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160096

The concept of life in Ludwig Binswanger's phenomenological psychopathology

Anna Piazza

pp. 451-460

Abstract

Ludwig Binswanger's work consists of applying the phenomenological method in psychology, thereby distancing the discipline from the epistemological status of a natural science, which tended to grasp the human being by resolving him into something objectifiable. He makes use of Heidegger's concept(s) of Dasein and In-der-Welt-sein, which allows him to understand the alienated individual as one who found, in "alienation," a specific modality of being in the world, and he takes advantage of Husserl's transcendental analysis, seeing intentional consciousness as the essential nucleus of the psychopathological method. In this regard, the starting point for observation is the interior story of the psychophysical individual as totality of Erleben. From there, two points have to be stressed: on one side, the noematic ensemble (the essential structure of consciousness), and on the other side, the peculiarity that the concept of life obtains here, and always as intentionally-directed life.Binswanger realizes as well an "inversion" of method, insofar as he notices how the Erlebnis and knowledge of it is the original phenomenon: on the basis of this knowledge a "science of life" can be constructed; it in turn cannot be used to explain the phenomenon itself, however. My paper interrogates Binswanger's critique of particular historical conceptions of the human being and life, for example, that of Aristotle, and that of Freud's "homo natura." I bring out his idea of the psychic life of man, as uniqueness and historical unity, one "determined by presence," by considering his analysis of Heraclitus' Weltanschauung, wherein is achieved an idea of man in his "cosmic aspect," also understood as "worldly transcendence."

Publication details

Published in:

Smith William S, Smith Jadwiga, Verducci Daniela (2018) Eco-Phenomenology: life, human life, post-human life in the harmony of the Cosmos. Dordrecht, Springer.

Pages: 451-460

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-77516-6_35

Full citation:

Piazza Anna (2018) „The concept of life in Ludwig Binswanger's phenomenological psychopathology“, In: W.S. Smith, J. Smith & D. Verducci (eds.), Eco-Phenomenology, Dordrecht, Springer, 451–460.