Phenomenology

This volume is the first of its kind to provide such a comprehensive survey of contemporary research in phenomenology. The editor has assembled an impressive cast of authoritative contributors to produce what will undoubtedly become a much-used, stimulating, and invaluable reference book in the field of philosophical phenomenology. The contributions themselves are on the whole of a uniformly high standard and (with some understandable exceptions, notably regarding applied phenomenology) cover the whole sprectrum of phenomenological research. The book is divided into seven parts. The five chapters in Part I, ‘‘Subjectivity and Nature,’’ present some competing visions of what phenomenology is and what it is not, with special focus on its relationship to naturalism. The second and largest part of the book, ‘‘Intentionality, Perception, and Embodiment,’’ includes phenomenological contributions to the philosophy of mind and the theory of perception— concentrating on the intentionality of perceptual experience and bodily intentionality. Part III, ‘‘Self and Consciousness,’’ deals with the increasingly debated issues of the self and self-consciousness. Part IV, ‘‘Language, Thinking, and Knowledge,’’ covers epistemology and the philosophy of logic and language. The three chapters forming Part V, ‘‘Ethics, Politics, and Sociality,’’ explore new avenues for research in ethics and politics by clarifying some basic concepts and issues: ethical ‘‘responsivity,’’ the ‘‘political world,’’ epistemological intersubjectivity. Part VI is dedicated to ‘‘Time and History.’’ Here, in my estimation, David Carr’s study provides a perfect illustration of how phenomenology can contribute to philosophy in general by elucidating the experiential sources of philosophical doctrines. Part VII, ‘‘Art and Religion,’’