Structure phenomenology : preconscious formation in the epistemic disclosure of reality

"This is the first English translation of Herbert Witzenmann's seminal work, Strukturphänomenologie, which departs from the traditional phenomenological methods of Husserl, Sartre, and Merleau-Ponty to introduce a fresh approach to the nexus of consciousness and reality. In Structure Phenomenology, published open access, Witzenmann argues for the active mental, yet mostly pre-reflective, participation of humans in the emergence of individual consciousness of all kinds and the basic structure that determines it. While Witzenmann ascribes a derivative or memorative status to habitual states of phenomenal consciousness, even if they seem to refer to present objectivity, he proposes that the underlying formative processes be unveiled and explored through systematic first-person observation. Through his logically grounded and experience-based approach, he contends that it is not neural processes that produce consciousness, but rather one's own preconscious rootedness in reality which can be made conscious. Influenced by the writings of Rudolf Steiner and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Witzenmann's innovative approach casts new light on a number of philosophical, psychological, and scientific issues: from being and becoming to temporality and presence, and from remembering to mind and body. Even freedom takes on a new meaning when reality is not pre-given to human consciousness, but is rather a result of human participation in the basic process. This annotated translation makes Witzenmann's text accessible to an English audience for the first time and, with a comprehensive editorial introduction by Johannes Wagemann, situates his ground-breaking insights within the development of phenomenology, as well as in current philosophical and psychological debates"-- Provided by publisher "This open access book is the first English translation of Herbert Witzenmann's seminal work, Strukturphänomenologie, which departs from the traditional phenomenological methods of Husserl, Sartre, and Merleau-Ponty to introduce a fresh approach to the nexus of consciousness and reality. In Structure Phenomenology, Witzenmann argues for the active mental participation of humans in the emergence of everyday consciousness of all kinds. Whilst many philosophers advocating the notion of pre-reflective consciousness claim that habitual states of phenomenal consciousness must be ascribed a derivative or memorative status, even if they seem to refer to present objectivity, Witzenmann proposes an alternative first-person methodology. Through his logically grounded and experience-based approach, he contends that it is not neural processes that produce consciousness, but rather one's own preconscious rootedness in reality which can be made conscious. Influenced by the writings of Rudolf Steiner and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Witzenmann's innovative approach casts new light on a number of philosophical, psychological, and scientific issues: from being and becoming to temporality and presence, and mind and body. Even freedom takes on a new meaning when reality is not pre-given to human consciousness, but is rather a result of human participation in the basic process. This annotated translation makes Witzenmann's text accessible to an English audience for the first time and, with a comprehensive editorial introduction by Johannes Wagemann, situates his ground-breaking insights within the development of phenomenology"-- Provided by publisher Cover Contents List of Figures Editorial Foreword and Acknowledgments Editorial Introduction to Structure Phenomenology 1. Biographical Notes 2. The Role of Introspection 3. Intentionality and the Basic Structure 4. The Deposited Memory Layer 5. Reality Access and Ontological Stratification 6. Critical Remarks 7. Reception and Further Development of Witzenmann’s Structure Phenomenology Structure Phenomenology Foreword Introduction: Demarcation and Structure 1 The Basic Structure 1.1 Mistaken Conceptions of the Relation between Consciousness and Object 1.2 The Basic Structure in the Light of Rudolf Steiner’s Epistemology 1.3 Explanatory Remarks 2 The Crucial Difficulty. The Problem of Generation 3 The Proposed Solution 3.1 Thinking Act and Thought Content (Evidence) 3.2 Further Elucidation on This Approach to a Solution 3.3 Formation of Reality and Beings 3.4 The Sub-temporal and Super-temporal 3.5 Thinking Act and Self-consciousness (the “I”). The Concept of Observation 3.6 The Solution to the Problem of Memory 3.7 The Deposited Memory Layer. The Concept of Objectivity. The Gaze behind the Veil 3.8 The Concept of Presence 3.9 Structural and Functional Remembering 3.10 The Paradox of Self-giving. The Self-forgetfulness of Supposing 3.11 Results of the Structure-Phenomenological Exploration of the Contents of Consciousness 4 The Significance of Structure Phenomenology Advice for the Reader Bibliography Index