Phenomenological Philosophy Research Articles

Expression in popular music singing as embodied and interpersonal

This article presents theoretical viewpoints for considering and understanding expression in popular music singing and pedagogy from the perspective of embodiment as outlined in Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenological philosophy. In our study, we apply his interpretations of such notions as intentionality, body schema, gesture, reversibility, and intersubjectivity to bring forth and discuss the holistic, embodied, and interpersonal nature of voice expression in singing. We argue that expression should be viewed as an intentional activity, based on the body’s innate mindful functioning as a whole, and in singing guided by the lyrics and emotions to be communicated. We propose that this requires a “free voice”, based on healthy vocal production, that also allows for the immediacy of expression as and through gestures that bring the meaning into existence. We further argue that expression is an interpersonal, interactive, and intersubjective process in which the performer and listener influence each other in many ways. The reversibility of perception in expression means that perception and the object perceived are intertwined and action and perception are interconnected. There is also a gap in reversibility, which implies that the perception of (one’s own) expression is never complete. In addition to our theoretical arguments, we make pedagogical suggestions, such as that the body itself has a lot of understanding ofhowand should be trusted in singing, both in terms of voice production and expression. The expression should not be primarily approached as a technical issue but taught in connection with and through expression. The expression should be viewedfrom the inside out, not the opposite. This means that expression builds on one’s personality and (emotional) experiences.

Portuguese Saudade, the Trajectories of Longing and Desire

Saudade is interpreted as an ethereal concept dear to the Portuguese people. This intangible idea is often identified with a Portuguese cultural value signifying elusive states of longing, yearning, and wistfulness. This article demonstrates how the spatial realm of a former Portuguese colony, Macau, is experienced through the lens of saudade as an eluding, incorporeal, and culturally meaningful concept. The main goal of this research is to analyze the lived experiences of the Portuguese community in Macau shaped by emotional trajectories of the postcolonial city. This study continues the tradition of anthropological interpretations based on philosophical phenomenology. Anthropologically grounded phenomenology gives priority to acknowledging people’s formulation of experiences vis-á-vis specific cultural settings. It is an extension of “radical empiricism.” The article works with the concept of saudade to analyze the modalities of sensory perception within the former Portuguese city. Saudade is used as a discursive formation to look at cultural and epistemological manifestations of daily urban lived experiences of the Portuguese people in Macau.

Analysis of Humanistic Education: Unraveling Paulo Freire in Islamic Perspectives

This study delves into the educational philosophy of Paulo Freire, emphasizing its humanistic roots and exploring its intersections with Christian, Marxist, existentialist, phenomenological, and personalist philosophies. Influenced by liberation theology figures like Gustavo Gutiérrez, Freire envisioned education as a tool for conscientization, aiming to cultivate critical awareness among the oppressed. Freire's humanistic approach faces criticism, particularly concerning the ambiguity of its goals and potential psychological disturbances. The research methodology is rooted in an extensive literature review, incorporating both primary and secondary data sources. Primary data stems from direct references relevant to the research topic, such as scholarly journals and articles, while secondary data is derived from existing literature to construct a solid conceptual framework. Appropriate data analysis tools aligning with research objectives are employed to systematically evaluate the collected information. This methodology aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the theories and concepts essential to the research. The outcomes and discussions underscore the fundamental disparities between Freire's humanistic education and Islamic perspectives. While Freire advocates for critical consciousness and social liberation, Islam centers its education on the Quran and Hadith, emphasizing moral and spiritual responsibilities as Khalifah. Islam interprets freedom as the pursuit of goodness guided by divine revelations, rejecting liberal interpretations. The study concludes by accentuating the stark differences in worldview and values between Freirean humanism and Islamic education, shedding light on the diverse philosophical foundations underpinning these approaches.

Making Sense of Husserlian Phenomenological Philosophy in Empirical Research

Phenomenological philosophy is esoteric. Therefore, it is not surprising that most empirical studies adopting a phenomenological approach do not acknowledge or engage with key phenomenological concepts that could shape their investigations. Meanwhile, can we claim that a study is phenomenological when it ignores fundamental phenomenological concepts/theories? A part of the lack of engagement with fundamental phenomenological concepts in empirical research is due to how challenging it is to make sense of these concepts in research. I rely on key concepts from Husserl’s phenomenology such as intentionality, natural attitude, lifeworld, pure essence and inter-subjectivity to envisage the application of phenomenological philosophy in empirical research. The concepts provide different perspectives to thinking about, seeing and analysing the world around us. It is hoped that this article makes phenomenological philosophy more accessible for researchers to apply in their investigations. With dedicated study, these concepts can be useful in different stages of the research process.

