Search Results (32)

Background: Induced after-death communication (IADC) experiences have been reported to share many phenomenological features with Near-Death Experiences (NDEs). This study aimed to empirically test the hypothesis that the majority of IADC experiences manifest a phenomenology that largely overlaps with that of NDEs. Methods: A cross-sectional observational design with retrospective data collection was employed. Fifty-nine participants (M = 56.25 years, SD = 10.18) who had previously undergone IADC therapy completed the Italian version of the Near-Death Experience (NDE) Scale. Descriptive analyses and repeated measures ANOVA were conducted to examine total scores and differences across subscales. Results: A total of 51 participants (86%) exceeded the established NDE threshold (≥7), with a mean total score of 14.69. The highest scores were observed on the Transcendental and Affective subscales, whereas the Paranormal subscale showed the lowest average scores. The Cognitive subscale exhibited intermediate values. Item-level analyses confirmed the high intensity of core NDE features, such as perceiving otherworldly environments, encountering deceased loved ones, and experiencing profound peace. Conclusions: This study provides the first empirical evidence of phenomenological overlap between IADC experiences and NDEs. These results shed light on the processes underlying the effectiveness of IADC therapy. Full article

The practice of architectural design is experiencing disruptive changes—e.g., the incredible growth of architects worldwide, the relevance of social media and the impact of artificial intelligence—typically analysed and studied as separate phenomena. Through a narrative research approach, this paper connects these emerging trends into a systemic view by referring to two conceptual frameworks—systems theory and transcendental phenomenology. Thus, it shows their mutual irritations, investigating the consequences of the practice of design and the collective architectural imaginary and mapping out the main findings through two diagrams. This paper recognises a series of key points of the resulting architectural system, the paramount being the extensive and mainly unconscious use of keywords. Then, clarifying the ontological dual nature of keywords, it conjectures that design will evolve differently for ordinary cases—characterised by passive keywords and competence—and for the most extraordinary ones—where mastery will have a critical role through active keywords. Full article

This article proposes a reading of Marion’s phenomenology from an early text, arguing that the various phenomenological innovations which are introduced in this work are subordinated to the central concept of transcendence. This concept in Marion’s work names the relation between revelation and experience and makes possible the disclosure of a revelatory phenomenon of radical alterity and asymmetry. Reliant on this concept, Marion’s phenomenology dramatically reconfigures the transcendental subject, the phenomenal object, and the horizon as well as their relation to certain phenomena. While Marion’s early text undergoes numerous revisions and reappears in different versions at several junctures in the development of his intervention in phenomenology, this article maintains that his central concept of transcendence retains its primacy in the structural arrangement of his other phenomenological innovations. Additionally, it will be argued that while the concept of transcendence in Marion has often been treated with suspicion by interpreters as obliquely allowing for a theological incursion into Marion’s phenomenology, such discussions generally miss how Marion’s particular construal of transcendence, as the relation between revelation and experience, necessarily allows for an a priori best explained as a theological judgement. Lastly, several questions attendant to this argument will be suggested for further development and investigation. Full article

The study of decision making is currently significant in various areas of knowledge, particularly in an interdisciplinary approach involving psychologists, economists, sociologists, cognitive scientists, and political scientists. This article explores the decision-making process in a new field: the mystical lived experience; i.e., approaches the perception of something present as unknown, the perception of mystery, within the decision-making process. It emphasizes that every perception requires a response, more or less conscious, and the mystical lived experience is no exception. The goal is to enhance our understanding and interpretation of the dynamics of mystical experience using a phenomenological analysis of the decision-making process as a hermeneutic key. The philosophical and anthropological background of this article draws from Karl Rahner’s transcendental experience, while the phenomenological and psychological perspective is informed by Louis Roy’s experiences of transcendence and Juan Martin Velasco’s studies on mysticism. The article first establishes the theoretical foundations of this new approach and then applies a decision-making analysis to the significant decisions made by St. Ignatius of Loyola, as detailed in his autobiography. Full article

