What is phenomenology? What do phenomenologists do? How can phenomenological studies contribute to other fields than philosophy? These are the guiding questions that Dan Zahavi, who is a philosophy professor at the University of Copenhagen and the University of Oxford, responds to in his recent book, Phenomenology: The Basics.  It provides an approachable introduction to one of the most significant and productive movements in contemporary philosophy through a combination of a problem-centered approach and certain historical considerations.

     The book is structured into three main sections, corresponding to the three above-mentioned questions, that are ideally to be read one after another. The author begins with a brief presentation of the idea behind the book, that is to simply exhibit the topic with focus on the converging elements that phenomenology scholars share. This is followed by the first section, consists of six chapters, on the fundamental concepts and building blocks of phenomenology. Chapter one, concerned with the rejection of a problematic misconception of the phenomena of phenomenology, explains that while it is indeed the manners of manifestation, rather than the objective whatness of things, that phenomenologists are interested in, the phenomenon in this context is not to be confused with the traditional notion of appearance which presupposes the domain of the real behind it. Chapter two revolves around the canonical notion of intentionality in the phenomenological tradition which refers to the directedness of consciousness out of itself, completed with the clarification of the related critique of those accounts which are blind to the essential inseparability of mind and world. In chapter three the author refers to the place of the suspension of the so-called natural attitude and the exploration of our relatedness to the world in phenomenological method, and explains that phenomenology, as a philosophical inquiry, in this connection does not neglect the question of reality, but on the contrary it directs us to its appropriate meaning, free from problematic metaphysical presuppositions. Chapter four draws the attention to the relationship between the world of our lived experience that phenomenology deals with and the scientific world, to the point that though both can influence one another, the second one is the basis. Indeed, as the author demonstrates, science not only does not provide us with the only true perspective, but what it presents would be itself even of a derivative nature based on the lifeworld and activities of the subjects engaged in it. Chapter five, gives the reader some glances about the growth of phenomenological philosophy with respect to Husserl’s thought. The path which the author refers to mainly indicates the gradual absorption of non-egoistic and contextual elements in the phenomenological movement, that are extended and radicalized through the works of later phenomenologists. Zahavi argues that though other philosophers have advanced phenomenology, the new developments are to be considered as rooted in Husserl himself. Chapter six, which is the last part of the first section, refers to the preface to the Phenomenology of Perception by Merleau-Ponty, as a helpful guide to the nature of phenomenology. In this way, the author provides a concluding summary of the section one, making it clear that phenomenology is an open project, concerned with the subjectivity that is not world-detached, with the essential, in our lived experiences, that is not abstract, with what transcends the scientific framework that is not anti-science, and with what upon which the theoretical is founded.

     The second section is directed at making phenomenological analysis tangible through discussions on the selected themes of spatiality and embodiment, and intersubjectivity and sociality. It first following Heidegger brings to light our spatial engagement with the world, as a fundamental trait of our being, the difference between the phenomenological perspective on space and the scientific one  which is of a decontextualizing character, and the importance as well as the priority of the former. Then, it shows how a phenomenological exploration of the body looks like, based on what Husserl, Sartre, and Merleau-Ponty have done in this regard. The difference between the lived body and the objective body, the relationship between embodiment and spatial experience, the presence of the body in our world-relatedness, the so-called double sensation phenomenon, and the significance of conducting research on the historio-cultural dimensions of embodiment, are of the themes that the author refers to in this connection. Subsequently, in the next chapter, the focus is on the issues related to the social aspect of experience. It clarifies the problematic prejudices in traditional theories about our understanding of other human beings which create the pseudo-problem of the manner in which one can reach another mind from its own subjective sphere, as criticized in the phenomenological literature. And then, the diversity of phenomenological contributions to the issue of the other and the fundamental block of social life is brought into attention.

     Section three is devoted to the third question, mentioned in the beginning, with respect to the influence of phenomenology on sociological and psychological sciences. In the case of the phenomenologically oriented sociology, the author bases his points on the works of Schutz, Berger and Luckmann, and Garfinkel. The role of human subjects in the constitution of social life, and the social contextuality of individual experiences on the other hand, various types of relationships with other human beings in the social sphere, and the significance of setting aside predetermined constructs in pursuing research in this field, are the core ideas explained here. The final chapter, follows the same path with respect to psychological research, though in this case, as the author himself acknowledges, the discussions are more extended and more notice is given to the differences between the attitudes under consideration. It starts with some general remarks about phenomenological psychology, which focuses on the experiential world of the person, and its historical roots in Husserl. Furthermore, the mutual influence between phenomenology and psychiatry is made clear. In the next step, three phenomenological methods of Giorgi, van Manen, and Smith, in qualitative studies in this field are compared with each other, with respect to the issues such as the adoption of a purely descriptive or a hermeneutic orientation, the emphasis upon the essential or the particular, and the commitment to or the rejection of the normative view. Then the author points to the highly debatable topic of naturalizing phenomenology, with reference to the suggested forms of the fulfilment of such project, i.e., to bring phenomenological insights to the naturalistic framework of cognitive science, to take into account new empirically achieved data for the development of phenomenological research, and to take into account phenomenology for the foundational development of empirical studies. The chapter, complemented with some points on the characteristics of interview in phenomenological psychology that is to be directed at the structures of subjective experience of the clients, ends with the reminder of the difference between the pure phenomenology and the application of phenomenology to other fields such as psychology and psychiatry. This brings us to the concluding part of the book in which the open future of phenomenological research is remarked. There is also a useful glossary at the end that the readers can benefit from.

     Phenomenology: The Basics as a whole is successful in achieving its task. The ideas are tied together in a well-ordered manner so as to present a general picture of phenomenological research. The language is clear enough to understand the claims, and the author provides tangible examples whenever required for the better clarification of the concepts. And though the illustration of the developments in this field is not planned, one can find some relevant clues in this respect too. The book is recommended to everyone who wants to get a coherent overview of the topic without focus on the issues such as the origins and the manifoldness of the existing approaches, internal debates and transformations, and the examination of the thoughts of phenomenological figures.

© 2019 Khashayar Boroomandjazi

Khashayar Boroomandjazi, Philosophy PhD