The Aesthetic Ideas: Based On The Husserl's Phenomenology

Phenomenology is undoubtedly one of the important philosophical schools in the twentieth century. Despite the divergent views about phenomenology, but it is beyond doubt that as a philosophical category the phenomenology's original creator is Husserl. From this starting point, it has raised an unprecedented, magnificent phenomenological movement which continued for over half a century. Corresponding to the prosperous development of philosophy, the phenomenology has also brought out the countless great accomplishment in the field of aesthetics appeared Heidegger, Ingarden, Dufrenne, Merleau-Ponty, Geiger, and so on. Although these persons' phenomenological and aesthetic thoughts have the direct relatedness with Husserl's phenomenology, they also have their own distinctive features. In other words, most of them used their own phenomenological points to explain aesthetics; they are no strict accordance with Husserl's thought itself to interpret the aesthetics.We know that Husserl himself is not much direct analysis of aesthetics. Most of these views on the aesthetics scatter in his writings, and almost no specific study on the topic of aesthetics itself. However, it doesn't mean that phenomenological idea and the method of Husserl may not be applied to aesthetic analysis. Our aesthetic analysis is mainly based on Husserl's phenomenology and takes it as the foundation. The resources of Husserl's thoughts are much closed to aesthetics in the following aspects:one is his excellent analysis about intentionality; one is analysis about intuition; one is the new definition about the relation between the phenomenon and the essence; there are still some analysis such as image consciousness and the life world theory. The phenomenology not only opposes the cause-effect analysis mode used by natural sciences, but also opposes traditional ways that are the induction and the deductive. The phenomenology takes the phenomenon which is given intuitively as the beginning of the study items. It does not set any pre-existing assumptions, nor use any reflection and perspective without a clear grasp. Intuitive act is the cornerstone of all other acts. In other words, other acts to get their evidence have to go back to the foundation of the intuitive act. As far as the aesthetics is concerned, what we are mainly used as an aesthetic person are the external perception and internal phantasy. In the aesthetic activity, we almost do not use concepts, let alone reasoning and deduction which based on the concepts. More specifically, the aesthetic act is an intuitive act. In this sense, the methods between the phenomenology and aesthetics have an inherent relevance.What's the Husserl's greatest contribution to philosophy is the presentation of intentionality. The theory of intentionality indicates a simple fact that generally speaking consciousness is always consciousness of something. Or, consciousness always has its object. For the external sensory, intentionality seems to be a commonplace fact, we believe that the occurring of our sense is always caused by some stimulus, but Husserl's intentionality is clearly not aimed at such a foreign fact in terms of the relationship of cause and effect. If we were to understand Husserl's theory of intentionality like this way, then the theory of intentionality does not show the necessity of the existence. What the intentionality aims at is one kind of the internal rule in the phenomena of consciousness. That is to say, in our internal perception, thinking, phantasy, memories, expectations, fantasies and other activities of consciousness, each of them acts with the intention of the corresponding object, and this object is not a substantial object, but a kind of spiritual or ideaistic object. For example, the flying horse in the phantasy and circular quadrangle in the mind are all one kinds of objects. Such kind of object theory breaks through the traditional theory of physical objects which to explain the psychological phenomenon with the external stimulus and penetrates to the black box of consciousness. In fact, if we recalled our aesthetics research, we'll find the same situation. We thought the beauty was generated by external physical stimulus with a pattern of psychological stimulation and we are seldom concerned about the inside aesthetic consciousness. Certainly, we also have the aesthetic psychology, also pays attention to the aesthetic sensation and the phantasy, but the source of our theories comes from a theory based on psychological model. It is lack for us that the research focuses on the formation and combining process of noema. The reason is that we have a foothold based on the external stimulus, so that our inherent lack of intention to take more in-depth reflection for the noema. In other words, for internal research of aesthetic consciousness, only by means of an experimental psychology research, only by means of a natural science research is not enough. Aesthetic is one kind of experience and reflection, and if we try to grasp it, it also entail the according self-reflection. Maybe we will laugh at Husserl's attempt to establish ideas of transcendental phenomenology through thinking oneself, but a kind of experience and reflection is essential for aesthetics and philosophy that belong to the humanities. One kind of the subject wills which break into the consciousness, one kind of reflection to grasp and the description for this grasp are also indispensable. Speaking of aesthetics, what it involves is not an external relationship between the subject and the object, more precisely, not just material composition of our physical organs, not just the proportion or form of the aesthetic object, but is closely related with our internal state of consciousness. At least, we can say that the aesthetic consciousness is an important aspect of aesthetics. In this respect, Husserl's phenomenology of consciousness is very important for us to grasp the aesthetic activity from the theoretical level.Husserl believe that the intentionality is one kind of structure which constitutes by the noema and the noesis. According to Husserl's theory of intentionality, we divide