Lacan and Phenomenology (1): Lacan as "phenomenologically oriented"?

While by the time of Seminar III, Lacan had declared his opposition to phenomenology (via an attack on "the myth of immediate experience"), it turns out that he is perhaps more indebted to phenomenological philosophical ideas than may have initially been expected. We cite Alain Badiou's account of Lacan's break from phenomenology, while also stressing how certain phenomenological ideas (the notion of the subject and the importance of the speaking subject's account of their own understands and experiences) would prove foundation to Lacan's work. By means of reference to Lacan's paper 'Beyond the Reality Principle' and his doctoral thesis, we consider how, in his early work, Lacan can be said to have been "phenomenologically oriented".

[@FuchsiaRiv]

Thank you so much

[@gdhjdnsjsjdj]

Great stuff. Maybe there's an interesting overlap here with more recent phenomenology, i.e., Gallagher's factual reduction and phenomenological interview as developed by Danish phenomenologists.

[@fredwelf8650]

I liked the similarity of the epoche and free association. I wonder how you would critique Adorno’s reception of Husserl.

[@jankan4027]

Husserl followed Principle of All Principles and eidetic variation that is even closer to free association.

[@EMC2Scotia]

The Klein-Lacan videos have stopped?

[@screensaves]

xx

[@jankan4027]

I doubt that Husserl was talking about direct experience or lived experience in such a naive way. On the contrary, we take the lived experience for granted and can seriously investigate and understand it philosophically only after we have performed the epoche.

[@fredwelf8650]

I thought Husserl was talking about lived experience; it is important to remember that he discusses as many as 7 distinct types of bracketings as composing the epoche.

[@jankan4027]

@@fredwelf8650 Yes, what do you mean?

[@fredwelf8650]

@@jankan4027 By lived experience I would include perceptions, thoughts and images, and dreams. The key term in phenomenology is ‘bracketing’ which was also used by Husserl. In Ideas, 1913, around p96-101, he discusses three forms of bracketing. The epoché or phenomenological attitude The phenomenological psychological reduction The transcendental phenomenological reduction He also described universal epoche and local epoche which involves the suspension of judgment. Bracketing involves as method: Setting aside the question of the real existence of the contemplated object Setting aside all other questions about its physical or objective nature Suspending our natural attitudes and assumptions Concentrating on what is immediately presented to consciousness The main idea is to clarify our viewpoint about an object or situation or worldview. That is, to become aware of our assumptions, presuppositions and conditional actions.

[@jankan4027]

@@fredwelf8650 Yes, that is the main idea and that is why I say that the accusation against phenomenology that it accepts as true only the "directly given" is a misunderstanding of phenomenology. Phenomenology is first of all the description of what is given to us and how it is given to us; it is the study of phenomena. We very quickly grasp that phenomena are given to us under certain conditions which we can theorise, but only on the basis of experience itself, otherwise we would merely be wandering in high altitude thinking.

[@fredwelf8650]

@@jankan4027 I detect a definite pragmatic interests in phenomenology, namely, an interest in the effects of a phenomenon, that is, the appearance or being of a state of affairs must be comprehended for what it is and its effects. Also, any state of affairs or situation as a phenomenon, observable, contains potential consequences necessitating a response that anticipates or limits that potential. Making these inferences requires the bracketing of the natural attitude, and other assumptions and presuppositions, to clearly make decisions on how to cope with effects and with potential consequences: the two heads of the pragmatic snake!

[@aso5171]

I suggest you educate yourself way more about phenomenology if you think it naively assumes immediate access to the world. There's an entire genetic phenomenology.

[@CRManor]

Eat your Dasein.