What does the philosophical concept of facticity mean in existentialism?
Thoughts on Embodied Understanding and Carnal Hermeneutics
When things are in your mind, are they also in your body? If yes, is your body anything more than a physical container for your mind? If not, how can there be things like painful memories, hurtful words or wounds of history? Western traditions of thought have a long history of contrasting mind and body. … Continue reading Thoughts on Embodied Understanding and Carnal Hermeneutics
Can We Suspend Our Assumptions?
Edmund Husserl, the founder of the philosophical tradition called phenomenology, introduced the idea of bracketing or suspending our habitual assumptions about the world. He called this method by the Greek word epoché, which has deep historical roots stretching to the ancient Greek philosophy of scepticism that emphasised suspension of judgments. Importantly for Husserl, his method … Continue reading Can We Suspend Our Assumptions?
Humans as Liminal Beings
German philosopher Bernhard Waldenfels - a recognised phenomenologist interested, among other things, in the theme of a 'stranger' or 'alien' - suggests that humans are liminal beings. He presents this idea in his book Phenomenology of the Alien: Basic Concepts. What does Waldenfels mean? In the first chapter of the book, he introduces and explains … Continue reading Humans as Liminal Beings
Habits and Norms
What makes some actions and ways of moving appear 'normal' to us while others 'strange'? According to Sara Ahmed, at the heart of the matter is repetition. When repeated regularly by enough people, that way of being gradually becomes the 'norm'. We say then - that is just how things are. It is a given. … Continue reading Habits and Norms
Welcoming Spaces
What makes a space welcoming? How do we experience space as welcoming instead of hostile or simply indifferent? Maurice Merleau-Ponty observes that our bodies trail behind our actions in our daily lives. I am involved in an activity, for example, walking my dog. Usually, I do not notice my body and each of its movements … Continue reading Welcoming Spaces
Exploring the Familiar
What do we overlook when we stay in the familiar? What can looking at the familiar reveal about it? This quote is from an article I wrote about the area of philosophy called phenomenology. One of its key ideas is known as bracketing or suspending. "What should we bracket? Our natural attitude – the familiar, pre-theoretical, uncritical … Continue reading Exploring the Familiar
Phenomenology and Bracketing the Familiar
Edmund Husserl (1859 - 1938), the main founder of phenomenology, emphasised the importance of the first step that a phenomenological philosopher must take to investigate the interrelation of the world and us as experiencing subjects. He called that first step epoché - suspending or placing into brackets. What should we bracket? Our natural attitude - the familiar, pre-theoretical, uncritical … Continue reading Phenomenology and Bracketing the Familiar
Frantz Fanon on Identity Drama
Our identities are shaped and exist in relation to others. The way others relate to me and the way I can relate to them is fundamental to my sense of self, of who I am. When relationships play such a crucial role, some amount of drama is inevitable. However, we can become the prisoners of … Continue reading Frantz Fanon on Identity Drama
Knowing Yourself As The Colonised
How does one become ‘the colonised’? Not in terms of a historical fact or political status, although they are certainly important elements, but in terms of an experience. If we think of being ‘the colonised’ as a way of experiencing one’s life, how does one become it? In his book, “Black Skin, White Masks”, Frantz Fanon explores … Continue reading Knowing Yourself As The Colonised
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