Phenomenology of consciousness and sociology of the life-world : an introductory study

238 Pages·1983·11.985 MB·English

by  Helmut R Wagner

Phenomenology
of Consciousness
and Sociology of
the Life-world
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Phenomenology
of Consciousness
and Sociology of
the Life-world
AN INTRODUCTORY STUDY
Helmut R. Wagner
HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES
The University of Alberta Press
First published by
The University of Alberta Press
450 Athabasca Hall
The University of Alberta
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Copyright © The University of Alberta Press 1983
ISBN 0-88864-032-3
Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data
Wagner, Helmut R.
Phenomenology of consciousness and sociology
of the life-world
Bibliography: p.
Includes index.
ISBN 0-88864-032-3
1. Phenomenology.2. Social psychology.
I. Title.
B829.5.W33 142'. 7 C82-O91217-4
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be produced, stored in a retrieval system, or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior permission of the
copyright owner.
Typesetting by The Typeworks, Mayne Island, British Columbia
Printed by Hignell Printing Ltd., Winnipeg, Manitoba
Design by Maher & Murtagh, Toronto, Ontario
In Memory of
Lore Wagner
who shared with me an unforgettable summer in Alberta. It
became the climax of my long teaching career; it brought us new
and dear friends; and it let us experience the beauty of the
Canadian Rockies. The foundations to this book were laid in this
happy period. Lore contributed to it her ever-pertinent advice
and her keen observations in personal exchanges with me and,
most of all, in remarks and comments with which she brightened
our informal encounters with students and faculty members. A
part of her unusual personality lives on in this study.
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Contents
Acknowledgements / xi
1. Introducing the Phenomenological Approach / 1
The genesis of the book / 1
The form of the book / 2
The content of the book / 5
2. Approach to a Phenomenology of
Consciousness / 8
A Preliminary question: What is phenomenology? / 8
Outside and inside approaches / 11
The behaviourist approach / 11
Images of Man / 15
The solipsist dead end / 18
The phenomenological approach / 19
Language / 21
Phenomenology of consciousness / 26
Towards the understanding of inner experience / 26
BERGSON'S CONCEPTION OF INNER DURATION /28
JAMES'S CONCEPTION OF THE STREAM OF
CONSCIOUSNESS/30
THE ELUSIVENESS OF INNER EXPERIENCE AND THE
MEMORY ACCESS-LANE/33
TIME AND TIME-EXPERIENCE/34
Towards the comprehension of the phenomenological
method / 37
GETTING AT INNER EXPERIENCE /37
A FALLACY AND A TRAP/39
Viii APPROACHING THE PHENOMENOLOGICAL METHOD:
CONTENTS HUSSERL'S MODEL/40
PRESENTING INNER EXPERIENCE /45
CONFIRMING PHENOMENOLOGICAL DATA/46
THE LANGUAGE OF THE PHENOMENOLOGICAL
PRESENTATION/49
Phenomenology of objects / 50
Perception, gestalt, apperception / 51
Experience and sensory impressions / 54
Intententionality / 56
Attention, interest, motivation / 57
The definition of the situation / 60
Vantage point / 64
Horizons / 66
Relevance / 68
The world of the phenomenologist and the world of
everyone's experience / 71
3. Approach to the Social Self / 74
The fiction of the solitary Ego / 74
James's conception of the Self / 75
Cooley's "human nature" and social self / 77
Mead's genetic conception of the self / 79
Intersubjectivity / 84
We-relationship / 88
4. Approach to Social Life / 93
Experiencing the social world / 93
The social checking of individual perspectives /94
Reciprocity of perspectives / 94
Outside perspective / 97
Cognitive stance / 102
Pragmatic stance / 103
Natural stance / 105
Life-world / 109
Natural world view / 111
Social action and interaction / 113
Social action / 113
Social interaction / 115
Face-to-face interaction and social interrelations / 116
Weber's sociology of understanding / 120 ix
The meaning of meaning and understanding / 121 CONTENTS
From Weberian sociology to phenomenological
philosophy / 125
Ideal types as methodological devices / 127
Typification as phenomenon of the life-world / 135
Theory of understanding / 140
Motivational understanding / 142
Causality, prediction, and understanding in
sociology / 144
Expectations and typifications / 144
Prediction of individual conduct / 147
The causality of motivation / 149
Because motivation / 154
Gaining motivational understanding / 156
5. Living Towards the Future / 159
Fragmentation of active involvements and coherence of
plans / 159
Planning—working—long-range projecting / 162
Intellectual life plans / 165
Life from the past / 169
Life expectations and limitations / 172
6. The Multi-Structure of Human Experience / 176
James's orders of reality / 176
Schutz's provinces of meaning / 180
The world of working / 181
Other provinces of meaning / 185
Leaps and transitions / 190
Enclaves and fusions / 196
Work and science as provinces of meaning / 197
7. Concluding Remarks / 207
Summing up / 207
What to study now / 210