European Intellectual History since Nietzsche: Class 17, Husserl’s Children, Searching for the Other

The lecture provides a clear and accessible introduction to the phenomenological problem of intersubjectivity, tracing the development from Husserl to Heidegger and hinting at Levinas. Professor Shore’s pedagogical approach is effective: she uses concrete examples (the cube, the Barbie movie) to illustrate abstract concepts, making the material relatable. The argumentation is logically structured, moving from Husserl’s epistemological framing to Heidegger’s ontological reorientation, and she highlights the limitations of each approach. However, the lecture is not without weaknesses. It is primarily a survey, and as such, it does not delve deeply into the nuances of the philosophers’ arguments. For instance, Husserl’s Fifth Cartesian Meditation is mentioned but not thoroughly analyzed, and Heidegger’s complex terminology is simplified. The lecture also assumes a certain familiarity with the history of philosophy, which might be challenging for absolute beginners. In terms of sources, the lecture relies on the instructor’s expertise and does not cite specific texts or page numbers, which limits its verifiability. Nevertheless, the content is consistent with mainstream scholarship in continental philosophy. The title accurately reflects the content, and the lecture fulfills its educational purpose. Overall, it is a valuable resource for students seeking an overview of this topic, but it should be supplemented with primary readings.

The title accurately reflects the content: the lecture focuses on Husserl's legacy and the problem of intersubjectivity, as explored by his successors.

8/10

Lecture by a Yale professor, part of an accredited course, with clear philosophical exposition and references to primary texts. However, no direct citations of sources are provided in the video itself, and the content is interpretive rather than empirically verified.

Markers derived by PSI from the transcript: the creator did not define chapters.

• 00:00Introduction: the problem of intersubjectivity and the shift from subject-object to subject-subject relations.
• 02:00Discussion of Hegel's master-slave dialectic as a background for understanding alienation and recognition.
• 05:00Simone de Beauvoir's use of the master-slave dialectic to analyze gender relations and the instrumentalization of women.
• 10:00Introduction to phenomenology and Husserl's focus on the transcendental ego and intentionality.
• 15:00Husserl's Fifth Cartesian Meditation and his attempt to solve the intersubjectivity problem through analogy and a community of monads.
• 20:00The example of the cube: how multiple perspectives confirm a shared world.
• 25:00Critique of Husserl: the other remains an object for consciousness; the sphere of ownness and the apodicticity of the ego.
• 30:00Heidegger's response: being-in-the-world as being-with-others; the 'with-world' and Mitsein.
• 35:00Heidegger's distinction between authenticity and inauthenticity, and the role of death in authentic existence.
• 40:00The unresolved question of authentic relations with others, leading to Levinas's ethics of the Other.

• Course materials and syllabus — Provided in the video description for further study.
• Full course playlist — Provided in the video description for access to other lectures.

• Husserl's Fifth Cartesian Meditation — The lecture references this text as the primary source for Husserl's account of intersubjectivity.
• Heidegger's Being and Time — The lecture draws on Heidegger's concepts of Mitsein and being-toward-death from this work.

• Critique of Husserl's solution — The lecturer expresses dissatisfaction with Husserl's account, which is a common critique in secondary literature.