KnowledgeInSight
Phenomenology for Consciousness Studies
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Course 1 · Module 1

Phenomenology's Philosophical Roots

Discover the philosophical roots of phenomenology in Descartes, Kant, and Brentano, and why their problems led Husserl to a new method. You'll learn how the method of doubt, the limits of knowledge, and the thesis of intentionality set up phenomenology's central question: how the world shows up in experience. You'll also learn to tell careful description of experience apart from introspection and causal explanation, a distinction that matters in any research that uses first-person reports.

Module objectives

  • Explain how Descartes's method of doubt and Kant's distinction between phenomena and things-in-themselves set the problem phenomenology takes up
  • Describe Brentano's thesis of intentionality and its role as phenomenology's starting point
  • Distinguish phenomenological description from introspective psychology and from causal explanation

3 lessons · 28 items · 3h 39m

Lessons

  1. Lesson 1 Philosophical Roots: Descartes, Kant, and Experience This lesson traces how Descartes's method of doubt and Kant's account of the conditions of experience turned philosophy toward the question of how the world appears to a knowing… 61111h 3m
  2. Lesson 2 Philosophical Roots: Brentano's Intentionality This lesson introduces Franz Brentano's thesis that every mental act is directed toward an object, which he called intentional inexistence, and his proposal that directedness is… 61111h 3m
  3. Lesson 3 Philosophical Roots: Description vs. Explanation This lesson separates three ways of studying experience: introspective psychology, causal explanation, and phenomenological description. You'll be able to explain why… 611111h 33m

Further reading

These are the primary texts behind the ideas in this module. Reading them is optional: explore the ones that match your interests. You don't need them to complete the module, which explains their key ideas. Each entry gives the recommended edition, free options where they exist, and where to buy or borrow it.