Phenomenology | Philosophy | Way of knowing
Cogan, J. (n.d.) The Phenomenological Reduction. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Available at: https://iep.utm.edu/phen-red/#SH5a (Accessed: 18 October 2024).
“The Phenomenological Reduction” is a methodological approach within phenomenology that enables individuals to engage with the world without preconceived knowledge or biases. Central to this process is the experience of astonishment, where our everyday understanding is set aside, revealing itself as a mere opinion compared to the profound insights gained through this experience. The phenomenological reduction consists of two interrelated components: the epoché and the reduction proper. The epoché involves “bracketing” or suspending our unquestioned acceptance of the everyday world, freeing ourselves from habitual beliefs. The reduction proper is the reflective act of recognizing this acceptance as a constructed belief rather than an absolute reality. Together, these components allow us to access transcendental insights by examining consciousness and phenomena directly. Through this method, we aim to integrate the profound “knowing” experienced during astonishment into our everyday understanding, thereby uncovering the essential nature of phenomena beyond our usual interpretative frameworks.
“There is an experience in which it is possible for us to come to the world with no knowledge or preconceptions in hand; it is the experience of astonishment. The “knowing” we have in this experience stands in stark contrast to the “knowing” we have in our everyday lives, where we come to the world with theory and “knowledge” in hand, our minds already made up before we ever engage the world. However, in the experience of astonishment, our everyday “knowing,” when compared to the “knowing” that we experience in astonishment, is shown up as a pale epistemological imposter and is reduced to mere opinion by comparison” (Cogan, n.d., para. 1).
This passage inspired me to understand that phenomenological reduction involves, within the experience of astonishment, stripping away the frameworks and preconceptions through which we interpret the world. By re-engaging with objects in an entirely new and unknown state, we can discover their essence. I noticed that many artists employ similar techniques to defamiliarize familiar objects—for example, by significantly enlarging or shrinking them, distorting their forms, or placing them in entirely different environments—to create a sense of unfamiliarity. This approach offers a new perspective for understanding these objects. Consequently, this idea has refined my goal: shifting from merely creating feelings of shock or oppression to purposefully inducing shifts in perspective.
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