Embodiment and Self-Awareness – Evans, Cassam and Husserl

Philosophy ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 93 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-51
Author(s):  
Lilian Alweiss
Keyword(s):  
Edmund Husserl ◽  
Physical Object ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Main Claim ◽  
Gareth Evans ◽  
The World ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Physical Features ◽  
Knowledge Claims

AbstractIn recent years there has been a general attempt – inspired by P. F. Strawson – to naturalise Kant's notion of the transcendental self. The argument being that self-consciousness should refer to neither a kind of noumenal nor mental self but that the self-conscious subject must conceive of itself as an embodied entity, a person among persons that regards itself as an element of the objective order of the world. While Kant does not make room for the notion of an embodied transcendental self, this is where we need to go as our bodily awareness is central both for self-knowledge and the possibility of cognition and thus a transcendental condition for knowledge claims. In this paper I should like to single out Quassim Cassam's work Self and World to see whether such a position is tenable. Cassam's main claim is that we can only become aware of ourselves as subjects if we are at the very same time aware of ourselves as objects located in the spatio-temporal world. We could not be self-conscious and ascribe experiences to ourselves unless we are also aware of ourselves as a physical object among other physical objects in the world. The central claim is that when we self-refer we do not refer to two distinct entities, one possessing only mental, and the other possessing only physical features, rather we refer to a subject that is both mental and physical at the very same time. Awareness of ourselves qua subject is just awareness of ourselves qua object. This paper will focus on this claim alone and will ask whether it is tenable. The answer will be negative. Drawing on the work of Edmund Husserl, I shall argue that there is an inherent flaw in Cassam's position which he has inherited from Gareth Evans’ depiction of the self. The contention will be that our awareness of ourselves qua subject is not compatible with the awareness of ourselves qua object.

Consciousness, phenomenology of

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanne Jacobs
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Philosophy Of Mind ◽  
Edmund Husserl ◽  
Structural Features ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Contemporary Philosophy ◽  
Natural Event ◽  
Jean Paul ◽  
The World ◽  
Phenomenological Account

Phenomenology is an approach to consciousness that originates at the beginning of the twentieth century in the work of Edmund Husserl. A phenomenological account of consciousness begins from a first-person reflection on consciousness that puts out of play our everyday or natural-scientific preconceptions about consciousness and the world and describes the structural features of our consciousness of the world. This project is carried on in the phenomenological works of authors such as Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty, albeit with sometimes quite different emphases and aims. Insofar as phenomenology describes the structures of consciousness by virtue of which there is a world for us, phenomenology is a form of transcendental philosophy. Specifically, phenomenologists describe how the structures of intentionality, self-awareness, temporality, attention, embodiment, and intersubjectivity make possible our consciousness of worldly things, situations, and events. According to them, the world is not just an objective nature comprised of spatiotemporally extended and causally connected things; it is also always an intersubjectively accessible world that is shot through with values and organized in light of practical projects, due to which the world appears with a significance that is variable across time and space. Husserl maintains that phenomenological descriptions of the essential structures of consciousness that make possible the experience and knowledge of the world—that is, of transcendental consciousness—can also be taken as psychological descriptions of consciousness conceived as a natural event in the world. In this way, a number of contemporary philosophers draw on specific descriptive insights from the phenomenological tradition to address issues in contemporary philosophy of mind and drive the empirical investigation of consciousness forward (such as Gallagher and Schmicking 2010; Dahlstrom et al. 2015; Petitot et al. 1999; Thompson 2007; Zahavi and Gallagher 2012; Zahavi 2012). Alternatively, both Sartre and Merleau-Ponty explicitly draw on insights from psychology and psychopathology to inform their phenomenology of consciousness, which is a strategy that has also been employed by some contemporary phenomenologists (see Zahavi 2000).

scholarly journals The Embodied Self and the Paradox of Subjectivity

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph Durt
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
Phenomenological Reduction ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Natural Attitude ◽  
New Approach ◽  
General Thesis ◽  
The World ◽  
Embodied Self ◽  
Ordinary Consciousness

Abstract While it seems obvious that the embodied self is both a subject of experience and an object in the world, it is not clear how, or even whether, both of these senses of self can refer to the same self. According to Husserl, the relation between these two senses of self is beset by the “paradox of human subjectivity.” Following Husserl’s lead, scholars have attempted to resolve the paradox of subjectivity. This paper categorizes the different formulations of the paradox according to the dimension each pertains to and considers the prospects of each proposed resolution. It will be shown that, contrary to the claims of the respective authors, their attempted resolutions do not really resolve the paradox, but instead rephrase it or push it to the next dimension. This suggests that there is something deeper at work than a mere misunderstanding. This paper does not aim to resolve the paradox but instead initiates a new approach to it. Instead of seeing the paradox as a misapprehension that needs to be removed, I dig deeper to reveal its roots in ordinary consciousness. Investigating the proposed resolutions will reveal the fundamental role of the natural attitude, and I will argue that already the general thesis of the natural attitude makes the decisive cut that leads to what Sartre calls a “fissure” in pre-reflective self-awareness. The phenomenological reduction deepens the cut into what Husserl calls the “split of the self,” which in turn engenders the paradox of subjectivity. The paradox’s roots in the structure of ordinary consciousness not only constitute a reason for its persistence, but also suggest a new way to further investigate the embodied self.