The intention of this paper is to develop an original notion of self-as-mediation, where a reimagining of the function of art as a phenomenological/epistemological praxis will be the methodological vehicle. The argument here will unfold over four moments. Firstly, I argue that through the elevation of art into a valid form of inquiry—one that engages our collective and individual being-in—a relation coupling art with science can be established. Secondly, by means of a further reflection on the linguistic aspects of the complementary domains of science and art—in part inspired by the standpoint of Carl Otto Apel—a unified transcendental–pragmatic interpretation of this art–science relationship will be determined. In the third moment, I make the argument that through a phenomenological reflection derived from the apodictic assertion of self-as-mediation, a trifold relation situating self-as-mediation is revealed as dynamically engaged in a continual exchange, or interchange, between what can be considered to be an “attitude” and a “doing”, referred to here as relation and action. Thus, the fourth moment is revealed as a weird dynamic relational movement, out of which a radical ethic may be developed. It is argued that along with an implied recasting of religious consciousness, a complementary and positive vision for humanity at this time of ecological and social tragedy may also be offered by this approach. Full article

Nietzsche is the world’s most (in)famous atheist, bearer of the monumental tiding of the Death of God. His works contain biting critiques of Christianity and, to a lesser degree, of Judaism as well. Rabbi Mordechai Yosef Leiner of Izbica [=RMY] (1800–1854) was a leading Hasidic master in 19th century Poland. Despite their seemingly incongruent world views and backgrounds, bringing the German philosopher and the Polish Rebbe into conversation bears significant fruit. The significance of my study is two-fold. First, based upon similar philosophical moves by both Nietzsche and RMY, I aim to establish a philosophical foundation upon which to create a secular religious space which, beyond the local discussion around Nietzsche and RMY themselves, is of vital importance in a world continuously divided along inter-religious and secular-religious grounds. In addition, I will sharpen what we mean when we discuss the “religiosity” of Nietzsche and how this religiosity may confront nihilism. I believe that Nietzsche’s orienting insight that God is dead can serve as an inspiration to create a phenomenologically religious “space” devoid of metaphysical and transcendental assertions and that there is a Hasidic master willing to meet him there. The quest of RMY was to reveal a Torah bereft of “Levushim”, that is to say, bereft of the familiar Jewish and kabbalistic mythical trappings. When the traditional Christian and Jewish myths which refer to a transcendent reality are discarded, the search for meaning is relocated onto the immanent stage of human (“All too Human”) phenomenology. Full article

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) mediated interactions, such as audio and video calls, are part of all companies’ routines. Despite technological advances, no current ICT can perfectly mimic the unique characteristics of face-to-face interactions. As good-quality internal communication is critical to companies’ operations, the increased demand for work-from-home jobs raises relevant questions regarding employees’ capability to communicate properly. To better understand if the physical and temporal distance associated with the work-from-home represents a threat to employees’ capacity to establish clear communications, this study explores the internal communication experiences of full-time home-based telecommuters. Adopting a transcendental phenomenological strategy and based on a mix of purposeful and snowball sampling, 23 employees were interviewed online. Two additional interviews with top managers from a company where all employees work from home were also performed. Following a thematic analysis, results did not reveal a direct relationship between physical and temporal distance and the quality of internal communication. Indeed, the increased media options adopted by employees after starting to work from home contributed to improving internal communication quality. The main identified communication issues, such as information segregation, are related to how internal communications are managed, and may happen whether employees work side-by-side or physically apart. Full article