aesthetic consciousness into aesthetic act and aesthetic object. There has one kind of parallel corresponding relations in aesthetic act and the aesthetic object. In other words, the aesthetic act is the act with the corresponding aesthetic object, and the aesthetic object is the object in the certain aesthetic act. In this sense, it is meaningless to talk about the aesthetic object is determined by the aesthetic act or aesthetic act is determined by the aesthetic object. We are aware of the fact that our so-called aesthetic object in general practice does not mean the physical object that exists as a natural thing. For example, a painting, it is not in that pile of paper and color, but a perceptual image. If there is no corresponding consciousness point to the case, then this image will not exists for itself. From here if we recalled the past discussion of beauty, it is so ridiculous that we must be to find a first decision for the beauty and judge true or false as an aesthetic theory by materialistic or idealistic. In short, we believe, for the aesthetic experience, the aesthetic act of the noesis-side and the aesthetic object of the noema-side are two essential aspects to constitute the beauty. Aesthetic act and aesthetic object are the two aspects of one thing, and both are indispensable for beauty. Speaking of beauty, we must define it by these two aspects and carry on one kind of parallel corresponding definition.From the aesthetic act side, the aesthetic is an intuitive act. In Husserl's phenomenology, the intuition includes two kinds of act:perception and phantasy. Speaking of aesthetic activity, aesthetic activity no doubt is one intuitive act, but this intuitive act is different from the general intuitive act and it has one kind of special positionality. Firstly, the aesthetic intuition is a kind of affirmative intuition, or the beauty is one kind of intuitions that have defined. Because, the intuition involves two kinds of possibility:beauty and ugliness. Speaking of beauty, it certainly is one kind of affirmative intuition. The beauty is not only positive emotions from joy, but also often involve the significance of the human's being. Secondly, the proportion between perception and phantasy is different in the general intuition and in the aesthetic intuition. We know in the life world, just like Croce said, is occupied in intuitive act, but this intuition is mainly perception. Compared with the general daily perception, aesthetic intuition more takes phantasy as the primary intuitive act. Opposed to Dufrenne to focus on perception and Sartre's admiration for the phantasy, we believe that perception and phantasy are all involved in the aesthetic intuition, but the proportion is different. Accurately speaking, aesthetic intuition takes the phantasy as the center and the perception as the edge to organize itself. The perception in the aesthetic intuition plays the role of instantiation. Furthermore, in the general sense we thought that intuition is the instant, one-time act; but according to phenomenological opinion, we regard aesthetic intuition as a process of existence. In the first place, just as Husserl said that the consciousness was a Heraclitus'river and the consciousness is flowing by the internal time. In the second place, according to Husserl's classification of image consciousness, we should regard the aesthetic object as a structural existence. Compared with this opinion, we regard the aesthetic intuition as a combined process.From the aesthetic object side, the beauty is one kind of phenomena. This phenomenon exists as a hierarchical structure. According to Husserl's image consciousness theory, we divide the structure into three levels:medium carrier level, reappearing object level, ideaistic object level. In this kind of structure level, the core is the reappearing object level which we also name it demonstrative content level. We think that the aesthetic object is one kind of image object, rather than the physical object. It is merely the physical object that corresponds to one kind of aesthetic act attributes or qualities. It is merely a kind of attribute or quality which the physical object appears in the aesthetic act. For example, the audible quality of audition and visual quality, shape, features in the vision, and so on. Therefore, the physical works of art, as well as the object which the works of art really pointed to (if it has a real object in reality) is not the aesthetic object and it is only the possible carrier of the aesthetic object. Accurately speaking, the aesthetic object is only the phenomenon of the substance or the object in the corresponding aesthetic act. Therefore, we say that the aesthetic object is not the physical object, nor is works, but the object in the corresponding act or a phenomenon if we speak exactly. Since the aesthetic object is a phenomenon, while the phenomenon always means "appear about something", thus the "something" is a kind of essence or ideas. As far as aesthetics is concerned, it must be the object of idea which is relevant to the significance of human being. However, as far as the aesthetic experience in the life world is concerned, not every aesthetic activity is relevant to a clear significance of being. Therefore, in this sense, the pure beauty is and can only be an intuitive phenomenon. Of course, in the sense of experience, beauty often has one kind of valuable positionality. This value may be an emotional belief, or may be one kind of truth of being. Briefly, there is one affirmative belief for the meaning of life.In addition, Husserl regards the life world as the basic world for all kinds'of scientific worlds. The life world is the source of the meaning for the science, and if science attempts to get its primary evidence, it can only go back to the life world. Speaking of beauty, it is originally a way of being which belongs to the life world. To make the aesthetics gets rid of the traditional pattern which regards the art works as the aesthetic object and returns to the life world itself, it will enable aesthetics to have a secular odor and perceptual nature. It is also a counteraction to the traditional aesthetic ideas that put emphasis on the spirit.