Returning To Immanence:A Brief Analysis Of Michel Henry's Phenomenology

the most distinguishing feature of Michel Henry's phenomenology is its radical immanence.The essence that he wants to reveal is the origin of conscience.The essence,which plays the role of constituting,must exclude any exterior element which is constituted.The constituting must be clearly distinguished with the constituted.The essence is auto-affection and it does not surpass itself,therefore it is radical immanent and stays out of the phenomenon as the phenomenon is something exterior.Henry demonstrated firstly that the condition of phenomenon is the opening of the horizon and therefore differentiated the horizon and the totality of phenomena.Then henry demonstrated that the essence constitutes the pure horizon and it is auto-affection which is radical immanent.Henry reached the radical immanence of the essence after these two steps.As the foundation of all the phenomenon,the essence is radical exteriority at the same time.Henry defined the concept of transcendence with a new meaning and the immanence is the essence of transcendence.It is an inverse of the transcendence.Henry's new immanent phenomenology also meets its own problem.Because the essence is totally enclosed for the exteriority,the problem of the independence of the essence becomes a criticize for Michel Henry's phenomenology.The theme of this paper is to analysis the process of how Henry return to that radical immanence and the root of its criticize of the problem of independence.