Phenomenology as Epistemological Purification: Ego, Pure Experience, and Knowledge
Sangue Shi
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) November 6, 2026 preprint DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.24005065 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Key points | Argues that perception is mediated by an 'ego' of cognitive, cultural, and linguistic structures, and proposes reinterpreting phenomenology as an epistemological refinement that reduces conceptual mediation in knowing. It further contends that certain meditative practices function as phenomenological methods for observing consciousness and ego construction, and that integrating phenomenology, transcendental philosophy, Japanese philosophy, psychology, and contemplative practices provides a coherent framework for studying conscious experience that complements, without replacing, empirical science. |
Abstract
This paper addresses the epistemological problem of knowledge from an interdisciplinary perspective that brings together phenomenology, transcendental philosophy, Japanese philosophy, Buddhism, and psychology. It begins with the hypothesis that our perception of reality is mediated by a set of cognitive, cultural, and linguistic structures—here referred to as the ego—which condition the interpretation of experience and encourage the construction of an identity conceived as separate from the world. On this basis, the phenomenological concepts of epoché and phenomenological reduction are examined in dialogue with the notions of pure experience, basho, and muga, developed particularly in the philosophy of Kitarō Nishida and various Buddhist traditions. Building on this framework, the paper proposes interpreting phenomenology not merely as a descriptive method of experience, but also as a process of epistemological refinement aimed at minimising the conceptual mediations involved in the act of knowing. It also argues that certain meditative practices can be understood as phenomenological methodologies for the systematic observation of consciousness and the processes through which the ego is constructed. Finally, it maintains that the integration of phenomenology, transcendental philosophy, Japanese philosophy, psychology, and contemplative practices provides a coherent theoretical framework for the interdisciplinary study of conscious experience, complementing—without replacing—the contributions of the empirical sciences.
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| Looking for the Self: Phenomenology, Neurophysiology and Philosophical Significance of Drug-induced Ego Dissolution | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |