This volume proposes an interdisciplinary framework that views attention from a particular angle: as a means of accessing, that is, disclosing the world in a practical and meaningful way. Moreover, it investigates how this access is concretely mediated. The book is structured in the following two parts: 1) Attention and Access The first section is concerned with attention as such. What is attention and what does it do? A common thread between the expected contributions addresses attention as a directional disclosing (...) process, opening up a possibility of access to the world. This section brings contributions from a cognitive psychology/neuroscience into dialogue with phenomenology and philosophy of mind; and links attention research to new paradigms, such as predictive coding, and 4e cognition. 2) Attention and Mediation The second section tackles the question of how this disclosing process may work. Concrete disclosing is always framed by different factors and frames the world. The contributions in this section spell out the different ways in which attention is mediated and shaped by technology, situations, sociality etc., and the ways in which attention mediates our access to the world. (shrink)

In diesem Band deckt Diego D'Angelo semiotische Strukturen in der Husserl’schen Phänomenologie der Wahrnehmung auf. Ist es der Phänomenologie darum zu tun, die Erfahrung von Dingen in unserer Umwelt zu beschreiben, so ist dabei der Begriff des Horizontes von zentraler Bedeutung: Was wir unmittelbar wahrnehmen, verweist immer schon auf anderes, was nur „mitgegeben“ ist. Wenn wir Dinge wahrnehmen, haben wir nur eine bestimmte Perspektive, d.h. wir sehen lediglich einen Aspekt. Aber wir nehmen immer ganze Gegenstände wahr (wir sehen Tische und (...) Stühle und andere Menschen). Jeder dieser Gegenstände erscheint in einem Feld weiterer Gegenstände, und es ist der Horizontbegriff, der es erlaubt, das Verhältnis zwischen Selbstgegebenheit und Mitgegebenheit zu explizieren. Dieses Buch stellt den ersten detaillierten Versuch dar, die Ursprünge solcher horizontaler Felder in semiotischen Strukturen zu suchen. Aus der Verbindung zwischen Husserls eigener Semiotik und seiner Phänomenologie der Wahrnehmung ergibt sich, dass das wahrgenommene Phänomen als Zeichen verstanden werden muss. Das Zeichen wiederum bezeichnet etwas, was in leiblicher Bewegung eingeholt werden kann. Mit der Verbindung von Leiblichkeit, Semiotik und Wahrnehmung thematisiert diese Monographie das Verhältnis zwischen folgenden phänomenologischen Forschungsgebieten: • Husserls Semiotik der Wahrnehmung in den Logischen Untersuchungen • Phänomenologische Raumanalyse – kinästhetische Indikation • Horizont und Noema • Passive Anzeige • Zeichen und Leiblichkeit als Grundlagen der Fremderfahrung • Genetische Phänomenologie und Semiotik der Erfahrung • Protentionen und teleologische Semiose • Induktion und Ursprung des menschlichen Ichs Das Buch eröffnet die Möglichkeit, Husserls Phänomenologie jenseits einer Metaphysik der Präsenz zu verstehen. Zudem leisten D'Angelos Einzeluntersuchungen einen Beitrag zu aktuellen Diskussionen in der Philosophie der leiblichen Kognition. – Eine hilfreiche Leseempfehlung für • Interessierte Themenneulinge • Bachelor- und Masterstudenten der Geisteswissenschaften • Hochschulabsolventen sowie Forschungswissenschaftler. (shrink)

In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Reviewed by:Movements of the Mind. A Theory of Attention, Intention and Action by Wayne WuDiego D’AngeloWU, Wayne. Movements of the Mind. A Theory of Attention, Intention and Action. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023. 257 pp. Cloth, $80.00Wayne Wu presented a theory of attention as selection-for-action in 2014. According to this theory, given a behavioral space in which the agent has multiple inputs and outputs to choose from, attention involves (...) the selection of a particular course of action, that is, of certain outputs based on certain inputs. In the present work Wu puts to use the selection-for-action theory to shed light on the broader topic of the “movements of the mind”: intentionality and action. Action and movement are mostly not intended as bodily movement: By focusing on mental actions Wu aims to simplify philosophical explanations. His overall theoretical approach remains consistent with his work on attention, which involves a quest to develop rigorous philosophical concepts while incorporating insights from the empirical sciences. Interestingly, biology takes precedence over cognitive sciences and psychology for him; he says, “I aspire to a biology of agency” in which philosophical analysis must respond to “empirical friction.” In this framework, this book puts forth four main claims. The first concerns the general structure of action—action arises from solving a selection problem. Second, intentional actions can be differentiated from unintentional actions using the concepts of automaticity and control. Third, Wu argues that attention is a necessary aspect of every theory of action. Fourth, he claims that intention is practical memory for action. These four are woven throughout the different chapters of his book.The first part analyzes the structure of action along three axes: how the agent “takes things to be” as the basis for selection, the agent’s response to those things, and the biases that explain the link between perceptions and responses. In the second part, Wu presents a theory of intention as practical memory. The theory is surprising, as Wu himself acknowledges when he says, “The approach to intention will, I think, jar many readers.” And indeed, it does, but Wu provides strong arguments, and future work will determine if the theory is feasible. The third part of the book explores the implications of his theory of action for specific forms and aspects of action; the first chapter in this section deals with automaticity and biases, [End Page 734] the second deals with deductive reasoning, and the third deals with introspection.According to Wu’s theory, action involves a complex combination of elements. The agent is faced with many inputs and potential outputs within a behavioral space. She takes inputs in a certain way: The way she sees things is influenced by myriad aspects, such as intentions and biases of various forms. Action and intending to act are solutions to the problem of selecting appropriate inputs and outputs. Wu thematizes the role of attention in this process of selection. Attention comes in three different forms. It can be an action itself (“attending,” for example, in searching for something); it can mean “vigilance” as readiness to act; and most importantly, attention is “mental guidance.” Every action is guided by attention insofar as a selection problem must be solved: Attention is guiding when perceptual input “plays a functional role of guiding.” Attention also shapes the agent’s actions through remembering, and remembering in turn is nothing else then attending to remembered content. This attended content provides the agent with biases and reasons to select a particular course of action. Therefore, intending to act is nothing else than practical memory, that is, memory put to work in the choice of actions.One particular type of action that is crucially important for philosophical research is introspection. According to Wu, introspection, like every kind of mental action, is not entirely reliable—as some theories would have it—or entirely unreliable but, instead, depends on context. Like any other action, introspection follows the same guiding principle, attention, specifically, perceptual attention. Therefore, introspection is a particular type of perceptual experience where attention is focused on one’s own mental states. In this way, Wu establishes criteria for veridical introspective reports, such... (shrink)

