Customer Reviews

Introduction to Phenomenology

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Perhaps the most important philosophical movement in the 20th century, phenomenology is also one of the more abstruse and varied disciplines in philosophy. Indeed, it would be quite difficult to give a definitive description of what phenomenology is, as defined by the multifarious practitioners, and an onerous task of sifting through the thousands of pages of primary texts. Moreoever, as I can attest, encountering a phenomenological text for the first time is a daunting experience, like trying to navigate through a large city without a map or guide. While there are several good introductory texts on phenomenology in general (Moran's for example), and many texts discussing the many phenomenologists, Sokolowski has graciously and generously given us a very general and useful introduction to the basic structures of phenomenology as a method. To this extent, Sokolowski's book is strongly Husserlian and, in some aspects, echoes in simplistic terms his very good 1974 book, Husserlian Meditations. This, however, is not to be taken as a deficit. To the contrary, Husserl is the recognized father of phenomenology, and also a writer of terse and often impenetrable verse. Thus, it behooves anyone wishing to begin to study phenomenology to get the gist first before delving into the more difficult texts.

What Sokolowski has done for us is to simply explain phenomenology in much the same way one would explain their hobby or a good book they have read. That is to say that it is casual and clear, and very helpful and informative, without an excess of jargon or unnecessary info. However, Sokolowski does go through pains to clarify and define the terminology implcit in phenomenology, e.g., terms such as noetic, noema, parts, wholes, eidetic intuition, etc.

I cannot agree with one of the reviewers below, who claims that an introduction to phenomenology ought to be historical. For as much as phenomenology evolved since Husserl, it is indeed important to see it in such an historical context, however, when considering phenomenology simply as a method one does not need to know how it was transformed by Heidegger or Sartre. Further, I cannot help but feel comparison to Dermot Moran's sweeping and powerful Introduction to Phenomenology to be misguided; in either case the intentions are different. Besides, Sokolowski does mention the variations of phenomenology over the past century. All the same, the province of Sokolowski's book is an attempt to help us understand HOW TO DO PHENOMENOLOGY, as opposed to other aspects of phenomenolgy such as its history and context.

This book describes the human experience of phenomenology in a natural language without assuming a previous knowledge of the relevant philosophers or concepts. It easily guides the reader into the subject and invites her/him to participate in this human experience by exposing it as relevant to the natural daily life. By this participation some important concepts are developed and made clear much more than may be attained by rote memorizing without a suitable context. However, the historical development of the phenomenological movement and its main figures are only mentionted in a brief sketchy way at the end of the book. Therefore this book is more like a good "appetizer" to studying the subject rather than standing, by itself, as a main "meal".

Introduction to Phenomenology does a fine job of getting you started in phenomenology. It meticulously specifies the key themes (parts and wholes, identity in manifolds, absence and presence) and then carefully leads you through them. The fundamental, difficult-to-grasp ideas of intentionality, epoche and time consciousness are treated thoroughly and at an introductory level. The book follows a practice common in good math texts of returning again and again to the main themes, each time armed with more powerful tools.

As a rule, I never read just one introduction to any topic. No matter how good your first choice is, you need a separate perspective. In this case I recommend Natanson's Edmund Husserl: Philosopher of Infinite Tasks. The two books are complementary. Natanson's book is rich and inspirational, but Sokolowski's book is a better introduction. Introduction to Phenomenology is also motivational; it extols the benefits of phenomenology while noting it does not conflict with the objective body of science.

I keep rereading Introduction to Phenomenology and finding fresh insights. But the goal for me was to move on and read Husserl, in the excellent translations found, for example, in Donn Welton's The Essential Husserl. It is in Husserl's work that you find the mother lode of phenomenology. After mastering his vocabulary (via Sokolowski), you discover that Husserl writes carefully, methodically and clearly. At some point, you will even find Husserl easier to follow than most interpretive texts. So read Introduction to Phenomenology as the best first step in understanding phenomenology.

Side note: I personally `discovered' phenomenology in Gian-Carlo Rota's Indiscrete Thoughts and in Sokolowski's Foreword to that book. Thank you for that, Professor Sokolowski.

As Cal Schrag notes in a fantastic litte essay called "The Recovery of the Phenomenological Subject": "In 1945 Maurice Merleau-Ponty began the preface to his classic work Phenomenologie de la perception, with the observation that the reader might find it odd that the question What is phenomenology? still needs to be answered one-half a century after the first writings of Edmund Husserl. The fact however remains, wrote Mereleau-Ponty, that this question still awaits an answer. Some fifty years after the publication of Merleau-Ponty's seminal work on perception we are still asking the question What is phenomenology?"

I do not hesitate (well, maybe a little) to reply that reading this excellent book by Sokolowski will certainly put the beginner on the path to answering this difficult question. Perhaps it answers best What is Husserlian phenomenology? but what better place to begin the journey than at the beginning. This is certainly not a scholarly text. You will not find footnotes at the bottom of every page. You won't even get citations to Husserl's texts. And you certainly won't find anything like a ten-page analysis of the words "phenomenon" and "logos" as encountered at the outset of Heidegger's Being and Time. But it's not supposed to be a critical scholarly text, it is just what it says: an introduction to phenomenology.

I think this text will be especially beneficial to readers who are familiar with philosophy but who stand outside the continental tradition - e.g. analytic philosophers. Also, those who already understand Husserl (or think they do) will find this book a fantastic read as well. Don't think that just because it is an introduction that it is beneath you. I think you will be suprised (and perhaps encouraged) by the ability of Sokolowski to state so clearly an answer to the question What is phenomenology?

