Real Ontology (A Phenomenological Exploration of Reality)

Real Ontology, which originally appeared in Husserl’s Jahrbuch für Philosophie series, is one of the first comprehensive phenomenological accounts of reality. It is a key text in the ontological stream of phenomenology, inspired by Pfänder and Reinach, and represented by the members of the Göttingen School who were Husserl’s first phenomenological students. Conrad-Martius played a central role in this circle. Real Ontology sets forth most fully the phenomenological arguments for exploring the reality of the external world in a way that escapes the philosophical traps of modernity through the use of the phenomenological method. The first chapter investigates reality, the second materiality, the third the formation of elements with divisions focusing on material constitution, auditory phenomena, temperature, and light. Conrad-Martius was widely read in the natural sciences and applies her deep knowledge of contemporary discussions in these disciplines to her investigation into the nature of things that underlies the manifestation of particular phenomena. This is a crucial text not only for understanding the development of early phenomenology, but for seeing how reality can be grounded and investigated with phenomenologicacal tools.