Passivity and crisis

pp. 67-93

in: Victor Biceaga, The concept of passivity in Husserl's phenomenology, Berlin, Springer, 2010

Abstract

So far I have examined the meaning of passivity solely in connection to egoic life. I will now follow Husserl's considerations regarding the question of passivity's role in the constitution of ideal objectivities belonging to the cultural world. Such considerations demand that the domain of secondary passivity be enlarged so as to include intersubjective phenomena. The study of memory can very well be carried out within the sphere of individual consciousness. In contrast, the study of cultural accomplishments anchors secondary passivity in intersubjective conditions, such as community membership and interaction with other egos, which make possible the establishment of habitualities and the acquisition of linguistic competences.