Edmund Husserl

                                Edmund Husserl               

  Who is Edmund Husserl? What is his philosophy? What is it all about? These are the questions that need an answer to be able us to know more about him and his philosophy.

 Edmund Gustav Albrecht Husserl or Edmund Husserl, he’s the pioneer of discipline of the phenomenology, and one of the most influential philosophers of the 20th century credited for his significant contributions to the fields of philosophy, linguistics, sociology and cognitive psychology. He was born on April 8, 1859 in Prossnitz, Moravia. At the age of 10, he began his German classical education at the Real gymnasium in Vienna. When he is on secondary level, he transferred to the Staatsgymnasium. He also enrolled in the University at Leipzig where he pursued an education in Mathematics, physics and philosophy and also took several courses in astronomy and optics. In 1901, he began his 16 year long tenure at the University of Gottingen, and during this period, he formulated his various theories on phenomenology, establishing it as specific discipline devoted to describe events and things without employing metaphysical and theoretical speculations. In 1913, he published his widely lauded and innovative discourse, entitled ‘Ideas: A General Introduction to Pure Phenomenology’, an introduction to his concepts of phenomenological reduction that provides perceptive tools designed for the contemplation and reflection of objects while conducting observations. He proposed that the method of phenomenological reduction aids in removing all biases of real existence, and facilitates the researcher in concentrating on the “bracketing of existence”. He conducted various studies to establish an understanding of the mental structures that are responsible for the cognitive abilities of perceptions and thoughts, and he concluded his research upon discovering that an object of contemplation is necessary of consciousness. The advent of the WWI caused various disruptions in his academic career as he began losing most of his students to the war, and when his son was killed during the war. He was devastated and he spent a year in mourning that’s makes him ignore his career profession.  However, in the fall of 1916, he was appointed as a Professor at Freiburg in Breisgau. He authored several highly acclaimed works during this period, some of which were published after his death, including ‘Cartesian Meditations’ where he explains the influence of the individual consciousness over philosophy, history and society. He served as a Professor at Freiburg until his death. 

  Edmund Husserl’s famous philosophy is Bracketing Method. It is a term in the philosophical movement of phenomenology describing the act of suspending judgment about the natural world to instead focus on analysis of experience. It also involves setting aside the question of the real existence of the contemplated object, as well as all other questions about its physical or objective nature; these are left to the natural sciences. This means that what is bracketed in the process of epoche is our natural attitude toward the objects we are investigating, which includes our prejudices. When Epoche is properly applied we can now proceed to the next steps of phenomenological method, which involves reduction. Reduction, term borrowed from mathematics, refers to the procedure of putting ourselves in a position where we can see things as they really are and independent of any prejudice. Phenomenology was pioneered by Edmund Husserl whose aim was to arrive at a philosophy understood as a rigorous science, which, however, should describe, rather than explain, immediate experience. By “philosophy as a rigorous science”, Husserl refers to a philosophy that is “presuppositionless”, that is, a philosophy with the least number of presupposition (thing that you suppose as true beforehand). 

 We all know that Edmund Husserl’s epoche commonly means “bracketing”. However, this is also known as and means as “withholding”, “disregarding”, “abandoning”, “parenthesizing” and “putting out of play” all the judgments which posits a world in any way as actual or as “there”, present at hand. It is the bracketing of the prejudices, biases, and any natural experiences of a particular subject to its object. Indeed, it is a suspension of judgments and prejudices in order to get and extract its very essence. Epoche in other words, is giving up of the natural positing of the world as well as the blind occupation with and judgment about its object in order to pay attention to the “mode of givenness”. Furthermore, epoche is a gate of entry for transcendental attitude. It is because, in bracketing, we hold in abeyance the natural attitude towards the object. It is just withholding and setting aside. Therefore, as we employ and apply epoche, we proceed from a natural attitude to a transcendental attitude, which we transcend ourselves and avoid given assumptions.

  I therefore conclude that, Bracketing does not deny nor affirm experience; it only holds it in abeyance. Epoche allow us to understand our biases. It opens our eyes that not all what we believe on them is literally they are. For example, not all Muslims are Abu Sayyafs, Ilocanos are not always spendthrift or that women are not all bad drivers. Epoche is a very essential step in phenomenological method. With epoche, we see things to their essences as we transcend ourselves, because we bracket the existence of our pre-judgment and biases to particular object. We see the world as it seems and as projected world according to our perceptions and experience. Unlike in a natural attitude, we take the world for granted and we look at reality as things.