PHENOMENOLOGICAL INSIGHTS INTO OBJECT ORIENTED ONTOLOGY Thesis Advisor

95 Pages·2017·1.22 MB·English

HOWDYSHELL, STANFORD, M.A. 2018 PHILOSOPHY
ON ESSENCES: PHENOMENOLOGICAL INSIGHTS INTO OBJECT ORIENTED ONTOLOGY
Thesis Advisor: Gina Zavota

Object Oriented Ontology (OOO), as developed by Graham Harman, draws on many of the insights
developed in the research programs of phenomenology, systems theory, active network theory, and
Deleuzian ontology. From the phenomenological tradition, Husserl's theory of intentional objects and
Heidegger's tool analysis have been central to the development of OOO. Discussion on essences has
been, for the most part, neglected by the philosophers of OOO. While maintaining that OOO is a
metaphysical system which includes essences, they have been content to either leave the question of
essence to the phenomenologists or to neglect them altogether. This is a problem because OOO allows
for objects to change while retaining their identity, but lacks a firm theory of identity conditions. In this
thesis I will investigate this shortcoming of OOO and apply the positive insights from Edmund Husserl’s
and Martin Heidegger’s philosophies of essence to OOO. This investigation will result in a theory of
essence that integrates the phenomenologist’s philosophies of essence into OOO.
ON ESSENCES: PHENOMENOLOGICAL INSIGHTS INTO OBJECT ORIENTED ONTOLOGY

A thesis submitted
To Kent State University in partial
Fulfilment of the requirements for the
Degree of Master of Arts

By

Stanford Howdyshell

May, 2018
 Copyright
All rights reserved
Except for previously published materials
Thesis Written By
Stanford Howdyshell
B.S., the University of Akron, 2016
M.A., Kent State University, 2018

Approved by
Gina Zavota___________________________, Advisor

Deborah Barnbaum____________________, Chair, Department of Philosophy

James L. Blank_________________________, Dean, College of Arts and Sciences
Table of Contents
Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................................ iv
Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................................................... vi
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 1
Chapter 1: Object Oriented Ontology .......................................................................................................... 5
What is an Object? ................................................................................................................................... 5
Causation .................................................................................................................................................. 9
The Structure of Objects ........................................................................................................................ 14
An Object’s Environment and World ..................................................................................................... 18
Role of the Environment ........................................................................................................................ 20
The Epistemic/Ontological Division ....................................................................................................... 21
Identity and Change: A Question of Essences ....................................................................................... 24
Graham Harman’s Account of Essence .................................................................................................. 25
Chapter 2: Edmund Husserl’s Phenomenology ......................................................................................... 31
Introduction to Husserl’s Phenomenology ............................................................................................ 31
A Science of Essence ............................................................................................................................... 37
The Essence of an Object ....................................................................................................................... 44
Insights from Husserl .............................................................................................................................. 45
Compatibility Problems for Husserl and OOO ....................................................................................... 47
Chapter 3: Martin Heidegger and the Essence of Being ........................................................................... 50
Why are there Beings instead of Nothing? ........................................................................................... 50
The Essence of Being .............................................................................................................................. 53
Phusis ...................................................................................................................................................... 56
Alētheia ................................................................................................................................................... 60
Violence .................................................................................................................................................. 62
Compatibility Problems for Heidegger and OOO .................................................................................. 63
Insights from Heidegger ......................................................................................................................... 64
Chapter 4: A New Theory of Essence ......................................................................................................... 66
No Ontological Priority ........................................................................................................................... 66
iv
The Essences of Objects ......................................................................................................................... 69
Discerning Essences ................................................................................................................................ 77
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................. 85
References .................................................................................................................................................. 88

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Acknowledgements
I would first like to thank Dr. Gina Zavota of the Philosophy Department at Kent State University.
Her comments on the content of this thesis and her advice on the process of writing it were invaluable.
She regularly made time to meet with me, which not only improved my writing and philosophical
understanding, but also helped me work through my own ideas and provided a structure to the project,
which was indispensable.
I would also like to thank my thesis committee: Dr. Michael Byron and Dr. Andreea Smaranda
Aldea of the Philosophy Department at Kent State University and Dr. Kevin Floyd of the Department of
English at Kent State University for their comments and advice.