This study addresses Roger Scruton’s understanding of what he called “moments of revelation”. In two short essays, both entitled “Effing the ineffable”, Scruton framed his discussion of moments of revelation with reference to the medieval Christian mystical discourse. Introducing the medieval discussion of this topic, this study provides an analysis of Scruton’s approach to the theme. In tune with the traditional discourse on revelation, his general aim was to demonstrate that there are ways of revealing important truths about the supernatural, of the world “beyond the window”, that do not require words to be pronounced. He calls our experiences of such phenomena moments of revelation and identifies four different transitory sources of revelation. This study deals with them one by one, after considering whether it is right to label such a revelation transcendental. The four sources of Scruton’s moments of revelation are natural beauty, the beauty of painting, the beauty of music, and personal encounters. The first three examples are connected to his thoughts on art and beauty as a substitute of divine revelation. Perhaps the most surprising of these is the last ones, moments of intersubjective human relationships, “our knowledge of each other”. Relying on both Buber and Levinas, Scruton makes the strong claim that it is in the other that we can experience that world “beyond the window”. His phenomenological exploration of human encounters sheds light on concepts like grace, shekhinah, or real presence and gift. He explains the Christian understanding of the human–divine relationship as well along the lines of the nature of interpersonal human relationship, both of them being in a certain sense, he claims, transcendental. From grace, his account moves forward to self-sacrifice and finally arrives at his idiosyncratic understanding of gratefulness for life. His moments of revelation in art and interpersonal exchange turn out to be, indeed, late and secular versions of the Christian understanding of revelation. In its summary, this study claims that revelation, understood by Scruton as a form of general human experience, allows to catch a glimpse of that which is beyond the window, by the direct, sensually based experience of either the existence of another person or of the beauty of nature and art. Full article

A set of interventions that can produce altered states of consciousness (ASC) have shown utility in the treatment of substance misuse. In this review, we examine addiction-related outcomes associated with three common interventions that produce ASCs: psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy (PP), Transcendental Meditation (TM) and hypnotherapy (HT). While procedurally distinct, all three interventions are associated with some common phenomenological, psychological, and neurobiological features, indicating some possible convergent mechanisms of action. Along with addiction and mental health outcomes, these common features are reviewed, and their impact on substance misuse is discussed. While our review highlights some mixed findings and methodological issues, results indicate that PP and TM are associated with significant improvements in substance misuse, alongside improvements in emotional, cognitive and social functioning, behavior-change motivation, sense of self-identity, and meaning. In contrast, and despite its broader acceptance, HT has been associated with mixed and minimal results with respect to substance misuse treatment. Authors identify key research gaps in the role of ASC interventions in addiction and outline a set of promising future research directions. Full article

This article examines relationships between the absolute being of the universal ego (Ātman-self) according to the Indian religious philosophy of Vedanta (V) and the phenomenological, irreal being of the transcendental ego in Husserl’s phenomenology (P). Both Ātman and the transcendental ego are accessed in the first-person perspective by onto-phenomenological reductions. Such reductions, as stated by Husserl, have absolute freedom of positing and, thus, can reveal or conceal states of being. In contrast with P-reduction, which renders the being of the ego-pole invisible, V-reduction penetrates into the being of the ego-pole and opens a horizon of unique, non-intentional mental states. Following the dialectics in pre- and post-reduction givenness of being, there emerges a picture of connection between the intentional phenomenological being of the transcendental ego and the non-intentional being of the pure ego of Vedanta (Ātman-self). The pure ego of Vedanta manifests as a substrate for the transcendental ego of phenomenology. From this, we can conclude that reductions function as the loci of dialectical syntheses of being, whereby the unity of being has a fuller, more complex and multi-sided sense than the one intended in the natural attitude. In their breaking of theoretical habits conditioned by the substance metaphysical tradition, reductions are truly indispensable in the revelation of being that grounds the theory of knowledge. Full article

Despite significant scientific advances in research on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the psychological and behavioral symptoms of this pathological condition remain hard to understand, until they seem paradoxical. The present work seeks to consider the significance and potential contribution of a phenomenological reading of OCD and how phenomenalism has influenced some cognitive models of this disorder. Transcendental phenomenology is a philosophical approach that attaches primary importance to intuitive experience and considers all phenomena intrinsically associated with the subject’s inner world. Thus, the subject’s intuition is considered the starting point for understanding their essential experience. This approach has had a profound influence on modern cognitive sciences. Among current cognitive models, post-rationalist cognitivism and cognitive neuropsychological psychotherapy seem most effective in capturing the world experiences of OCD patients. Both apply a phenomenological approach to identify these experiences, which are typically characterized by hyper-reflexivity, at the expense of ‘natural evidence.’ The models have found that OCD patients experience the world emotionally as a sterile set of rules, and this experience determines their suffering. Full article

