Finitude as Clue to Embodiment

Abstract

The reflections in the following paper are centered around what I take to be a central motivation in the work of Edmund Husserl, namely, the desire to uncover and clarify a transcendental basis for human communication. My thesis is that the study of the finite character of consciousness in the thought of Husserl can lead toward an understanding of both consciousness and of body which is helpful in creating the possibility for a genuine and grounded communication. In order to pursue this thesis I wish to consider three questions. The first question is whether and in what ways transcendental consciousness in Husserl can be properly thought of as finite consciousness? Second, how does the finitude of consciousness signal embodiment? Third, what is the meaning of body such that it can be the embodiment of transcendental consciousness? All three questions are posed in the framework of phenomenology understood as a practical task for transcendental consciousness rather than as a purely theoretical undertaking.