● Life is short; we must ask: What
Part I – The Chief Aims of Philosophy should I do with my life? What
truly matters?
Philosophy is not just abstract ● Modern society often equates
speculation—it’s about questioning, happiness with wealth, success, or
examining, and seeking clarity in our social approval.
beliefs, assumptions, and experiences. Its ● Socratic insight: True happiness
chief aims are: comes from self-control and
knowing what is truly valuable.
1. Critical Scrutiny of Beliefs and
Convictions 4. Keeping Alive Our Sense of Wonder
● We all hold beliefs, often ● Humans are naturally curious.
unexamined and accepted naively. Wonder has given rise to
● Philosophizing = articulating, philosophy, science, art, and
examining, and evaluating these religion.
beliefs. ● Scientism (the belief science can
● J.S. Mill: Better to believe wrongly explain everything) risks
but be open to change than to narrowing our vision.
believe rightly but remain ● Philosophy reminds us to see
dogmatic. learning as an adventure in ideas,
● Example: Reflecting on what not just technical training.
happiness really means (beyond
wealth or status). 5. Posing Questions Beyond Other
Disciplines
2. Bringing Hidden Assumptions to
Light ● Philosophy asks the “big
questions” others cannot fully
● Many beliefs rest on answer:
assumptions/presuppositions ○ Does God exist?
we rarely notice. ○ Do minds exist as well as
● If unexamined, they confine and bodies?
enslave us. ○ Are humans free agents?
● Philosophy asks us to become ○ What is the purpose of life?
aware of these hidden foundations ● Unlike science, philosophy
and critically assess them. provides no easy answers, but the
questions themselves are
3. The Quest for a Worthwhile Life transformative.
● J.S. Mill: “It is better to be Socrates
● “The unexamined life is not worth
unsatisfied than a pig satisfied.”
living” – Socrates.
● He insisted we should go “back to
the things themselves!” →
Part II – The Phenomenological meaning, back to how things are
Method given to us in experience before
theories distort them.
1. Why Phenomenology?
🔑 Key Features of Husserl’s Method
● Traditional philosophy started
with logic, metaphysics, 1. Epoche (Bracketing)
cosmology, psychology, etc. Man ○ Suspend judgments, biases,
was often reduced to “rational and assumptions (our
animal” (body + soul). “natural attitude”).
● Husserl and phenomenologists ○ Goal: see reality with fresh
wanted something different: start eyes, as it shows itself.
not with definitions, but with
man’s lived experience. 2. Eidetic Reduction
● Because our understanding of the ○ From the Greek eidos =
world (and even God!) begins with essence.
how we experience ourselves. ○ Strip away the accidental
details of an experience to
2. Husserl’s Approach find its essence.
○ Example: Love may differ in
Edmund Husserl (1859–1938) wanted age, race, or status, but its
philosophy to be a rigorous science—but essence is self-giving to
one based on experience, not another.
presuppositions.
3. Transcendental Reduction
● He was dissatisfied with natural
○ Shift attention to
science because it assumes too
consciousness itself.
much:
○ Realize that every act of
○ That objects just “exist out
consciousness is
there” independent of us.
intentional (it is always
○ That humans can be
directed toward
reduced to mechanistic
something).
stimulus-response beings
○ Example: “Rain” means
(automatically react to
different things to a farmer,
changes in their poet, or commuter because
environment (stimuli) with consciousness co-creates
specific actions (responses). meaning with the world.
➡️ Husserl’s insight: No object without a ● Marcel: existential, personal
subject, no subject without an object. (reflection, mystery, inner unity).
The world is always a human world.
4. Why Phenomenology Matters
3. Marcel’s Approach
● It prevents us from reducing
Gabriel Marcel (1889–1973), an humans to objects or numbers.
existentialist, used phenomenology in a ● It re-centers philosophy on lived
less technical way. human experience: love, death,
freedom, memory, hope.
He focused on reflection: ● It gives us tools to:
○ Question our biases
1. Primary Reflection
(epoche).
○ Breaks unity of experience.
○ Search for deeper meaning
○ Sees things as problems,
(eidetic reduction).
separate from the self.
○ Acknowledge the interplay
○ Basis of science, where
between self and world
subject and object are
(intentionality).
detached.
○ Reconnect with our
○ Example: “Who am I?” → I
personal wholeness
am 20 years old, 5’8”, 60kg
(secondary reflection).
(surface data).
2. Secondary Reflection
○ Re-integrates unity of
experience.
○ Moves beyond data to the
personal, mysterious,
inner self.
○ Example: “Who am I?” →
Beyond facts, I am a unique
self, with personal depth
and inner meaning.
👉 Difference in style:
● Husserl: technical, systematic
(bracketing, reductions,
essences).