The Relevance of the Phenomenological Method of Epoché and Reduction for Psychology

Abstract Husserl’s (2023) “Paradox of the Psychological Reduction,” with support and elucidation from Husserl’s published writings, shows the necessity of employing the phenomenological epoché and reduction in order to perform valid psychological research. The relationship between the transcendental and psychological reductions, including their closeness, differences, and peculiar identity are explored. Although necessary, the phenomenological method does not guarantee true psychological knowledge but rather requires a reflexive, self-critical, self-corrective historical process that confronts and overcomes naturalistic prejudice and other misguiding assumptions and dogma as well as superficial and flawed research performances. Phenomenological psychology and philosophy are inseparable, in a bidirectional relationship that informs the socio-cultural sciences including empirical psychology and all disciplines that study persons, communities, human artifacts, and humanity. The implications and relevance of phenomenological method are spelled out in light of the history and contemporary challenges of psychology.

The Use of English Greetings and Terms of Address by Employees and Homestay Owners in Kintamani Tourism Area, Bali

How to communicate properly and correctly is needed by the people of Bali, especially those who live in tourism areas. The increasing arrivals of foreign tourists to the Island of the Gods has made English an important means of communication, which is therefore, badly needed by people in tourist areas, such as the Kintamani. Those who are directly involved in tourism industry activities are expected to provide good service to meet customer satisfaction. This qualitative research, which is based on a phenomenological philosophy approach, aims to determine the understanding of employees and homestay owners in Kintamani on the use of formal English greetings and terms to address customers in their daily tasks. 30 respondents were selected as samples by accidental sampling technique. Meanwhile, data were collected from respondents through interviews and observations, with recording techniques when respondents served guests in eight representative homestays. Furthermore, the data were descriptively analyzed, referring to the basic English grammatical theory. The results of the study show that in general, employees or homestay owners in Kintamani have already understood the formal use of greetings and terms to address the guests in English well. But in daily conversation, they do not use greetings and terms to address guests in formal English which is theoretically appropriate, and prioritize the communicative aspect instead.

Minding the Shift: Some Thoughts on the Human and the Not Too Human Mind

Abstract Software systems that claim to think for themselves may prove to be Frankenstein’s nightmare come true. When Amazon used algorithms to read digital letters of job applicants, it turned out that mentioning women sports in the category of one’s favourite leisure activities was detrimental to getting the job, i.e., the algorithm favoured male applicants. What if AI becomes able to and will in fact take over cars, elevators and other electronic devices with devastating results for their human owners or operators? In this article, I aim to address the differences between, and the possible clashes of the human and the AI minds (and their souls and hearts) by means of some examples, including a.o., drones, ADS (automatic driving systems) and our recent Artificial Friend, Kazuo Ishiguro’s fictional robot Klara, and I do so by focussing on the narratives involved, on the view that new technologies need a legal hermeneut. This article is inspired, firstly, by the novelist Samuel Butler and the today not so fictional question that he raised, i.e., whether “because mechanical life is a very different thing from ours, therefore it is not life at all?” (Samuel Butler, Erewhon [1872]. Harmondsworth UK: Penguin, 1954, 175), because Butler adds that if it is considered life it could have a will of its own as well and that may lead to dire consequences also from a point of view of law; secondly, because the topic of AI also invites us to consider the interdisciplinary question why new technologies need the humanities. As the philosopher Edmund Husserl claimed, a determination of the world by the positive sciences as took place in the second half of the nineteenth century occasioned “an indifferent turning-away from the questions which are decisive for a genuine humanity. Merely fact-minded sciences make merely fact-minded people” (Edmund Husserl, The Crisis of European Sciences and Transcendental Phenomenology, An Introduction to Phenomenological Philosophy [1954], trans. David Carr. Evanston, Ill.: Northwestern University Press, 1970, 6).