scholarly journals MEMBANGUN KONSEP DIRI BAGI ANAK BERKEBUTUHAN KHUSUS

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 45
Author(s):  
Fatma Laili Khoirin Nida
Keyword(s):  
Frame Of Reference ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Concept ◽  
Educational Services ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Psychological Conditions ◽  
Self Image ◽  
Individual Personality ◽  
The World ◽  
Self Actualization

<p>One of the most psychic elements plays a role in the development<br />of individual personality is the self concept, which is an overall self-concept<br />self image that includes a person’s perception of himself, feelings, beliefs,<br />and values associated with him. The self concept is an important aspect in a<br />person, in which the self concept is a frame of reference to interact with the<br />environment. When people perceive themselves, give meaning and shape<br />abstraction assessment of him means he showed self-awareness and the ability<br />to get out of myself to see him as he did to the world outside himself.<br />The process of development of self-concept often experience problems when<br />should collide with the physical and psychological conditions that do not<br />support. This is as it occurs in the disability children. Barriers that often arise<br />in the process of development for disability children often result in low quality<br />of their self-concept. Negative self-concept in disability children are often<br />influenced by various factors such as the refusal of parents, teachers, friends<br />and society. Then the required education and put more stress on approaches<br />that are emotional in educational services for disability children that can be<br />played by educators, psychologists, and community that contribute to the<br />formation of a positive self-concept. The success of disability children in the<br />form of positive self concept will bring opportunities for disability children to<br />be more independent and confident that they are capable of self-actualization<br />is better in their lives.</p>

The Self-Awareness of the Mind: Phenomenal World and the Mind Beyond

Diogenes ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 62 (2) ◽  
pp. 16-25
Author(s):  
Ja-Kyoung Han
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Phenomenal World ◽  
Person Perspective ◽  
The World ◽  
Third Person ◽  
Third Person Perspective ◽  
The Mind ◽  
The Third Person ◽  
Conceptual Language

What we regard as real are the objects of the phenomenal world which we perceive. We regard those that we see objectively, as in the third person perspective, as real. What then is the mind that perceives the world? Is it possible for us to realize the very mind that perceives the world? This article discusses the existence of the world perceived by the mind in order to deal with the existence of the mind which perceives the world and the knowability of the mind. Phenomenal world is a perceptual world which is a fictitious world constructed by our conceptual language system. And the base of the fictitious phenomenal world, the object itself, is emptiness. The emptiness is the emptiness of the mind that perceives and constructs the world. Thus, the awareness of the emptiness of the world is the self-awareness of the mind. Since the emptiness of my mind is the same emptiness of all other beings, the mind is the capacity to sympathize with the whole world, the universal mind, One-mind. Every man is aware of oneself as One-mind. “Gong-juk-young-ji” or the “original enlightenment” of Buddhism is the self-awareness of the mind as emptiness.

scholarly journals Ongkara Pranava Sebuah Konsep Ritual Dalam Diri

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 275-287
Author(s):  
Ni Made Evi Kurnia Dewi
Keyword(s):  
The Self ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Human Consciousness ◽  
Literature Study ◽  
Tidal Waves ◽  
Human Thought ◽  
The World ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive ◽  
Data Collection Technique ◽  
Descriptive Method

This paper contains about Ongkara Pranava, the concept of ritual within the self. Ongkara Pranava is a sacred mantra that many Hindus chant in the archipelago, and even in the world. Another name for Ongkara is Pranava, which means "born of prana". Prana is another name for breath, more precisely, breath is the grossest aspect of prana, every breath that enters and leaves through human breathing is Ongkara. The human body is Ongkara. Breathing is an activity to cultivate the noble qualities within, to grow the Supreme consciousness and to become Consciousness itself. Accustomed to managing and practicing mindfulness through Ongkara meditation, the mantra itself can act as a map and at the same time a vehicle to run the boat of human self-awareness from the swift and complex currents of human thought, crossing the tidal waves originating from the currents of our own thoughts to improve quality. self and lead human consciousness to the Supreme consciousness. Ongkara Pranava, the concept of ritual within is studied using a qualitative descriptive method, the data collection technique used is a document study or literature study, then the data that has been collected will be analyzed descriptively qualitatively to obtain related conclusions about Ongkara Pranava, the concept of ritual within. Keywords: Ongkara Pranava, Mantra

scholarly journals The Exemplary Life of Dimitrios Vikelas (1835-1908)

