Phenomenology?

[Edwardo Piet]

Can someone help explain to me what this is?? I've read what I can of the wikipedia article, but it talks about so many different varriations, and I can't simply find the basics! What is it?

It seems a bit interesting... and the opposite to the approach Dennett takes when it comes to the study of consciousness, for instance.

Once I understand what it means maybe i can discuss about it!

Hopefully we can discuss some as well then lol.

EvF

[LukeMC]

The discipline of phenomenology may be defined initially as the study of structures of experience, or consciousness. Literally, phenomenology is the study of “phenomena”: appearances of things, or things as they appear in our experience, or the ways we experience things, thus the meanings things have in our experience. Phenomenology studies conscious experience as experienced from the subjective or first person point of view. This field of philosophy is then to be distinguished from, and related to, the other main fields of philosophy: ontology (the study of being or what is), epistemology (the study of knowledge), logic (the study of valid reasoning), ethics (the study of right and wrong action), etc.

Seems more of a philosophical wankery to me than anything else. Whereas what Dennet speaks of (heterophenomonology) is the psychological study with the scientific method applied.

I go to some lengths in my book to explain that heterophenomenology is nothing other than the scientific method applied to the phenomena of consciousness, and thus the way to save the rich phenomenology of consciousness for scientific study. I didn't invent the heterophenomenological method; I just codified, more self-consciously and carefully than before, the ground rules already tacitly endorsed by the leading researchers.

[Darwinian]

Basically, it means that reality only consists of things that are observed by people and anything else is not part of reality.

As far as I can understand it anyway.

[Edwardo Piet]

I wanted to have it defined more properly, so thanks for your posts. I already smelt the BS though, as I knew it was the opposite to Dennett's sound, empirical 3rd person approach to consciousness.

Thanks guys.

EvF

[Oldandeasilyconfused]

Basically, it means that reality only consists of things that are observed by people and anything else is not part of reality.

As far as I can understand it anyway.

I've never understood phenomenology either.One of my proffesors, a brilliant loon,described himself as ' a Marxist phenomenologist ( ?) which confused me.Knowing Bruce that was probably the point.

However,I think you just described solipism. If not, perhaps some one will explain the difference to me. I'm still confused.

[Kyuuketsuki]

Seems more of a philosophical wankery to me than anything else.

Kyu

[Edwardo Piet]

Isn't it a synonym for mental masturbation, but with extra wankery? (because it's of the excessively philosophical kind, lol).

EvF