Perceiving Indeterminacy: A Theoretical Framework of the Perceptual Rite of Passage for Preadolescents
David Herman
August 1, 2018 DOI: 10.12794/metadc1248481 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that meaning and our connection to the world are perceptual phenomena rather than products of intellectual reflection, and proposes a phenomenological framework called the "perceptual rite of passage" (PRoP), centered on attentiveness, to understand the ontology of perception for preadolescents and how meaning emerges through everyday encounters. |
Abstract
It is the fundamental insight of phenomenology that meaning is first and foremost - not something which we intellectually reflect on. It is not a product of the mind reworking raw, perceptual experiences. Rather meaning, and our connection to the world, are perceptual phenomena. Thus, to understand the ways in which children find meaning demands a turn toward perceptual experiences - how children see and feel. In this theoretical dissertation, I explore questions of perceptual experiences through a phenomenological framework that I refer to as the perceptual rite of passage (PRoP). The conceptual framework, which centers on attentiveness, labors to help us understand the ontology of perception for preadolescents and how meaning emerges through everyday encounters.