Logo

Synopsis This volume is a collection of essays written by the renowned philosopher, J.N. Mohanty. Covering a span of over 25 years (1970-97), the essays provide insights into Mohanty’s vision of phenomenology in general and Husserl’s ideas in particular. The essays in the first part are directly concerned with the phenomenological method and central themes of phenomenology, especially the concept of intentionality. The essays in the second part deal with certain general philosophical problems and concepts such as time and history, religion, and psychology. The collection provides not only a preliminary orientation to Husserlian phenomenology but also insights into hermeneutics, post-structuralism, and deconstructionism in the context of the philosophical views of Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty, and Ricoeur. It contains a lucid and critical discussion of some of the central issues which form the foundation of Husserlian transcendental phenomenology, e.g. intentionality, noema, descriptive philosophy, essence, and meaning. Bina Gupta, the editor of the collection, in an informed introduction provides a general account of Husserl’s philosophy which serves as a frame of reference for the essays in the volume. She also discusses the points of overlap between the Indian philosophical tradition and the transcendental phenomenology of Husserl, including the nature of consciousness, and the problem of inter-subjectivity. This book will be important for scholars in western phenomenology and those who wish to pursue phenomenology from a cross-cultural perspective.