Abstract
The central task of the following analysis is that of answering the question, in which sense is the horizon a philosophical notion and a philosophical theme? With this in mind, the paper undertakes an investigation into how Husserl’s notion of the horizon derives from James’s analysis of the fringe of consciousness. The paper argues that Husserl is to be considered the founder of the horizon-problematic in philosophy, but not because he was the first to have thematized the phenomenon of the horizon. James had already done this at a great depth. The significance of Husserl’s analyses consists in having depsychologized this problematic and in having disclosed its transcendental dimensions. Thus, as a philosophical theme, the horizon is irreducibly transcendental. The single most significant philosophical upshot of such a transformation consists in eliminating the dimension of arbitrariness that is inscribed in James’s notion of the fringe. Far from compromising the phenomenon’s objective sense, the subject-relativity of the horizon is what allows one to identify and secure the phenomenon’s objective significance.
Keywords
- Intentional Objectivity
- Philosophical Theme
- Traditional Empiricist
- Transcendental Dimension
- Transitive Part
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Cairns, D. 1976. Conversations with Husserl and Fink. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff.
Gurwitsch, A. 1966. William James’s Theory of the transitive parts of the stream of consciousness. In Studies in phenomenology and psychology. Evanston: Northwestern University Press.
Husserl, E. 1950. Ideen zu einer reinen Phänomenologie und phänomenologischen Philosophie. Erstes Buch: Allgemeine Einführung in die reine Phänomenologie, ed. B. Walter. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff.
Husserl, E. 1974. Formale und transzendentale Logik. Versuch einer Kritik der logischen Vernunft, ed. P. Janssen. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff.
Husserl, E. 1976. Die Krisis der europäischen Wissenschaften un die transzendentale Phänomenologie. Eine Einleitung in die phänomenologische Philosophie, ed. W. Biemel. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff.
James, W. 1950. Principles of psychology volume i. New York: Dover Publications.
Kuhn, H. 1940. The Phenomenological Concept of the Horizon. In Philosophical essays in memory of Edmund Husserl, ed. M. Farber. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Kwan, T.-W. 1990. Husserl’s concept of Horizon: An attempt at reappraisal. In Analecta Husserliana, vol. xxxi, ed. A.-T. Tymieniecka. Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Landgrebe, L. 1973. The phenomenological concept of experience. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 34(1): 1–13.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Geniusas, S. (2011). William James and Edmund Husserl on the Horizontality of Experience. In: Tymieniecka, AT. (eds) Transcendentalism Overturned. Analecta Husserliana, vol 108. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0624-8_36
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0624-8_36
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-94-007-0623-1
Online ISBN: 978-94-007-0624-8
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawPhilosophy and Religion (R0)