Bracketing (phenomenology)

Bracketing (phenomenology)

Bracketing (also called epoche or the phenomenological reduction) is a term derived from Edmund Husserl (1859-1938) for the act of suspending judgment about the natural world that precedes phenomenological analysis.

The concept can be most easily understood as "unpacking" phenomena, or, in other words, systematically peeling away their symbolic meanings like layers of an onion until only the thing-in-itself remains. Thusly, one's subjective perception of the bracketed phenomenon is the truest form of experience one can have in perceiving it.

In other words, bracketing involves setting aside the question of the real existence of the contemplated object, as well as all other questions about its physical nature; these are left to the natural sciences. The experience of seeing a horse qualifies as an experience, irrespective of whether the horse appears in reality, in a dream, or in a hallucination.


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Bracketing (disambiguation) — Bracketing may refer to: * Bracketing, a photographic technique ** Autobracketing * Bracketing (linguistics), a term in morphological analysis * Bracketing (phenomenology), a method used by phenomenological sociologists * Bracketing, a method for …   Wikipedia

  • Phenomenology (philosophy) — Phenomenology is the study of phenomena (from Greek, meaning that which appears ) and how they appear to us from a first person perspective. In modern times, it usually refers to the philosophy developed by Edmund Husserl, which is primarily… …   Wikipedia

  • phenomenology — phenomenology, phenomenological sociology Phenomenology is a philosophical method of inquiry developed by the German philosopher Edmund Husserl. It involves the systematic investigation of consciousness. Consciousness, it is argued, is the only… …   Dictionary of sociology

  • Phenomenology (The beginnings of) — The beginnings of phenomenology Husserl and his predecessors Richard Cobb Stevens Edmund Husserl was the founder of phenomenology, one of the principal movements of twentieth century philosophy. His principal contribution to philosophy was his… …   History of philosophy

  • phenomenology —    by Tamsin Lorraine   Phenomenology as a philosophical movement was founded by Edmund Husserl. René Descartes, Immanuel Kant and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel are important precursors to this movement that insists upon returning to the things… …   The Deleuze dictionary

  • phenomenology —    by Tamsin Lorraine   Phenomenology as a philosophical movement was founded by Edmund Husserl. René Descartes, Immanuel Kant and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel are important precursors to this movement that insists upon returning to the things… …   The Deleuze dictionary

  • phenomenology — A term that emerged in the 18th century, in the writings of Johann Heinrich Lambert (1728–77) and Kant, to denote the description of consciousness and experience in abstraction from consideration of its intentional content (see intentionality ).… …   Philosophy dictionary

  • bracketing — Term used by Husserl to describe the process of thinking away the natural interpretation of an experience in order to concentrate on its intrinsic nature or phenomenology. Also known as epochē …   Philosophy dictionary

  • bracketing — See phenomenology …   Dictionary of sociology

  • religion, study of — Introduction       attempt to understand the various aspects of religion, especially through the use of other intellectual disciplines.       The history of mankind has shown the pervasive influences of religion, and thus the study of religion,… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”