Phenomenology: A Contemporary Introduction by Walter Hopp (Chapters 6 & 7)

Welcome everyone to the next series that Jen and Philip are presenting! This time around we are reading the book:

Phenomenology: A Contemporary Introduction (2020) by Walter Hopp

The format will be our usual "accelerated live read". What this means is that each participant will be expected to read roughly 15-20 pages of text before each session. Each participant will have the option of picking a few paragraphs they especially want to focus on. We will then do a live read on the paragraphs that the participants found most interesting when they did the assigned reading.

As always, this meetup will be 3 hours. During the first 2 hours we will talk in a very focused way on the chapter we have read. During this part of the meetup only people who have done the reading will be allowed to influence the direction of the conversation. So please do the reading if you intend to speak during the first 2 hours of this meetup. You might think this does not apply to you, but it does! It applies to you.

During the last hour (which we call "The Free For All") people can talk about absolutely anything related to philosophy. People who have not done the reading will be allowed (and encouraged!) to direct the conversation during this 3rd hour. People who have not found the time to do the reading are welcome in the meetup and the Free For All is their time to talk — and everyone else's time to talk too!

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During the many meetups Philip and Jen have co-hosted on Heidegger, people have often asked about Heidegger's views on consciousness. Philip's answer has always been that consciousness is not that big a deal for Heidegger. It is not something Heidegger is very focused on. Walter Hopp is drawing upon the more Husserlian strand of Phenomenology and in the Husserlian strand consciousness definitely is a big deal. So this will be a chance for people who have wanted to talk about consciousness in relation to Phenomenology to have their chance to talk about that topic.

Likewise, when it comes to knowledge, Heidegger's approach is to address questions of knowledge in such a way that all the traditional problems of knowledge simply do not arise. Some people find this very insightful and some people do not. The approach to phenomenology that Hopp and Husserl adopt allow the traditional problems of knowledge to arise in more or less their traditional versions. Many people will find this approach to phenomenology more satisfying than Heidegger's approach. Philip is definitely "team Heidegger" on both consciousness and knowledge, but it will be interesting and instructive to see how Hopp and Husserl manage these issues.

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READING SCHEDULE

Please note that the amount of reading we are assigning per session is not that much. Walter Hopp's book is not especially difficult, but it is very specific and detailed. It is crucial to do the reading if you want to follow the meetup. Even someone who knows a lot about Phenomenology in general will have a hard time following the specifics of Hopp's argument if they have not done the reading.

For the 1st meeting on Sept 22, read the Preface
.....
For Dec 29 read chapters 4 and 5
For Jan 12 read chapters 6 and 7
For Jan 26 read chapters 8 and 9
For Feb 9 read chapters 10 and 11 and we are done!

Please note that in this meetup we will be actually DOING philosophy and not merely absorbing Walter Hopp's ideas in a passive way. What this means is that we will be trying to find flaws in Hopp's (and Husserl's) reasoning and in his mode of presenting his ideas. We will also be trying to improve the ideas in question and perhaps proposing better alternatives. That is what philosophers do after all!

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About the book:

The central task of phenomenology is to investigate the nature of consciousness and its relations to objects of various types. The present book introduces students and other readers to several foundational topics of phenomenological inquiry, and illustrates phenomenology’s contemporary relevance. The main topics include consciousness, intentionality, perception, meaning, and knowledge. The book also contains critical assessments of Edmund Husserl’s phenomenological method. It argues that knowledge is the most fundamental mode of consciousness, and that the central theses constitutive of Husserl’s "transcendental idealism" are compatible with metaphysical realism regarding the objects of thought, perception, and knowledge.

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In this meetup, all technology-related issues are handled by Jen. So if you cannot get into the meetup or are having other technology-related issues, there is no point contacting Philip. Philip is still trying to master the art of building a phone out of two tin cans and a string. :(

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Suggestions for Extra Reading (link)