Coexistence of transcendental and empirical ego in Husserl's Phenomenology

Husserl's phenomenology grapples with the identity of the transcendental ego, which is the subjective source of all experience. The theory faces criticisms for ambiguities, especially concerning the relationship between the pure transcendental ego and the empirical ego (the self as an object in the world). Husserl argues that the experimental ego can recognize itself in multiple ways and produce new egos with unique streams of consciousness. He posits a coexistence of transcendental and empirical ego, emphasizing two perspectives: viewing the ego as a worldly object or analyzing experience to uncover its inherent structures. The transcendental ego, revealed through transcendental reduction, provides access to an absolute realm of existence.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This research has investigated the challenge of transcendental ego identity in Husserl's phenomenology. On the one hand, the central position of this theory, the ambiguities and fundamental criticisms from philosophers affiliated with the phenomenology tradition reveal the necessity of research in this regard. Based on the general picture he presents of the nature of egoic life and its ability to split, Husserl deals with the relationship between pure and empirical ego, which has been considered the central point of criticism. Based on the thesis of the production of a transcendental ego through the activity of the specific experimental ego, he has expressed the theory that the experimental ego has the basic ability to recognize itself in different ways and to start producing a multitude of new egos, each of which it has its unique stream of consciousness. Therefore, Husserl, while expressing the idea of the coexistence of the transcendental and empirical ego, has emphasized two ways of looking at the ego. Ego can also be viewed as an object in the world or from the perspective of the relationship between experience and the world to discover the inherent structures of experience. Therefore, the transcendental ego, as the only phenomenological residue of transcendental reduction, allows us to access a new area of existence that is absolute.