Hosted by the Mita Philosophical Society

2021/02/24

Workshop Overview:

Husserl's reflections on time, for which he continued to write research manuscripts from his early to his late years, have come to be interpreted as relating to the limits of the phenomenological theory of reflection—which uses the constitutive analysis of objects of consciousness as its method—particularly after the problem of the "riddle of the living present" (Husserl) was raised. The leading proponent of this interpretation in Germany is Klaus Held, the author of *Lebendige Gegenwart* (1966). In Japan, Keiten Saito and others have built upon this interpretation to extend phenomenology into the problematics of postwar French post-structuralist philosophy, including figures like Emmanuel Levinas and Jacques Derrida (e.g., Keiten Saito, "Shikō no Rinkai: Chōetsuronteki Genshōgaku no Tettei" [The Limits of Thought: A Thorough Investigation of Transcendental Phenomenology], 2000).

In recent years, Daisuke Sato (Okayama University) has vigorously countered these trends in works such as "Is the Problem of Reflection Really a Problem? A Reexamination of Husserl's Early Theory of Time" (in *Tetsugaku*, no. 70, ed. The Philosophical Association of Japan, 2019). We have therefore organized this workshop to provide an opportunity for Sato and Saito to engage in direct discussion and, together with the participants, to reconsider questions such as what was truly happening in Husserl's phenomenology, what should be identified as the core problem, and what the scope and potential developments of that problem are. The workshop will be moderated by Genki Uemura (Okayama University), a leading figure driving the vibrant phenomenological research scene in contemporary Japan through his work with the Phenomenological Association of Japan, Husserl-Studies in Japan, and other organizations.

The workshop will begin with 40-minute presentations by both Sato and Saito. After a break, the final hour will be entirely dedicated to a discussion between the presenters and the audience.