Contributions to the Phenomenology of Heightened Reality

This article analyzes the experience of heightened reality, whereby subjects feel or think that what they are facing is reality itself, or somehow a ‘more real reality’, a hyperreality. My main examples for this specific kind of metacognitive supervision are from reports about the near-death experience, the psychedelic experience and the mystical experience. I will interpret accounts of such experiences using first of all philosophical phenomenology and theories of sense of reality. I criticize and try to complement Martin Fortier’s model of the plural taxonomy of sense of reality. In addition, I propose a triadic model of the experience of reality and, based on the analysis of the testimonies of heightened reality, I have developed a triadic model, according to which one dimension of reality experience is merely heightened reality, the other two being self-evident immersion in reality and the irruptive suspension of ordinary experience.

The Body as Norm: Non-Classic Ontology of Law

The article is dedicated to the reasoning of the norm of law. Traditionally norm of law was interpreted as the rule, which is fixed in legislation and guaranteed by the state coercion. The other variant of interpretation were reasonably grounded ideal rules of natural law. In the sociological doctrine law presents itself as the custom, exists implicitly in the social relations. But all the similar approaches leave without an answer the next question: in what way the ordinary people, who belong to the different legal cultures and traditions and even not imagine themselves the legal content of norms, are able to have the common and coinciding picture of law.
 In my opinion to explain the similar state affairs we have to reconsider norm of law in its ontological aspect. It means to grasp and to contemplate how the norm of law exists in the real world, not on the paper or in mind of theorists and legal philosophers. The similar ontological turn becomes possible due to the phenomenological philosophy. We are talking not only about the works of classic phenomenologists, as Edmund Husserl or Moris Merlo-Ponty, but also about the “third wave of phenomenology,” such as Marc Rishire or Gean Marion. The classical phenomenology is first of all, the doctrine of consciousness. In its turn, contemporary phenomenologist’s focal point shifts toward human body. The latter isn’t interpreted as material embodiment of active subject, but opposite as the passive, affected. The body in its case becomes the field of experience, describing of which is possible through the phenomenological method.
 In the legal aspect it means, that the genuine restriction of the human deeds is rooted in the living corporal presence of the other people and not in the positive legislation or natural law. The living corporal presence of the Other in the common Being becomes the measure of my deeds. The similar measure is the border, limit and modality of my deeds towards the Others. Thus, the body of human Being takes the place of a positive or natural norm of law and, in strictly sense, embodies the norms of permeated, ought or demanded behavior. At the same time human body contents in itself all the parts of legal norm – its disposition, sanction and hypothesis and then turns into the genuine modus of legal norm’s existence.

On the Phenomenon of Play in Education - School as Play?

In contemporary pedagogy, understood as a social science, the term ‘play’ is used relatively extensively. It is interpreted as a targeted pedagogical or didactic tool. An alternative and inspiring view of the phenomenon of game in terms of philosophical psychology or phenomenological philosophy can be found in authors with a Christian background. This article wants to point out the argumentative and philosophical contradictions of these currents regarding the understanding of play – especially with regard to the increase in personal knowledge, emotional balance, socialisation, or the influence on the cultivation of self-reflection of one’s own existence based on the experience of play.

Sentience and the Primordial ‘We’: Contributions to Animal Ethics from Phenomenology and Buddhist Philosophy

This paper explores the ontological bases for ethical behaviour between human animals and non-human animals drawing on phenomenology and Buddhist philosophy. Alongside Singer and utilitarianism, I argue that ethical behaviour regarding animals is most effectively justified and motivated by considerations of sentience. Nonetheless, utilitarianism misses crucial aspects of sentience. Buddhist ethics is from the beginning focused on all sentient beings, not solely humans. This inclusivity, and refined interrogations of suffering, means it can furnish more nuanced understandings of sentience. For phenomenology, sentience includes the capacities for self-awareness and, I will argue, a plural self-awareness; the ‘I’ belongs to a ‘we’, and the ‘we’ is constitutive of the ‘I’. This ‘primordial we’ provides the basis for rethinking the moral relations between human animals and non-human animals. I contend finally we thus have an ontological basis in ‘interanimality’ to explain why we most often do and should care about all sentient beings.

