1. Waseda University, Japan
“The Root of Phenomenological Reduction: In Search of a Perfect Applicative Paraphrase of The Idea of Phenomenology”
by Seiji TAKEDA 　
　　Waseda University, Japan　　
I’m now planning to publish ‘Complete decoding of THE IDEA OF PHENOMENOLOGY’.
The thinking process of this lecture and five lectures is the contents.
I try to paraphrase Husserl’s ……
Today I am talking about the core point of this book.

2. Back ground of phenomenological research
① The application of phenomenology has now become an increasingly noticeable trend in the practical field. However, there’s a big difficulty for common readers to understand Husserl’s text.
②　The main reasons of the difficulty of Husserl's Text.
　1. No clear definition has been achieved among scholars. ‘Phenomenological reduction’ ‘Transcendence’ ‘Constitution’ ‘Eidetic seeing’ etc.
Husserl
③ The general explanation of phenomenology
(from subject-book of phenomenology　in Japan)
1. Comprehensive alteration of attitude from natural attitude
2. The realm of ‘pure consciousness’ as phenomenological residue
3. Essential description of ‘the essential structure of consciousness’ in terms of ‘the constitution of the world’
＊But, where does this lead us ? On the whole, quite unintelligible. So

3. How do we understand the fundamental method of phenomenology?
④ Serious doubts or objections submitted even by the authentic German school of phenomenology .
　 (O.Fink, L.Landgrebe, K.Held　etc.)
Eugen Fink : ‘Husserl’s conception of ‘constitution’ is always swinging’.
G ･H･Brant: ‘ Even excellent scholars are always questioning themselves “what is phenomenology in the first place?” ’.
⑤ From that serious confusion of the interpretation of the method of phenomenology, there has appeared a lot of criticisms from contemporary thought (post-modernism ,analytic philosophy). 　
→Foundationalism of rigorous knowledge, Idealistic solipsism, Subjectivism, Metaphysics
⇒　Misunderstanding or not? So

4. How do we understand the concept of ‘phenomenological reduction‘ ?
＊The main aim of phenomenology lies in the clarification of the ‘enigma of cognition‘ (the problem of cognition). (‘The Idea of Phenomenology’)
＊’ Enigma of cognition’ means traditional problem of the agreement of Subject and Object .
Subject
(knowledge)
Object
Agreement? So

5. ★ What is the problem? If there’s no agreement between S and O?
1)　No correct knowledge of the world at all. 　
2)　Every knowledge is relative. 　
3)　What about natural science? Is that an illusion?
4)　No standard of good and evil, justice and injustice ！？　
→The problem of belief conflict
　It comes down to →　Only ‘power logic’！
　How did Husserl clarify the enigma of cognition?
　→by the method of phenomenological reduction ！　
　(1) No agreement between Subject and Object
　(2) Nevertheless there can be universal knowledge ！

6. What is the phenomenological reduction
Reverse your view point !
from natural attitude to Phenomenological atttude
Reverse cause and effect !
Consciousness
(experience)
Subject
(knowledge)
Object
Cause
Effect
Belief
Cause
Effect So

7. What is the phenomenological reduction
Reverse your view popint !
From natural attitude to Phenomenological attitude
Reverse cause and effect !
Consciousness
(experience)
Subject
(knowledge)
Object
Cause
Effect
　　Assume that every knowledge is a belief constituted in consciousness ！
Belief
Cause
Effect So
　　　 Confirm
the conditions of belief formation ！

8. Schema of immanence and transcendence
Natural attitude　
Subject-object schema　　　　　
Phenomenological schema
Immanence-Transcendence　　
　　　‘Ideas’
section 33→46　　　　　
Immanence
Transcendence　
Noesis　
Noema
Subject
Belief　　
Object
Epoché
Confirm
the condition of belief formation ！
Perceptive intuition (vivid image) 　
Actional－ non-actional Adumbration　Continuable harmony
Belief　　

9. The Theory of Intersubjectivity Three Modes of the World Beliefs
① Subjective belief (validity)
② Communal belief (validity)
③Universal belief (validity)　　　 (②③→Intersubjective belief)
One’s own belief/ faith. No one can share it. Seeing a ghost Hallucination of hearing Visual hallucination
Shared by two, three or many Illusion of absolute love, Legends of sailors, The god of a people, World religion. Belief /conviction shared by many people. But……
Among communal beliefs some have the condition of reaching the universal belief.
The realm of natural science, mathematics. Some principles of philosophy or logic. Legitimacy of democracy. Equality of men and women. Universal structure of the good and evil, beautiful and ugly……
We can figure out the conditions of why the achievements of natural science has reached the universal knowledge (belief), why world religion cannot extend to the universal understanding.

10. Belief Conflict and Common Understanding
World view A
X 1
C : The realm of common understanding
Natural science, mathematics, basic logics C
World view B
X 2 C
X : The realm of no common understanding:
Religion, human view ,
Sense of values, of morals,
, of aesthetic
World view C
X 3 C ●

11. Phenomenological clarification of ‘the enigma of cognition’
There‘s no absolute knowledge of the world at all !
No world itself, objective world itself, the truth itself !
2. However, not that there’s no objective knowledge (universal belief=common understanding).(Natural science or──) The realm of common understanding and no common understanding. The diversity of sense of value (the ethical, aesthetic )
But a kind of commonality / common ground of structure.
3.　 How to overcome belief conflict?
1) Accept no absolute knowledge.
2) Recognize the diversity of sense of value (the ethical, the aesthetic, the religious).
⇒mutual recognition of sense of value.
3) Create common rules.
No other principle than that !
The essence of the problem of knowledge lies not in how to find the truth but in how to overcome the belief conflict !
6. 　Now, we can clearly understand the core meaning of ‘eidetic seeing’.　　　
Diversity

12. Eidetic seeing Subject Varying opinions Seeking common understanding
Eidetic seeing does not mean finding some kind of truth.
But finding some kind of common understanding /common consensus which every one can be convinced.
Eidetic seeing
Subject
Varying opinions
Seeking common understanding
Eidetic seeing
Confirm the conditions
of your belief
Language game
Finding the common ground

13. Eidetic seeing Thank you
From the different opinions how to find /create the common ground /common consensus.
No absolute rightness Recognition of diversity
Inevitability of reconciliation.
Creating common rules
Finding common will
４． Definite relevancy in the
practical fields
Thank you

14. Hyper Paraphrase of ‘The Idea of Phenomenology’
To go to Website　: TAKEDA Seiji’s Official Homepage
　　　
① Hyper Paraphrase Husserl ‘The Idea of Phenomenology’
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 (by S.TAKEDA)
② Closing Essay : ‘Phenomenological Reduction and the Condition for Belief Formation’ 　　　　(by S.TAKEDA) 14

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