This is an excellent introduction to phenomenology. While the history of phenomenology is fascinating and rewards serious study, this book, unlike others, cuts through the differences between phenomenological thinkers to the 'meat and bones' of the approach and presents the basic methods of phenomenological analysis in a clear and penetrating fashion. I found it thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening. Anyone interested in philosophy would do well to sit down with this book for a few hours. It could very well change the way you look at the world and the way you approach philosophical problems (for the better!). Highly recommended.

The phenomenological tradition, an oft used misnomer for "Continental Philosophy," diverges from Analytic philosophy in dramatic ways. One commentator stated, possibly disparagingly, that the Analytic side is all about problems while the Continental side is all about proper names. Regardless of that statement's veracity (both traditions seem equally addicted to eminent names), newcomers to phenomenology, or even to the Continental tradition altogether, will find the fibers of this book almost unsullied by proper names. In near defiance to the stereotype above, it seems populated with problems. For many of these it even suggests solutions. Though phenomenology comprises only part of the entire Continental lineage, it nonetheless played a massive role in that tradition's development. Heidegger and Sartre, names known everywhere, founded their thought in phenomenology and simultaneously expanded its influence and scope. Anyone desiring to understand either major figure's thought should ground themselves in the concepts, terminology, and approach of this introduction.

Human experience provides the basis for phenomenology. No matter how "elevated" the cognition, in phenomenology our shared human faculties provide the foundation. In stark contrast to Cartesian, Humean, and Hobbesian conceptions, phenomenology puts full trust in our sensory experiences. This idea gets emphasized and reemphasized throughout the book. Not only that, most concepts receive illumination through repetition and other literary devices. This elucidates the subject matter to an exponential degree as well as moistening up what could have been a very dry read. It proves that the experience of reading about experience can entertain.

Intentionality, the first chapter's subject, provides a good starting block for phenomenology. This concept connects our consciousness to the world. It essentially means that consciousness is consciousness "of" something. We're connected to the thing experienced, and our experiences make up a part of that thing's being. Our beings criss-cross and validate each other. The implications of this get discussed in great detail. Following this, the discussion explodes into phenomenology's three crucial structures: Parts and Wholes, Identity in Manifolds, and Presence in Absence. These three found the remaining discussions, from the Natural versus the Phenomenological Attitude, Categorial Intentionality, ego consciousness, and temporality, to the lifeworld, evidence, Eidetic Intuition, and intersubjectivity. Later chapters build on early ones. The whole edifice comes together in the final chapters. In true fashion, the parts found and construct the whole. Though not everything attains lucidity. The almost mystical notion of "Internal Time Consciousness" apparently requires more discussion than this book allows. Regardless, everything comes back to intentionality and the three basic structures.

Although the discussion evades proper names for the most part, an appendix provides a short history of the field from Husserl to the present. The book in general follows Husserlian terminology. Overall, the unorthodox approach taken here fits well with the subject matter. Phenomenology is something that people can actually perform. Some consider it a science. In places, the discussion even attempts to expand natural sciences to a new level based on human experience. It even suggests in one place that modern indeterminancy in science originates from science's disinterest in the variation of human experience. Obviously not everyone will find the arguments, or even phenomenology itself, convincing. But as a reaction to "mind in a box" epistemology it at least provides a refreshing new perspective. It also puts the human being in the world fully connected. We are reality, reality is us. Anyone who wants insight into one of Continental philosophy's most influential movements should read this book cover to cover and repeat.

This is the perfect book for anybody,who has no deep philosophical background,to understand the fundamentals of the Phenomenological movement.
Together with D.Moran's Introduction,open the fascinating intellectual pathway to Phenomenology.

I came to this book hoping to find an overview of phenomenology that wouldn't tax my middle-aged brain with dense prose or obscure jargon. It met my expectations fully. The writing is clear and graceful; phenomenology is related to broader cultural concerns (such as the rise of mathematized science); and the narrative tackles simple issues (such as perception and memory) before moving on to tough ones (such as temporality and language). Throughout, the "natural attitude" (our experience of the world) is contrasted with the "phenomenological attitude" (our reflection on the natural attitude). The book has whet my appetite for sampling the phenomenology canon.

I gave the book only four stars because Sokolowski doesn't really engage with rival philosophical projects, especially analytic philosophy. To be fair, he does draw distinctions between phenomenology and analytical approaches to human experience; in particular, he rejects any suggestion that internal mental entities mediate our experience of the world. Unfortunately, he rarely grapples with analytic arguments in detail.

Maybe it's unfair to expect this in an introductory work. However, given phenomenology's minority status in academia, most readers will have an analytic background. Sokowlowski needed to show them, with explicit arguments, why phenomenology gives a superior account of our experience. He rarely rose to this challenge. But with that caveat, I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in modern philosophy.

Sokolowski's work is the perfect point of entry into a complex school of thought. Although written primarily from a Husserlian perspective, it will inspire the neophyte to pursue phenomenology in its fullness. The reader will close the final page of this book eager to see the world in a new light.

I have had the opportunity of having Dr. Sokolowski as a professor and this book is as clear and concise as his lectures. He is just as interested making sure you understand what he is saying as he is in the subject itself. That is a rare thing nowadays when people tend to be more interested in being heard rather than being understood.