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Introduction
Object Oriented Ontology (OOO), which has been developed primarily by Graham Harman and
Levi Bryant, is a flat ontology, meaning that all objects have the same ontological status. No one object
or type of objects serves as a ground for the other objects or as a fundamental level of being from which
all other objects are derived. Objects also exist over time, maintaining their identity through shifting
causal relationships with other objects and while undergoing changes themselves. The combination of
the flat ontology and the continuing identities of objects implies essences that are both internal and
particular to individual objects. Outside of acknowledging the necessity of essences to OOO, little has
been said on the subject. Graham Harman addresses them briefly, but fails to provide a concrete
account of essences.
The failure to account for a theory of essences within Object Oriented Ontology leaves a
recurring theme within the ontology unexplored. OOO assumes and often relies on an object
maintaining its identity as an object through time and while undergoing change, but without a robust
theory of essences, it is not able to account for the nature of this identity. Accounting for essences
provides an explanation for the continual existence of objects and the terms of their coming into
existence and ceasing to exist, as well as providing further insight into the structures of objects and how
they exist in and interact with other objects.
Some philosophers of OOO, such as Graham Harman (2005, p. 253-256) and Ian Bogost (2012, p.
30), express the desire to move beyond abstract theory and begin to use OOO to investigate objects
themselves. They wish to apply their ontology in order to have a better understanding of objects in the
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world and of how the objects interact with one another. The scope of the exploration of objects is
limited without a theory of essences. Without a theory of essences, a philosopher would not be able to
distinguish which aspects of the object are fundamental to its being and which are accidental, would
have trouble distinguishing the point at which the object comes to be or ceases to exist, and would have
trouble figuring out what changes an object could or could not endure. The development of a theory of
essences within OOO thus would allow for more successful and more in depth investigations into the
nature of objects.
In developing OOO, Graham Harman drew on the philosophies of Edmund Husserl and Martin
Heidegger extensively. OOO, in many ways, resembles Heidegger’s ontology, particularly in regards to
the presentation and withdraw of beings. It has also been influenced by Husserl’s understanding of
intentional objects, and Harman has modified and adjusted the concept to extend beyond objects of
consciousness to objects in general. In this thesis I will seek to develop an account of essences drawing
on these two philosophers, using Husserl’s and Heidegger’s philosophies to further shape and develop
OOO. Due to the similarities in their ontologies, I will use Heidegger’s philosophy to provide an
ontological framework for essences. I will then use Husserl’s philosophy to develop a way for people, or
other objects with consciousness, to make inferences about the particular essences of objects.
While influenced by the phenomenological tradition, Object Oriented Ontology is a radical
departure from that tradition. Though OOO is distinct from, and often times hostile to, phenomenology,
there are still some strong resemblances, which allows for OOO to incorporate phenomenological
insights. Apart from the previously mentioned influences of Heidegger’s sense of presentation and
withdraw, Heidegger’s ontology and OOO share a commitment to the universality of Being. Heidegger
explores this universality through his conceptions of phusis and alētheia, which can serve to shed light
on OOO due to the similar commitments of Heidegger and OOO.
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Husserl’s phenomenology works with the structure of consciousness and studies the
experiences of consciousness. Within the framework of OOO, consciousness would be an object, and
more importantly, the type of object that is engaging in philosophy. Husserl’s phenomenology can be
incorporated into OOO as the study of the conscious object, which can then serve as a starting point for
the investigation of other objects. Since interactions between objects are limited by their structures,
the structure of consciousness dictates how a conscious object interacts with other objects and how the
conscious object can come to know about other objects. Thus the phenomenology of Husserl can
provide a starting point for an investigation into the essences of objects.
The first chapter will be an explication of OOO. It will explain the basic concepts of the ontology,
including the structures of objects, causation, and the relationship between an object and its
environment. This will lead to a discussion of essences, which must be internal to the object and which
determine the life of the object, when the object comes into being and ceases to be, as well as how the
object interacts with other objects. The chapter will end with an investigation of Graham Harman’s
account of essences and its shortcomings in giving a robust theory of essences.
In chapter two I will discuss Husserl’s phenomenology. Drawing from Ideas I, I will explicate the
basic structure of consciousness for Husserl, the role essences play in his philosophy, and how Husserl
uses the eidetic reduction to gain access to the essences of objects. I will then discuss the ways that
Husserl’s phenomenology can help shape a theory of essences in OOO as well as possible problems that
could arise from integrating phenomenology into a theory of essences for OOO.
In chapter three, I will look at how Heidegger’s Introduction to Metaphysics can help shape OOO
and contribute to a theory of essences. I will lay an initial groundwork with a discussion of the meaning
of “being” in Heidegger’s thought, before moving on to a discussion of the essence of Being, which will
then lead to a discussion of phusis and alētheia.
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Phusis and alētheia will be central to the development of essences in OOO. In chapter four, I
will show how an object’s essence is determined by the internal relations that shape how the object
presents itself to and affects other objects and how other objects are able to reveal themselves to and
affect it (what Heidegger would call its particular form of phusis and alētheia). Then, returning to
Husserl, I will reformulate the eidetic reduction as a way to gain insight into which internal relations are
essential to the objects. This will be the final component of a theory of essences that are internal to
objects and particular to each individual object, and will also provide OOO with a method for
determining the essences of objects.

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