Phenomenology of space and place
Edmund Husserl
We attach meaning to places is directly related to phenomenology. We never observe objectively,
never observe facts, we only see how things appears to us. This is part of our own perspective.
All our observations start with a phenomenon and not with a supposed new thing. Therefore, it
might be fruitful to not get rid of our subjectivity understand the subjectivity, to understand the base
structure of our experiences and of our subjectivity, and to take that subjectivity seriously instead of
ignoring it.
What is important to you and which have an impact on your memory remind you what is really
important to you.
It is phenomenology which tries to grasp the structure of driving forces behind our feelings and
behind our relationship behind the world and our attachment with place. Routine situations which
are important for you. Phenomenology is about the experience of these moments at these places,
not about the factual aspects.
What we observe is not the object or a fact as it is, but how inasmuch it is given in the intentional
acts.
Husserl: phenomenology as an approach to understand subjectivity and subjective meaning of these
events and places. Not interested in factual knowledge, but much more in the subjective knowledge.
We never accounted an event neutrally.
Central in our phenomenological approach in space and place is experience:
- Phenomena do not exist out there but are based on interpretations.
- Intentions of investigator, intentions of investigated subjects, are important if we want to
interpret the world, or if we want to understand the way people act
- Through our intentions phenomena are attributed a meaning
- We can not really explain or understand how and why people act in the way they do
Martin Heidegger
Heidegger asked himself: what it actually means to exist of a person what it means to be. What it
means to be in this world. Dasein it means being at a place, being in the world. It is necessary for us
to be somewhere, to be in the world. To be is to be related to place. Conscience in the world.
Husserl and Plentano intention that it is not a condition but that it is always related to ourselves. It
is always consciousness of something. We cannot think of a place to not include our consciousness
awareness of that place.
A mood arises from being in the world. Only through a mood we are able to encounter things and
being in the world. Time plays an important role.
Place and space are lived spaces, make our own, make it to our home.
1
, Merleau Ponty
First need to know the way of thinking from others.
- Rene Descartes: what we observe, does that really exist? We can take our own experiences
as a point of reference. Everything observed could be uncertain and different, therefore
experiences are unreliable in his view. I think, therefore I am, I exists. The essence of the
object is determined by the core idea or theoretical conceptualization of that object. For this
concept it doesn’t need the complete body, not in his view. It is not a visual thing, it is just a
space of imagination. He separated the inner space of thinking and the outer space of
physical things.
o Res cognita subject, a thinking thing
o Res extensa object, extended and unthinking thing
- Descartes and Kant asked themselves: how can we know and experience things out there.
Descartes was sceptic; puts all his knowledge about the world aside. He looks at things how
they appear to us as a phenomena different from the real thing. Kant states; we do not
know the thing itself; we only know the phenomena, as how it appears to us. To be aware of
the thing around us. Which our mind adds to the world. We observe the world around us. it
is a pre-condition to observe the world around us, which is called transcendental idealism.
- Our perception representation of reality called respondence model. According to this model,
we believe, that thing we refer to exist in reality.
- Hegel tries to overcome skepticism; the only basis of the dialectical process between the
subject (res cognitants) and the object (res extensa) real truth can be established which he
called absolute spirit. Only those thoughts which I have out there can be questioned and
doubted and can serve to find a final truth, not just my truth but the absolute outcome.
- Ponty did not think of a third substance, the object and also the self are also being located in
between what we called subject and object. An absolute truth does not exist we are
continuously in doubt.
- Difference Husserl and Ponty. Husserl allocate meaning to something in the environment,
for him it is still the ress cognitants, confronted or in relation wich the res extensa. Ponty
says meaning is attributed from both sides, the subject (res cognitants) and the object (res
extensa). Perception and experience are an interplay of question and answer between
subject and object. For Ponty the body is the medium of all perception. The body serves as
the reference point with respect to the location of the object and determines the way and
perspective in which the object is perceived.
- Ponty tries to tell us; reality we experienced is always influenced by circumstances, practical
goals and our norms and values. Found his theory based on Heidegger and returns to the
original and direct contact we have with the world around us. the body is the starting point.
Through our body we have access to the world.
Jakob von Uexküll: Interested in how living beings perceive their environment. Surrounding is
the objective reality around us, but environment is the perceptual world in which an organism
exists and acts as a subject. Space is made and created through our relation between the subject
and the object.
- Husserl (transcendental) we need to understand how human knowledge of objects is
created
- Heidegger, Ponty (existential) focused on existential world, meaning of being, ways
of being, ways in which the world is constituted also through our actions.