Review of Lee Braver's 2012 book, Groundless Grounds: A Study of Wittgenstein and Heidegger.

This paper develops the concept of ‘creative attention’. Against classical theories that understand attention as a spotlight that brings objects into focus, I will argue that attention is a complex phenomenon structured in different layers. The most basic layer is perceptual, passive and pre-predicative: at this level, attention is creative – and this is the central claim of this paper – because it institutes meanings and rules for our behaviour.

Trotz anhaltender Debatten über Determinismus und Freiheit ist der Sinn von Freiheit weit davon entfernt, ein klar umrissenes philosophisches Problem darzustellen. Betrachtet man Versuche, menschliche Freiheit zu beweisen, und Diskussionen um die soziale Normierung von Freiheit, so ist selten klar, ob hier von einem einheitlichen Phänomen die Rede ist. Aufgrund der Komplexität der Debatten und der historischen Tiefe des Problems lässt sich die Freiheit nicht einer einzelnen Teildisziplin der Philosophie zuordnen. Wer sich auf einen Bestimmungsversuch des Begriffs einlässt, muss zugleich (...) das Verhältnis von Theorie und Praxis klären. Die Untersuchung der Freiheit führt daher nicht zuletzt zu einer immer wieder neu zu vollziehenden Selbstverortung der Philosophie. (shrink)

The aim of this paper is to offer a phenomenological interpretation of Aristotle’s approach to the sense of touch. The first part of this text deals with the role of touch in De Anima and states the central point of the argument to be developed: to show that touch has an ontological function insofar as it is the condition of possibility for accessing objects as objects. Some methodological considerations are required in order to delineate the overall context in which the (...) present contribution has to be understood. Not dealing with a philological reconstruction, nor with a perspective focusing on the history of philosophy, this text aims at a systematic approach to the question, taking Aristotle as its starting point. (shrink)

l nostro obiettivo è di rintracciare l'origine dell'autocoscienza attraverso una indagine filosofica che, a partire dalle ricerche di Darwin, segue il filo che lega lo scienziato inglese alle concezioni pragmatiste sviluppate da Mead e Wright, i quali hanno messo in evidenza alcuni aspetti chiave che sviluppiamo poi in una ricostruzione sistematica e genealogica condotta con l'aiuto della fenomenologia classica e della filosofia di Carlo Sini.

Kevin Liggieri, »Anthropotechnik«. Zur Geschichte eines umstrittenen Begriffs, Konstanz: Konstanz University Press 2020.

New Realism and Phenomenology: Editor's Introduction.

The present contribution tackle the question of which kind of philosophy is apt to thinking contemporary Europe. In order to thematize this problem, the philosophy of Roberto Esposito is analyzed in detail. The central idea of the paper is that contemporary politics cannot be founded upon classical metaphysical instances, such as God, a teleological structur, or some other moral good. The foundation of contemporary politics must rely in politics itself. Esposito’s philosophy of the “impolitico” can help us in thiking this. (...) Following his path, we claim that Europe is to be conceived as a political structure that has its origin in its own “outside”: Europe must take responsibility for its constitute lack of identity, for its own fragility. In this fragility and in the community of death lies the potential for an immanent foundation of European politics. (shrink)

1. Einleitung 2. Das Berühren im Buch Θ der Metaphysik 3. Berühren und praktisches Zu-tun-haben-mit 4. Der dreifache Sinn von Zeigen und die Wahrheit 5. Das Leiben. Anknüpfung zu dem späten Heidegger Bibliographie.

If one takes Heidegger at his word then his philosophy is about pursuing different "paths" of thought rather than defining a single set of truths. This volume gathers the work of an international group of scholars to present a range of ways in which Heidegger can be read and a diversity of styles in which his thought can be continued. Despite their many approaches to Heidegger, their hermeneutic orientation brings these scholars together. The essays span themes from the ontic to (...) the ontological, from the specific to the speculative. While the volume does not aim to present a comprehensive interpretation of Heidegger's later thought, it covers much of the terrain of his later thinking and presents new directions for how Heidegger should and should not be read today. Scholars of Heidegger's later thought will find rich and original readings that expand considerations of Heidegger's entire oeuvre. (shrink)