Friday, June 17, 2016

Intentionality and Ego-in-the-World

Since Marcuse is a student of Heidegger, it might not be surprising if in the Ego-Universe connection of Freud's Primary Narcissism he recognizes the structure of Being-in-the-World.  Nor might it be a coincidence, since, Heidegger's Husserlian Phenomenology is derived from the Intentionality of Brentano, a one-time teacher of Freud.  Intentionality is a variety of Perspectivism, according to which an Object of Consciousness is distinct from the latter, but, as posited by the latter, is also distinct from a physical object.  In other words, the Intentional Object is for-me, and is neither in-me nor in-itself.  But, while Husserl carefully observes the distinction between for-me and in-itself, Heidegger does not.  Most glaring is that his  Being-in-the-World entails a concept of a World that is in-itself, i. e. it should be Being-in-my-World.  More subtle is his conflation of the methodologically proper Being-with-Others, and Being-one-with-Another, the latter of which is abstracted from any Intentional ground.  Such deviations may be of little immediate consequence to Freud, for whom Secondary Narcissism is the focus, but for Marcuse's effort to develop a concept of an integrated society on that of Primary Narcissism, they are significant structural flaws.

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