This paper explores the intertwinement of ontology and history that happened after the idealist turn of Kantian transcendentalism, particularly in classic German idealism and later in American pragmatism. The paper focuses on the less remarked-upon consequence of this intertwinement, namely the possibility of a new reading of history based on changes in concepts and habitual mentality. The paper proposes a new take on historiography that vindicates Hegel’s insight but changes his approach to a pragmatist one, more apt to face historical changes in a technical way and less easily twistable into ideological frameworks. The paper argues that the notion of habit, as phenomenologically and semiotically described by Peirce, is the fundamental cellule of the pragmatist take on the entanglement of history and ontology. The paper elaborates on the notion of habit, singling out a special form of it called “gesture” that can be a useful tool for reading the history of the human spirit without incorporating Hegel’s dialectic and Absolute. The paper compares the notion of gesture as it originated in the pragmatist tradition with the parallel use of the term in the early studies of Michel Foucault and argues that the notion of gesture is better equipped to tackle a theoretical reading of history. Full article

This article articulates Jean-Yves Lacoste’s account of phenomenology. It does so by tracing Lacoste’s relation to Husserl. Although the influence of Heidegger on Lacoste’s thinking has been sufficiently studied, his relation to the father of phenomenology perhaps is not. The aim of this essay is to see whether Lacoste’s practice of phenomenology still qualifies as phenomenology proper or whether, as some might be inclined to think, it is an improper venturing into the terrain of theology. For this, we offer an account both of Lacoste’s conception of “theological thinking” and of the phenomenon he describes so beautifully, the presence of God in liturgical and sacramental presence. This article concludes by, perhaps, putting into parentheses some of Lacoste’s findings by pointing to Jacques Derrida’s take on Husserl’s Origin of Geometry, questioning once more the bounds and boundaries of Lacoste’s phenomenology of faith and opening avenues for further research. Full article

The grounds of religious diversity and pluralism have mainly been sought out from without, i.e., from outside the human mind. A striking example is Hick’s idea of the one ultimate reality, which is posited to embrace all the semi-ultimate realities appearing in individual religions. However, the present inquiry adopts a different strategy for coping with the above-mentioned issue. Specifically, in this inquiry, I attempt to find a substantial clue to religious diversity and pluralism from within, i.e., from the intentionality of the mind. This idea, as a descriptive and explanatory hypothesis, consists of the following theses: (I) As suggested by the Husserlian phenomenology interpreted by Sokolowski, there are at least two forms of directedness of the mind: filled and empty intentionalities. (II) In connection with them, two distinct types of religious spirituality emerge: the intentionality of transcendental filling (ITF) and that of transcendental emptying (ITE). (III) The diversity of religion that gives rise to pluralism is, at least in part, due to the different ways in which those two forms of religious minds are combined. With these considerations, we reach a new philosophical foundation of the issue in question, and also obtain a possible theoretical basis for securing an adequate method of religious—and particularly interreligious—studies. Full article

The central intention of this paper is to explore original teleology and to solve the riddle of matter based on the analysis of the flow of absolute consciousness. The paper unfolds in four steps. Firstly, it analyzes the origin of teleology in terms of Husserl’s theory of intentional acts. Since Husserl’s phenomenology itself contains teleological ideas, the creativity and goal-direction of the will reveals the intrinsic connection between will and teleology. Secondly, the relationship between the will and original teleology is discussed around the riddle of matter raised by Husserl, and the reason why teleology originates in the act of will is explained. Thirdly, the paper reinterprets the divine entelechy from the perspective of the creativity of the divine will, and points out that Husserl’s concept of God is not only the idea of the highest good, but also an entelechy that is constantly engaged in creating and becoming. Finally, in order to further argue for the important role of the will in solving the problem of teleology, this paper discusses the intrinsic relationship between transcendental reduction and the will. Full article