ABSTRACT

At issue in this investigation is not a special problem of Husserl’s philosophy-such as the role of historicity in his “Crisis” writings-but rather the very essence of transcendental phenomenology as Husserl conceived it. If Husserl’s writings do not encompass anything more than introductions and special studies, what then is his philosophy for us? What indeed is transcendental phenomenology? We know by Husserl’s own admission that transcendental phenomenology fi nds it most complete expression in his literary corpus unpublished in his day. Even amongst these papers, however, there is little that offers a comprehensive framework tying together all of his most signifi cant studies into a single vision. Indeed the publication plan of Husserl’s collected writings as well as the organizational structure of Husserl’s estate itself suggest not merely that a systematic conception of transcendental phenomenology does not exist, but rather that a system of phenomenological philosophy may be an unattainable ideal. If one looks only to his numerous research manuscripts and lecture course materials in the estate, one despairs of ever fi nding anything but partial investigations. Further, these research works are often tentative in their results. However, if one looks beyond these writings to his letters one discovers an interesting fact. Husserl not only acknowledged the need to produce a system of phenomenological philosophy but also expressed his commitment to complete this work in the last decade of his life. That he never completed this project remains the greatest unfulfi lled promise of Husserl’s life and philosophy.