2
Edmund Husserl
We attach meaning to places is directly related to phenomenology. We never observe objectively,
never observe facts, we only see how things appears to us. This is part of our own perspective.
All our observations start with a phenomenon and not with a supposed new thing. Therefore, it
might be fruitful to not get rid of our subjectivity understand the subjectivity, to understand the base
structure of our experiences and of our subjectivity, and to take that subjectivity seriously instead of
ignoring it.
What is important to you and which have an impact on your memory remind you what is really
important to you.
It is phenomenology which tries to grasp the structure of driving forces behind our feelings and
behind our relationship behind the world and our attachment with place. Routine situations which
are important for you. Phenomenology is about the experience of these moments at these places,
not about the factual aspects.
What we observe is not the object or a fact as it is, but how inasmuch it is given in the intentional
acts.
Husserl: phenomenology as an approach to understand subjectivity and subjective meaning of these
events and places. Not interested in factual knowledge, but much more in the subjective knowledge.
We never accounted an event neutrally.
Central in our phenomenological approach in space and place is experience:
- Phenomena do not exist out there but are based on interpretations.
- Intentions of investigator, intentions of investigated subjects, are important if we want to
interpret the world, or if we want to understand the way people act
- Through our intentions phenomena are attributed a meaning
- We can not really explain or understand how and why people act in the way they do
Martin Heidegger
Heidegger asked himself: what it actually means to exist of a person what it means to be. What it
means to be in this world. Dasein it means being at a place, being in the world. It is necessary for us
to be somewhere, to be in the world. To be is to be related to place. Conscience in the world.
Husserl and Plentano intention that it is not a condition but that it is always related to ourselves. It
is always consciousness of something. We cannot think of a place to not include our consciousness
awareness of that place.
A mood arises from being in the world. Only through a mood we are able to encounter things and
being in the world. Time plays an important role.
Place and space are lived spaces, make our own, make it to our home.
1
, Merleau Ponty
First need to know the way of thinking from others.
- Rene Descartes: what we observe, does that really exist? We can take our own experiences
as a point of reference. Everything observed could be uncertain and different, therefore
experiences are unreliable in his view. I think, therefore I am, I exists. The essence of the
object is determined by the core idea or theoretical conceptualization of that object. For this
concept it doesn’t need the complete body, not in his view. It is not a visual thing, it is just a
space of imagination. He separated the inner space of thinking and the outer space of
physical things.
o Res cognita subject, a thinking thing
o Res extensa object, extended and unthinking thing
- Descartes and Kant asked themselves: how can we know and experience things out there.
Descartes was sceptic; puts all his knowledge about the world aside. He looks at things how
they appear to us as a phenomena different from the real thing. Kant states; we do not
know the thing itself; we only know the phenomena, as how it appears to us. To be aware of
the thing around us. Which our mind adds to the world. We observe the world around us. it
is a pre-condition to observe the world around us, which is called transcendental idealism.
- Our perception representation of reality called respondence model. According to this model,
we believe, that thing we refer to exist in reality.
- Hegel tries to overcome skepticism; the only basis of the dialectical process between the
subject (res cognitants) and the object (res extensa) real truth can be established which he
called absolute spirit. Only those thoughts which I have out there can be questioned and
doubted and can serve to find a final truth, not just my truth but the absolute outcome.
- Ponty did not think of a third substance, the object and also the self are also being located in
between what we called subject and object. An absolute truth does not exist we are
continuously in doubt.
- Difference Husserl and Ponty. Husserl allocate meaning to something in the environment,
for him it is still the ress cognitants, confronted or in relation wich the res extensa. Ponty
says meaning is attributed from both sides, the subject (res cognitants) and the object (res
extensa). Perception and experience are an interplay of question and answer between
subject and object. For Ponty the body is the medium of all perception. The body serves as
the reference point with respect to the location of the object and determines the way and
perspective in which the object is perceived.
- Ponty tries to tell us; reality we experienced is always influenced by circumstances, practical
goals and our norms and values. Found his theory based on Heidegger and returns to the
original and direct contact we have with the world around us. the body is the starting point.
Through our body we have access to the world.
Jakob von Uexküll: Interested in how living beings perceive their environment. Surrounding is
the objective reality around us, but environment is the perceptual world in which an organism
exists and acts as a subject. Space is made and created through our relation between the subject
and the object.
- Husserl (transcendental) we need to understand how human knowledge of objects is
created
- Heidegger, Ponty (existential) focused on existential world, meaning of being, ways
of being, ways in which the world is constituted also through our actions.
2
