object.Various types of knowledges prove
the intentionality of the consciousness.Even though it is illusion,but it is
due to the intentionality of consciousness.
Paris Lectures, p. –
6-7
R N Sharma – Indian & Western Metaphysics
&Epistemology,p. – 288
Ibid , p. – 289
Paris Lectures – p. - 33
