ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book. The book analyzes Husserl's idea of givenness, generally signifying what presents itself before the observing subject. It argues that this central idea of his entire philosophical work is a facilitating element that accounts for his influence on later phenomenologists. The book examines Levinas's critical dialogue with Husserl's thought, specifically with Husserl's notion of "intentionality" and its impact on Levinas's ethical thinking. It argues that Heidegger and Sartre attempted to avoid what they saw as Husserl's equation of being and presence. The book analyzes Sartre's accounts of the structure of consciousness, its relationship to the world, and the nature of the self, Levy suggests that Sartre considered his work to be a direct continuation of Husserl's. It examines the Great Phenomenological Schism and the Phenomenological-Existential Schism in the early history of the movement.
