Husserl and Heidegger on the Social Dimensions of the Life-World

Abstract

In this paper, I argue that HusserlHusserl, Edmund ’s and HeideggerHeidegger, Martin ’s views on the social embeddedness of human existence in everyday life are actually much closer than is commonly recognised. In contrast to HusserlHusserl, Edmund ’s emphasis on the reflective individuality of the transcendental ego as a requirement of philosophical methodology, his analyses of everyday life, for instance in his Ideas II, show that he is well aware that personal life is essentially embedded in historical, cultural and social frameworks that provide the background for individuals beliefs, attitudes and actions. This parallels in important ways HeideggerHeidegger, Martin ’s analysis of Dasein Dasein ’s essential character of ‘Being-with’ and of the ‘Man’ (the ‘everybody’) as the predominant mode of daily life. Both also stress the ability of persons or Dasein to step back and critically reflect on these default frameworks, thereby appropriating or modifying them as one’s own.