Schutz on Phenomenology and Key Theorists

Quiz Week before Thanksgiving break.
Last chapter is Chapter 14: Post-Structuralism (Michel Foucault, Edward Said, Pierre Bourdieu) after Thanksgiving.

This chapter is centered on phenomenology, considered fun yet challenging to teach.
Four theorists discussed:
- Alfred Schutz (main figure in applying phenomenology to social sciences)
- Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann (treated as one entity for the purposes of study because of their collaborative work)
- Dorothy Smith (to be covered later)

Focuses on importing phenomenology into the social sciences.
Key philosophical concepts:
- From individual consciousness and subjectivity, Schutz examines how individuals experience their world.
- Phenomenology aims for a rigorous examination of how things appear in consciousness.
Real vs. imagined experiences:
- Phenomenology does not distinguish between what is real or imagined; all experiences in consciousness are relevant.
- Raises questions about the nature of consciousness (e.g., how to distinguish between dreaming, hallucinating, or reality).

Rooted in the word phenomenon, refers to the study of phenomena as they appear in consciousness.
Aimed at understanding subjectivity and consciousness.
Contrasts objectivity common in Western thought (associating science with facts).
Attempts to construct a science of subjectivity from raw sensory data, ignoring the cause of perception.

Bracketing/Epoche: The method of setting aside all preconceptions to analyze consciousness from scratch.
Example: Analyzing fear without relying on scientific definitions or psychological interpretations—focusing solely on the raw sensory experience instead.

Kant’s division between empiricism (observation/sensory data) and rationalism (abstract thought) is fundamental to understanding contemporary social sciences.
Introduces phenomena (appearances) vs. noumena (deep essences).
Phenomenology posits that through deep interrogation of consciousness, we may access deeper truths (noumena), contrary to Kant who believed only appearances were accessible.

Life World: Schutz's concept representing the taken-for-granted assumptions in everyday existence, termed Lebenswelt in German.
Focuses on the ordinary, mundane activities often overlooked in sociological study.
Challenges traditional historical focus on exceptional occurrences, urging a look at routine actions.

Schutz (1899-1959) was influenced by thinkers such as Max Weber and Edmund Husserl.
He migrated to the US, where he influenced students like Berger and Luckmann.
His key work: "Phenomenology of the Social World" (1932).

Schutz's ideas influence symbolic interactionism, emphasizing shared meanings and social constructions in everyday interactions.

Stocks of Knowledge: Shared understandings and practices that guide social interactions.
Typification: General rules and patterns derived from individual experiences.
Recipes for Action: Guidelines for interacting with the social world based on learned knowledge.
Inter-subjectivity: The shared consciousness that develops through interactions between individuals.

Ethnomethodology (Harold Garfinkel): Focuses on the processes (practices) of social interactions rather than the meanings assigned to them.
- Breaching experiments are used to reveal how social norms operate by violating them.
- Contrasts phenomenology's emphasis on deeper cognitive processes and meanings.
Both fields examine everyday life, but differ in focus on meaning (phenomenology) versus practice (ethnomethodology).

Critiques of phenomenological methods:
- Limitations in addressing broader social constructs and patterns; may risk being overly subjective.
- The balance of habitualization (individual patterning) vs. institutionalization (formal societal structures).
- Difficulty of reaching 'pure' consciousness given inherent biases and preexisting knowledge.

Habitualization: Limiting human flexibility through repeated actions that become routine.
Institutionalization: When habitualization extends to become codified behaviors within societal structures; overlaps habitualization with formal social rules.

Externalization and objectification refer to how human actions attain an objective character, shaping perception of the social world.

Clarification needed in relation to reification, a Marxian concept initially viewed as problematic.
Berger and Luckmann’s view differs, suggesting that people may prefer reification for stability in social norms.

Review of Schutz leads into the discussion of Berger and Luckmann, particularly on the social construction of reality, emphasizing both individual conscious construction through social interactions and institutional frameworks.

Prepare for next session focusing on Berger and Luckmann, specifically on reification and its philosophical implications.