The ontolog­ical status of socio-cultural entities as an object of phenomenological critique (A. Schutz, R. Ingraden)

Abstract

The paper presents a phenomenological approach to the study of socio-cultural subject matters, which are viewed as the transcendental foundations of the social and ontological status of the objects of culture – in post-Husserlian Phenomenology (in the works of such followers of E. Husserl’s as A. Schutz and R. Ingarden). The authors show that in the process of elaboration of the ideas of “late” Husserl Schutz and Ingraden introduce origi­nal principles of socio-cultural analysis for phenomenological sociology, phenomenologi­cal ontology and aesthetics. In its analysis of the meaningful structure of the social world, social phenomenology develops analytical tools that can be used in an investigation of the transcendental foundations of sociality as well as cognitive background of commu­nicative practices. Furthermore, within his “phenomenological ontology” R. Ingarden creates an original system of categories for socio-cultural objects investigations and re­veals the specific character of the intentional component of the ideal subject matter of culture. It is shown that the phenomenological ontology of culture as an intentionally constituted reality is transcendental with respect to human consciousness as well as its own material foundations. The socio-cultural reality is generated by the creative activity of the human mind. Despite its contingent nature, it transcends the boundaries of the nat­ural world transforming it into a meaningful human-created reality.