2007 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 7
Author(s):  
Michael Llewellyn Smith
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Public Life ◽  
The Self ◽  
Late Nineteenth Century ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
The Public ◽  
The World ◽  
Life Journey ◽  
Late Nineteenth ◽  
Education Culture

<p>This paper describes the "satisfying curve" of Dimitrios Vikelas' life journey, starting from Syros in 1835, moving via Constantinople, Odessa, and Syros again, to London, Paris and finally Athens. It explores Vikelas' multiple aspects, as merchant, writer, traveller, lecturer and essayist, Olympic founder, educationalist, book collector and philanthropist, all of which were united in the public-spirited man of letters (<em>logios</em>). It sets Vikelas in the context of the Greek commercial diaspora, the world of the London expatriate Greek community, and the dynamic society of late nineteenth-century Athens, beginning in the 1870s to act as a magnet to Greek expatriates. The author stresses two qualities of Vikelas: his belief in the idea of a progressive Greek state marked by advances in education, culture, tourism and standards of public life; and the self-awareness and experience which inform his autobiographical writings, not only his memoir <em>My Life</em> but also his last such work, <em>The War of 1897</em>.</p>

The Heritage of Ibn Sīnā’s Concept of the Self

2021 ◽  
pp. 55-72
Author(s):  
Jari Kaukua
Keyword(s):  
Middle Ages ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Main Claim

This contribution discusses Ibn Sīnā’s (the Latin Avicenna, d. 1037 CE) introduction of a new concept of self-awareness by looking at four of the most important arguments related to it. The main claim is that we can reconstruct a plausible concept of self-awareness underlying all of these arguments. The contribution also addresses briefly some of the most important phases in the reception of Ibn Sīnā’s new concept in both the Latin and the Arabic Middle Ages.

scholarly journals Just One? Solo Dining, Gender and Temporal Belonging in Public Spaces

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 176-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kinneret Lahad ◽  
Vanessa May
Keyword(s):  
Public Space ◽  
Social Environment ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
The Self ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
The World ◽  
Eating Out ◽  
Spatio Temporal

In recent years, various lifestyle websites have offered tips on eating out alone as well as lists of the best restaurants for solo dining in major cities of the world. Utilising the theoretical concepts of participation units, territories of the self (Goffman 1972[1971]) and belonging (May 2011, 2013), this paper explores the challenges that spatio-temporal conventions pose for women solo diners in particular. Through the lens of solo dining, we explore being alone and belonging in shared public spaces, and the gendered nature of aloneness and respectability. The paper contributes to existing theory by examining the influence that time has on a woman solo diner's ‘single’ participation unit, her ability to lay claim to public space and her relationship with the surrounding social environment. The paper concludes by exploring what the new trend of solo dining can offer and the consequences this has for how sociologists conceptualise sociality in public spaces.

scholarly journals Two Ways of Living through Postpartum Depression

2011 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 174-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Idun Røseth ◽  
Per-Einar Binder ◽  
Ulrik Fredrik Malt
Keyword(s):  
Major Depression ◽  
Postpartum Depression ◽  
Phenomenological Study ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Phenomenological Method ◽  
Heavy Body ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
Meaning Structure

Abstract Our aim with this descriptive phenomenological study was to identify and describe the essential meaning structure in the experience of postpartum depression (PPD). We interviewed four women diagnosed with major depression and analyzed the data with Giorgi’s descriptive phenomenological method. Our analysis revealed two essential meaning structures of PPD. The first structure describes the mother as thrown into a looming, dangerous world, coupled with a restricted, heavy body that hindered her attunement to her baby. Tormented by anxiety, guilt and shame, she tried to deal with her pain by analytical reflection and social isolation. The second structure describes sudden lapses into intense feelings of alienation from the self, the baby, and from the social and material world. With a distorted primordial self-awareness, the mother no longer felt that she existed as herself in the world. We reflect on these findings using the insights of Fuchs, Van den Berg, Heidegger and Merleau-Ponty.

Practioner Reflection That Enhances Interprofessional Collaborative Practices for Serving Children Who Are Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (9) ◽  
pp. 3-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina M. Blaiser ◽  
Mary Ellen Nevins
Keyword(s):  
Young Children ◽  
Professional Practice ◽  
Hard Of Hearing ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Interprofessional Collaboration ◽  
The Self ◽  
Self Awareness ◽  
Collaborative Practices ◽  
Interprofessional Teams ◽  
Client Care

Interprofessional collaboration is essential to maximize outcomes of young children who are Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing (DHH). Speech-language pathologists, audiologists, educators, developmental therapists, and parents need to work together to ensure the child's hearing technology is fit appropriately to maximize performance in the various communication settings the child encounters. However, although interprofessional collaboration is a key concept in communication sciences and disorders, there is often a disconnect between what is regarded as best professional practice and the self-work needed to put true collaboration into practice. This paper offers practical tools, processes, and suggestions for service providers related to the self-awareness that is often required (yet seldom acknowledged) to create interprofessional teams with the dispositions and behaviors that enhance patient/client care.

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