Phenomenology

Philosophical method/discipline, typically associated with 20th century Psychology (Husserl) and Existential Philosophy (Heidegger, Sartre, Merleau-Ponty). One of the aims of Phenomenology is to attempt to describe something (an object, an experience) directly, seperately from its preconceived origins or causal explanations. Most of our experiences are clouded by preconceptions. By identifying these preconceptions, it was thought that Phenomenology could help us distinguish between what is real and what is appearance.