ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to address phenomenology as a possible philosophical background to health care. It explains the general notion of phenomenology as well as some basic characteristics of the Husserlian and Heideggerian phenomenologies. While Husserl, who initiated the Phenomenological Movement, focuses on consciousness and its intentionality, Heidegger elaborates in Being and Time an existential phenomenology of Dasein’s being, i.e., an ontology of Dasein. It is an outstanding, crucial feature of their inquiries that they probe into the ‘subjective’ dimension of humans, into our experience of the world and of ourselves. The chapter concentrates mainly on Heidegger’s approach, which is more directly relevant to theory and practice of health care, particularly as it relates to The Omnipresence of Cancer as a theory. Of special interest are a number of existentialia (i.e., determinations of Dasein’s being) introduced in Being and Time, e.g., State-of-mind, Understanding, Being-with-others, Solicitude and the They-self, Finitude and Care. These and their importance to health care are analysed in some detail. The role of philosophical ideas in theory formation is discussed, in particular, the sometimes misunderstood relationship between ontological phenomenology and ontical theory.
