Killing the straw man
Dennett and phenomenology
pp. 21-43
Abstract
Can phenomenology contribute to the burgeoning science of consciousness? Dennett’s reply would probably be that it very much depends upon the type of phenomenology in question. In my paper I discuss the relation between Dennett’s heterophenomenology and the type of classical philosophical phenomenology that one can find in Husserl, Scheler and Merleau-Ponty. I will in particular be looking at Dennett’s criticism of classical phenomenology. How vulnerable is it to Dennett’s criticism, and how much of a challenge does his own alternative constitute? I will argue that there are some rather marked differences between these two approaches to consciousness, but as I also hope to make clear, Dennett’s own account of where the differences are located is off target and ultimately based on a somewhat flawed conception of what classical phenomenology amounts to.
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Publication details
Published in:
(2007) Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences 6 (1-2).
Pages: 21-43
DOI: 10.1007/s11097-006-9038-7
Full citation:
Zahavi Dan (2007) „Killing the straw man: Dennett and phenomenology“. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences 6 (1-2), 21–43.