Husserl Phenomenology of Intersubjectivity ― Historical Interpretations and Contemporary Applications

This collection examines the instrumental role of intersubjectivity in Husserl’s philosophy and explores the potential for developing novel ways of addressing and resolving contemporary philosophical issues on that basis. This is the first time Iso Kern offers an extensive overview of this rich field of inquiry for an English-speaking audience. Guided by his overview, the remaining articles present new approaches to a range of topics and problems that go to the heart of its core theme of intersubjectivity and methodology. Specific topics covered include intersubjectivity and empathy, intersubjectivity in meaning and communication, intersubjectivity pertaining to collective forms of intentionality and extended forms of embodiment, intersubjectivity as constitutive of normality, and, finally, the central role of intersubjectivity in the sciences. The authors’ perspectives are strongly influenced by Husserl’s own methodological concerns and problem awareness and are formed with a view to applicability in current debates – be it within general epistemology, analytic philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, meta-ethics or philosophy of science. With contributions written by leading Husserl scholars from across the Analytic and Continental traditions, Husserl’s Phenomenology of Intersubjectivity is a clear and accessible resource for scholars and advanced students interested in Husserl’s phenomenology and the relevance of intersubjectivity to philosophy, sociology, and psychology.

Frode Kjosavik is Professor of Philosophy at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. He was a group leader in Philosophy at the Centre for Advanced Study at the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, 2015/16. Publications include articles on Kant, Husserl, the philosophy of mathematics and the philosophy of biology.

Christian Beyer is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Gottingen. He was Heisenberg Fellow of the German Research Foundation, Associated Fellow at the Lichtenberg-Kolleg (Gottingen) and Fellow at the Centre for Advanced Studies (Oslo). He authored Von Bolzano zu Husserl (1996), Intentionalitat und Referenz (2000), Subjektivitat, Intersubjektivitat, Personalitat (2006).

Christel Fricke is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Oslo, Norway. She was the founding director of the Centre for the Study of Mind in Nature. She edited The Ethics of Forgiveness (Routledge, 2011); Intersubjectivity and Objectivity in Adam Smith and Edmund Husserl (with Dagfinn Follesdal, Ontos Verlag, 2012).