ABSTRACT
The important publications which appeared near the close of Edmund Husserl life include two replies to critics, the only elaborate ones published since his answer to M. Palagyi in 1903. It is possible to examine and appraise the phenomenological philosophy with far greater assurance than has hitherto been the case, despite the fact that numerous manuscripts have never been published. Nothing in philosophy approaches the supreme confidence with which Husserl announced his triumphant beginning of a new science of philosophy, an "absolute" discipline achieved by means of an elaborately worked out method. It was advanced as the real positive outcome of the philosophical efforts of the centuries. The fact that Husserl rarely answered his critics has made it more difficult for the general philosophical public to grasp the significance of his work. For the most part he went steadfastly on his way, regardless of opposition, which was largely based upon misunderstanding.
