Introduction to Phenomenology

This book presents the major philosophical doctrines of phenomenology in a clear, lively style with an abundance of examples. The book examines such phenomena as perception, pictures, imagination, memory, language, and reference, and shows how human thinking arises from experience. It also studies personal identity as established through time and discusses the nature of philosophy. In addition to providing a new interpretation of the correspondence theory of truth, the author also explains how phenomenology differs from both modern and postmodern forms of thinking.

• A concise, clearly written introduction to a major philosophical theory • Much more accessible than competing volumes • Broad range of potential interest outside philosophy, especially in literary theory and religious studies

Contents

Introduction; 1. What is intentionality and why is it important?; 2. Perception of a cube as a paradigm of conscious experience; 3. Three formal structures in phenomenology; 4. An initial statement of what phenomenology is; 5. Perception, memory, and imagination; 6. Words, pictures, and symbols; 7. Categorical intentions and objects; 8. Phenomenology of the self; 9. Temporality; 10. The life-world and intersubjectivity; 11. Reason, truth, and evidence; 12. Eidetic intuition; 13. Phenomenology defined; 14. Phenomenology in the present historical context; Appendix: phenomenology in the last one hundred years; Select bibliography.

Reviews

‘Both in tone and content it is an eminently successful introduction to phenomenology. It offers rich and illuminating insights both for the first-time reader and for the long-term scholar. This is the introduction to phenomenology that many of us have been waiting for.’

– Richard Cobb-Stevens, Boston College

‘Sokolowski takes the reader through all the main concepts of phenomenology such as intentionality, temporality, evidence, intuition, and lifeworld, and touches upon certain important structures that phenomenology discovers. You cannot possibly have a simpler, more straightforward, and yet completely dependable exposition.’

– J. N. Mohanty, Emory University