Phenomenology and Existentialism Paper #1

1. What is Husserl’s motivation for developing phenomenology? Closely related to this, what was his view of the state of philosophy at his time and the relation between philosophy and the sciences? (Minimum 1.5 pages)

2. Explain the general concept of intentionality, illustrating it with at least two examples. How does this concept allow Husserl to avoid the rigid distinction between consciousness and the external world that originated in early modern philosophy, and the problem of skepticism that arises along with it? (Minimum 1.5 pages)

3. Explain intentionality in more detail, highlighting the difference between sensory perception and categorial intuition, and the role that each of them play in any perception. Illustrate with at least two examples. (Minimum 2.5 pages)

Citations: Feel free to use your class notes, but don’t cite any points taken from them. However, if you are quoting or paraphrasing one of our readings or some other source, provide a full citation. I’m not picky about the method of citation you use, as long as it includes all of the relevant information. (The list of books on the syllabus will give you an idea what I mean by ‘relevant information’ – excluding the ISBN number.) Keep in mind that many internet resources are unreliable.

Minimum 7 full pages, maximum 10 pages (number pages and staple)

12 point type

1-1.5 inch margins

Double-spaced

Separate cover page

No extra spaces, extraneous titles and headers, or anything else that is intended to make the paper appear longer than it really is.