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