Phenomenology of Everyday Life

This book is an introduction to phenomenology, with a focus on Edmund Husserl (1859-1938). Throughout the book, examples of concrete activities from everyday life (e.g., counting, perceiving, a change of feelings, communicating with others) are provided to elucidate the correlation of the act of consciousness (noesis) and the content of consciousness (noema). This is accomplished through an intentional analysis using the methods of phenomenological reduction and eidetic intuition.
 
The correlation of consciousness is investigated in genetic phenomenology, in which the genesis of the correlation itself is questioned. The study is divided into two stages of development: passive genesis based on passive intentionality, which is not mediated by self-consciousness, and active genesis based on active intentionality, in which self-consciousness is presupposed. Through an analysis of passive genesis, two of the more difficult problems in phenomenological research- namely, the constitution of temporal flow and the constitution of intersubjectivity-are clarified. In the analysis of the mother-child relationship, in which self-consciousness is not mediated, the formation of the fundamental time flow through the "living co-present" experienced together by the child and mother is clarified by way of the fulfillment of instinctive intentionality. Furthermore, at the basis of intersubjectivity, "passive intersubjectivity" is phenomenologically founded, freed from the spell of solipsism that comes from presupposing self-consciousness. With regard to active genesis, social activities such as politics, economics, culture, and the sciences are developed in the realm of linguistic communication through the active synthesis of perception, language, and judgment. The intentional analysis also clarifies how, in the midst of these activities, one can realize the I-Thou relationship in which the I itself is forgotten and one becomes the thing itself.
 
In this way, through the phenomenological descriptions based on genetic phenomenology, our everyday life that we started off with is brought to light as the overall structure of a concrete life-world starting from childhood to the creative social activities of adulthood.

List of contents

Introduction.- Counting.- Seeing and feeling.- The passage of time.- Changing and Not Changing.- Spontaneously being recalled without intentionally recalling.- Noticing and not noticing.- The development of the mind and body.- To feel another person's pain as if it were your own.- Living and knowing.- Living with cultural differences.

About the author

Professor Emeritus at Toyo Univerisity, Tokyo. Ph.d. in Philosophy in Department of Philosophy, University of Munich. Habilitation at the University of Bochum.
He taught Philosophy and Japanese in Department of Economic Science at University of Witten-Herdecke in Germany (1990-94) and was Professor of Philosophy at Toyo University until 2013.
His interests of the research of philosophy are in the field of Husserl's phenomenology and the philosophy of Buddhism. He focuses on the theme of time and the Other, which is phenomenologically evident in the first part, Time and the second part Other in his book Genese der Zeit aus dem Du (2018). The theme of Other, phenomenologically, the question of the transcendental grounding of intersubjectivity has been criticised unresolved by subsequent phenomenologists, such as Heidegger, Scheler and Levinas. He rejects these criticisms as misrecognition of the concept of pasasive intentionality, which opens up the new field of research of "the phenomenology of the unconscious" in Husserl's genetic phenomenology.
The passive intentionality of the intercorporarity makes emotional, pre-linguistic communication possible, only through this can linguistically articulated communication be realised.
His phenomenological oriented research of intercultural philosophy shows the possibility of refounding intercultural, social philosophy on the basis of Husserl's genetic phenomenology.

Summary

This book is an introduction to phenomenology, with a focus on Edmund Husserl (1859–1938). Throughout the book, examples of concrete activities from everyday life (e.g., counting, perceiving, a change of feelings, communicating with others) are provided to elucidate the correlation of the act of consciousness (noesis) and the content of consciousness (noema). This is accomplished through an intentional analysis using the methods of phenomenological reduction and eidetic intuition.
 
The correlation of consciousness is investigated in genetic phenomenology, in which the genesis of the correlation itself is questioned. The study is divided into two stages of development: passive genesis based on passive intentionality, which is not mediated by self-consciousness, and active genesis based on active intentionality, in which self-consciousness is presupposed. Through an analysis of passive genesis, two of the more difficult problems in phenomenological research— namely, the constitution of temporal flow and the constitution of intersubjectivity—are clarified. In the analysis of the mother–child relationship, in which self-consciousness is not mediated, the formation of the fundamental time flow through the “living co-present” experienced together by the child and mother is clarified by way of the fulfillment of instinctive intentionality. Furthermore, at the basis of intersubjectivity, “passive intersubjectivity” is phenomenologically founded, freed from the spell of solipsism that comes from presupposing self-consciousness. With regard to active genesis, social activities such as politics, economics, culture, and the sciences are developed in the realm of linguistic communication through the active synthesis of perception, language, and judgment. The intentional analysis also clarifies how, in the midst of these activities, one can realize the I–Thou relationship in which the I itself is forgotten and one becomes the thing itself.
 
In this way, through the phenomenological descriptions based on genetic phenomenology, our everyday life that we started off with is brought to light as the overall structure of a concrete life-world starting from childhood to the creative social activities of adulthood.

Product details

• Authors: Ichiro Yamaguchi
• Publisher: Springer, Berlin
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 27.03.2026
• EAN: 9789819546169
• ISBN: 978-981-9546-16-9
• No. of pages: 200
• Illustrations: X, 200 p. 4 illus.
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Philosophy > 20th and 21st centuries; Philosophie des Geistes, Soziale und politische Philosophie, Phenomenology, Intersubjectivity, Lifeworld, Philosophy of the Self, Mind-Body Problem/Body-Soul Problem, Philosophy of Sociology, Philosophy of feelings, Passive Synthesis, Time Consciousness, I – Thou relationship