Phenomenological and Dialogic Thinking in Spiritual Reading: Spiritual Paradigms of Selected Biblical Figures

The paper explores spiritual reading through the phenomenology of Edmund Husserl, Dialogue of Martin Buber, and Emmanuel Levinas, as the transition from phenomenology to dialogic thinking. This is fundamentally anchored on Kees Waaijman’s design for the discipline of spirituality in his book Spirituality. Forms, Foundations and Methods. The investigation centers on the movements, moments, and layers involved in the spiritual dynamic relationship. This is articulated more through the examination of selected biblical figures. As the paper draws to an end, it describes phenomenologically what spiritual reading is, including the layers involved both in the reality of God and the human person.ReferencesBuber, M., I and Thou. New York 1970, (First Touchstone Edition 1996).The Cambridge Companion to Husserl, (Ed. B. Smith & D. Smith), Cambridge, 1995.Catholic Church., Catechism of the Catholic Church: Revised in Accordance with the Official Latin Text Promulgated by Pope John Paul II., Washington, DC: United States Catholic Conference, 2000.Husserl, E., Experience and Judgment. Investigation in the Genealogy of Logic. Evanston, Northwestern University Press, 1973.______., Cartesian Mediations, the Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, 1967.______., Ideas pertaining to a pure phenomenology and to a phenomenological philosophy (1st book), The Hague -Boston-Lancaster: Springer, 1983.______., The Crisis of European Sciences and Transcendental Phenomenology, Evanston: Northwestern University Press, 1970. Levinas, E., Beyond the Verse. Talmudic Readings and Lectures, Bloomington-Indianapolis, 1994.______., Emmanuel Levinas. Basic Philosophical Writings, (Ed. A Peperzak, S. Critchley, & R. Bernasconi), Bloomington-Indianapolis, 1996.______. Of God who comes to Mind, Stanford, 1998.______., Totality and Infinity, Pittsburgh, 1969.John of the Cross, The Living Flame of Love, in Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, (transl. K. Kavanaugh & O. Rodriguez), Washington D.C.,1979.Moran, D., Introduction to Phenomenology, New York, 2000.The New American Bible, Washington, DC: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2002.New Revised Standard Version, Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989.Welzen, H., Biblical Spirituality, Contours of a Discipline, Leuven: Peeters, 2018.______., Contours of Biblical Spirituality as a Discipline, Acta Theologica, 15 (2011), 37-60.Waaijman, K., Spirituality. Forms, Foundations, Methods., Leuven: Peters, 2002.

Obligation and Value in the Phenomenological Philosophy of Law (Edmund Husserl’s Works)

Basing upon the two fundamental works of Edmund Husserl (Logische Untersuchungen and Idee) the author presents Husserl’s concepts of obligation and value according to the phenomenological reduction and the theory of the constitution of objects. Within the context of reduction the conclusions are: as according to Husserl the substance of normative sentences in valuation, the problems of obligation may be reduced to problems of valuation. The sense (Sinn) proves to be fundamental, prior to the existence. If anything should come to being in the ontological meaning it must become a moment of intentional life of consciousness. That is why the object and value exist in the same way but are only different names of some units of sense. The difference becomes clearer on a ‘higher’ level when they are characterised as intentional objects and the intentional experience directed towards them. Contrary to objects we can be directed towards values in a perceptible way (erfassenseise). The experience of value is always a based act. These acts are analysed against the background of noesis and noema. On the stage of constitution of the world it appears however that the substance of morality may be cognised with a personalistic attitude.

Writing and Flamenco

This article asks how the art of music may contribute to the understanding of writing as a phenomenological act. More specifically, I will introduce parts of the vocabulary, theory, and practice of flamenco to investigate the musicality and notably rhythmic qualities of the handwritten, personal signature. The aim is to demonstrate how the introduction of flamenco per se to the qualitative field of writing studies may open a way of thinking of writing as an expressed as well as expressive musical practice. Besides analyzing in detail the flamenco traits of the personal signature the article also scrutinizes the signature-as-music through the phenomenological philosophies of Merleau-Ponty and Derrida. Ultimately the article demonstrates how writing can itself be theorized off the beaten track, following the untraditional clue of guitar play in the flamenco tradition. The portrait that the article paints of writing is thus itself to be considered off the beaten track qua unconventional, unorthodox and, perhaps for some, controversial.

The Destiny of Phenomenology: Gadamer on Value, Globalism, and the Growth of Being

The Destiny of Phenomenology: Gadamer on Value, Globalism, and the Growth of Being

The Phenomenal Class Teaching to Individual Learners

This paper investigates some of the practical implications of a phenomenology of education, exploring how this philosophy can have a daily application to work that takes place in the classroom. Beginning with an overview of key principles in the philosophy of phenomenology, including ideas from Edmund Husserls and Martin Heideggers writings in the 19th-century, the paper examines more recent applications of this philosophy as an approach to pedagogy. The discussion includes the work of Malte Brinkmann and Norm Friesen, and then also that of the philosopher Hubert Dreyfus to consider the ways in which phenomenology would shape a teaching practice. The challenge here involves attempting to form authentic and genuine relationships, despite, or through, the various education technologies and platforms that are available these days. These technologies are often promoted as leading to student immersion in the subject matter, while the reality is, at the same time, that the teacher becomes distanced from the students, through the mediating effect of all this media. One example that is proposed as a way to address this issue, involves discussing the example of a class that I teach, where the students need to collaborate to build a playable video game in RPG Maker MV. They become immersed in learning the technology required to create an interactive game, while at the same time remaining in contact with their fellow collaborators as they develop the narrative and game play along the inclusive and enriched story telling principles that are presented in class.

