Contribution towards Reconstructing a Neglected “Schism” in Early Phenomenology: The Cases of Hedwig Conrad-Martius and Edith Stein
Abstract
The goal of the present paper is twofold. First, it lays out the general coordinates for rethinking a historiographical paradigm concerning the origins of the phenomenological tradition, notably, the "schism" caused by Husserl's own departure from his original views. I argue that this original "schism" does not revolve around the so-called "idealism-realism" controversy, but rather it bears upon a more general issue, namely, the nature of phenomenology, itself understood as either a "method" or a "science." Second, I propose an interpretation of the early work of both Hedwig
Conrad-Martius and Edith Stein against the backdrop of such a tentative paradigmrevision so as to better highlight the different ways in which the two depart from
Husserl's view.