This electronic thesis or dissertation has been downloaded from Explore Bristol Research, http://research-information.bristol.ac.uk Author: Atkinson, Rachel N Title: A Phenomenological Approach to Contemporary Politics General rights Access to the thesis is subject to the Creative Commons Attribution - NonCommercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International Public License. A copy of this may be found at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode This license sets out your rights and the restrictions that apply to your access to the thesis so it is important you read this before proceeding. Take down policy Some pages of this thesis may have been removed for copyright restrictions prior to having it been deposited in Explore Bristol Research. 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A Phenomenological Approach to Contemporary Politics Rachel Naomi Atkinson A dissertation submitted to the University of Bristol in accordance with the requirements for award of the degree of MPhil in the Faculty of Arts, Philosophy Department, September 2019 Word Count: 24604 1 Contemporary British politics seems to be rife with confusion, conflict, and complexities. All of which is creating a feeling of political apathy. The very way we interact with one another in the sphere of politics is becoming more and more challenged. With the right approach we can begin to understand not only our engagement within politics but also our relationships with others within this complex domain. Despite the many, and varied, approaches to politics, I find there to be something missing. A new perspective is needed, one that can enable us to get to the heart of the problem. This fresh approach will be phenomenological in nature, and will adhere to Heidegger’s phenomenology as portrayed in Being and Time. In spite of the concern surrounding Heidegger’s own participation in politics, I believe that Being and Time still contains much that can be employed in this project. By framing intersubjective relationships in terms of authenticity it will become clear just how damaging our interactions with others have become, including within the realm of British politics. I intend to explore Heidegger’s concept of Mitsein and then supplement it with an amalgamation of: Lawrence Vogel’s and Werner Marx’s reconstructions of Mitsein; and Lauren Freeman’s account of Heideggerian recognition. All of which will help me establish a refreshing Heideggerian approach to contemporary politics. 2 I declare that the work in this dissertation was carried out in accordance with the requirements of the University's Regulations and Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes and that it has not been submitted for any other academic award. Except where indicated by specific reference in the text, the work is the candidate's own work. Work done in collaboration with, or with the assistance of, others, is indicated as such. Any views expressed in the dissertation are those of the author. SIGNED: .... ............................ DATE:.......................... 3 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................ 6 A PHENOMENOLOGICAL APPROACH ........................................................................................... 6 Methodology ................................................................................................................................................. 7 Heidegger’s Involvement in the Nazi Party .................................................................................................. 11 Heidegger’s Being and Time ........................................................................................................................ 13 Dasein ......................................................................................................................................................... 13 Modes of encounter ................................................................................................................................... 16 Being-with .................................................................................................................................................. 18 Das Man ..................................................................................................................................................... 20 Temporality ................................................................................................................................................ 22 Authenticity and Totality ............................................................................................................................ 26 From the Inauthentic to the Authentic ...................................................................................................... 31 Inauthentic vs. authentic conversation ...................................................................................................... 33 Where do we stand now? .......................................................................................................................... 35 Vogel’s The Fragile ‘We’ .............................................................................................................................. 35 The Existentialist Interpretation ................................................................................................................. 35 The Historicist Interpretation ..................................................................................................................... 36 The Cosmopolitan Interpretation ............................................................................................................... 37 Where do we stand now? .......................................................................................................................... 39 Authentic Mitsein ........................................................................................................................................ 40 Why anxiety? .............................................................................................................................................. 40 Co-anxiety ................................................................................................................................................... 41 Co-historizing .............................................................................................................................................. 42 Where do we stand now? .......................................................................................................................... 42 Werner Marx’s Phenomenological Ethics ..................................................................................................... 43 From Sociality and Mortality to Compassion ............................................................................................. 43 Sympathising-with ...................................................................................................................................... 44 Healing Force .............................................................................................................................................. 46 Four Stages to Ethics .................................................................................................................................. 46 Compassion as Measure ............................................................................................................................. 47 Marx and Politics ........................................................................................................................................ 48 One and the Many ...................................................................................................................................... 48 Where do we stand now? .......................................................................................................................... 49 CONTEMPORARY POLITICS ........................................................................................................ 49 Problems within Contemporary British Politics ............................................................................................ 50 Relationship breakdown ............................................................................................................................. 50 Indifference ................................................................................................................................................ 52 Social Media: Disconnected yet connected ................................................................................................ 53 Misinformation ........................................................................................................................................... 54 The Bubble ................................................................................................................................................