문화해석학에서 본 윅스퀼의 의미이론

The purpose of this article is to deal with the concept of meaning, the phenomena of meaning, and the theory of meaning in terms of the Cultural Hermeneutics. So this study basically differs from the theory of meaning in tradition of the Analytic Philosophy and Semantics in the European Phenomenology. Both of them have something in common, especially in context of the linguistic meaning. But in this study we will discuss the perceptual meaning and the actional meaning in terms of the Cultural Hermeneutics in order to get over the linguistic meaning. In this context, we will discuss the problems as follows: Can only Human Being discover and pursuit the meaning? What is the difference between Human Being and Animals? Can only Human Being be the subject of creation of meaning? Can only Human Being enjoy the culture?
 So, I will argue that the theory of meaning in the Cultural Hermeneutics has to include the perceptual meaning and the actional meaning. In this context, I will intensively deal with Uexküll(1864-1944)’s the theory of meaning. Lastly I will discuss Cassirer(1874-1945)’s evaluation to the Uexküll’s view-points.

The meaningful (elderly dancing) body – intertwined, border-crossing and at home

Having the possibility to experience meaning in artistic settings is a human right. However, several studies show that structures and norms may prevent human beings from participating in artistic and cultural activities. Moreover, it is not given that all forms of participation offer meaningful experiences, something which puts a great responsibility upon organizers of artistic events. The current study is based in a project where elderly people were given the chance to participate in processes of development and performance of collaborative contemporary dance. The specific aim of the study was to describe and analyse the phenomenon of the meaningful body based on a phenomenological approach. To get access to the dancers’ lived experiences, six participants were interviewed. The transcribed interviews were analysed in a phenomenological manner. The analysis resulted in three themes, which together describe the phenomenon of the lived body, namely: the intertwined body, the border-crossing body, and the body feeling at home. The themes are related to phenomenological philosophy regarding aging, awareness, existence, and aesthetic experience, as well as to art education situations and societal norms. Keywords: elderly dancers, meaningful body, phenomenology, intertwinement, border-crossing, joy Webpage photo: Anders Larsson

Management of Muhammadiyah Student’s Character Education

The cadre system used at Aisyiah Bukit Kemuning Elementary School is described in this study, as is the implementation of Muhammadiyah cadre education at Aisyiah Bukit Kemuning Elementary School in building student’s morale. Researchers prioritized appreciation in this study, taking a qualitative approach based on phenomenological philosophy. From the researcher's perspective, qualitative methods seek to understand and interpret the meaning of human behavior interaction events in specific situations. This study, which employs a phenomenological approach, focuses on the phenomena of Muhammadiyah educational institutions that carry out Muhammadiyah cadre activities. The implementation program in this case is carried out at Aisyiah Bukit Kemuning Elementary School. According to the study's findings, the implementation of Muhammadiyah cadre education management at Aisyiah Bukit Kemuning Elementary School contributed to students' moral formation. The development of Muhammadiyah cadres in schools based on management principles is more efficient and effective in character formation, resulting in changes in the personalities of students who have participated in cadre training.

Defining Value in Sustainable Business Models

Although the concept of value is central to sustainable business models (SBMs), the field has struggled to clarify what value is. SBM research accounts for multiple forms of value directed at multiple stakeholders. We argue that this diversity challenge should be addressed not by seeking a field-unifying definition of value but by developing methodological guidelines for a field-specific approach to defining value in SBM contexts. Based on Aristotelian logic and philosophical phenomenology of value, we develop an analytical framework that can be used for generating good definitions of value. We use this framework to explore approaches to value in extant SBM literature, highlight problematic patterns in applications of this concept, and suggest ways to avoid these patterns. The result is a guide to assist SBM researchers in exploring and defining value, and in applying their definitions consistently in theory building efforts.