Thomas Byrne hosted by the Society of Fellows in the Liberal Arts at Southern University of Science & Technology, Shenzhen.
The Society of Fellows in the Liberal Arts at SUSTech, Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China, invites participants to join the following online seminar:
‘An Introduction to Phenomenology’
A talk with Thomas Byrne, Sun Yat-sen University
Thursday, November 25th, 4-5:30 pm ( (GMT+8, Beijing time)
Zoom meeting ID: 946 4247 7965
Link: https://zoom.us/j/94642477965?pwd=ZmdYQkNyS21EdGYrdDdDWjg1Smc1UT09
Password: 9540
No pre-registration required and all welcome.
For any inquiries feel free to contact: Tommaso Pepe – [email protected] or Mengwen Zhu – [email protected]
Abstract: In recent literature, scholars have often used the term “Phenomenology” as a catchphrase for a host of different things. Sometimes phenomenology is taken to be a kind of an introspection or meditation, a jumping off point for empirical research, and worst of all, as the “how” of experience. In contrast, this essay has no other goal than to present phenomenology as it was originally described by the philosopher Edmund Husserl. Specifically, I attempt to outline what phenomenology is by examining three core tenets of the phenomenological method. First, I look at how the central of question of phenomenology is that of intentionality, that is, the relationship between my experience of the object and the object experienced. Second, I explore how phenomenology is conducted from the first-person point of view; each individual is personally called to conduct phenomenology, so that they can verify truths for themselves. Finally, the essay shows that even though phenomenology is conducted from a first-person perspective, it is not interested in societal, cultural, or individual truths, but rather in the essences of the structures of experience. The essay not only serves as an introduction, but also as an invitation to engage in the communal ongoing project of phenomenology.