Abstract
We each at least seem to have a distinctive first-person knowledge of our own experience. One standard way to account for the source of first-person knowledge is by appeal to a kind of inner observation, and phenomenology is often thought to rely on introspection. But Husserl's method of phenomenological reduction was designed precisely to find a route to knowledge of the structures of consciousness that was independent of any appeal to observation of one's own mental states. This chapter explicates Husserl's method of phenomenological reduction in contemporary terms that (1) show its distance from all inner-observation accounts; (2) exhibit its kinship to and historical influence on outer-observation accounts of self-knowledge popularized by Sellars; and (3) demonstrate that a contemporary 'cognitive transformation' view based on Husserl's method may provide a viable contribution to contemporary debates about the source of self-knowledge.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Phenomenology and Philosophy of Mind |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| ISBN (Print) | 9780191709951, 9780199272457 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 1 2010 |
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Keywords
- Cognitive transformation
- First-person knowledge
- Husserl
- Inner observation
- Introspection
- Phenomenological reduction
- Self-knowledge
- Sellars
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Arts and Humanities(all)
Cite this
First-Person Knowledge in Phenomenology. / Thomasson, Amie.
Phenomenology and Philosophy of Mind. Oxford University Press, 2010.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter
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TY - CHAP
T1 - First-Person Knowledge in Phenomenology
AU - Thomasson, Amie
PY - 2010/5/1
Y1 - 2010/5/1
N2 - We each at least seem to have a distinctive first-person knowledge of our own experience. One standard way to account for the source of first-person knowledge is by appeal to a kind of inner observation, and phenomenology is often thought to rely on introspection. But Husserl's method of phenomenological reduction was designed precisely to find a route to knowledge of the structures of consciousness that was independent of any appeal to observation of one's own mental states. This chapter explicates Husserl's method of phenomenological reduction in contemporary terms that (1) show its distance from all inner-observation accounts; (2) exhibit its kinship to and historical influence on outer-observation accounts of self-knowledge popularized by Sellars; and (3) demonstrate that a contemporary 'cognitive transformation' view based on Husserl's method may provide a viable contribution to contemporary debates about the source of self-knowledge.
AB - We each at least seem to have a distinctive first-person knowledge of our own experience. One standard way to account for the source of first-person knowledge is by appeal to a kind of inner observation, and phenomenology is often thought to rely on introspection. But Husserl's method of phenomenological reduction was designed precisely to find a route to knowledge of the structures of consciousness that was independent of any appeal to observation of one's own mental states. This chapter explicates Husserl's method of phenomenological reduction in contemporary terms that (1) show its distance from all inner-observation accounts; (2) exhibit its kinship to and historical influence on outer-observation accounts of self-knowledge popularized by Sellars; and (3) demonstrate that a contemporary 'cognitive transformation' view based on Husserl's method may provide a viable contribution to contemporary debates about the source of self-knowledge.
KW - Cognitive transformation
KW - First-person knowledge
KW - Husserl
KW - Inner observation
KW - Introspection
KW - Phenomenological reduction
KW - Self-knowledge
KW - Sellars
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84920849494&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84920849494&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199272457.003.0006
DO - 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199272457.003.0006
M3 - Chapter
SN - 9780191709951
SN - 9780199272457
BT - Phenomenology and Philosophy of Mind
PB - Oxford University Press
ER -