Gerda Walther (1897–1977)
Rodney K. B. Parker
Oxford University Press eBooks March 19, 2024 DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190066239.013.15 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 1 |
| Key points | Describes Gerda Walther's phenomenological work, including her dissertation on social ontology, which investigates we-experiences and the feeling of inner connectedness in community, and her Phenomenology of Mysticism, which aims to scientifically analyze mystical lived-experiences and differentiate them from perception, dreams, and hallucinations. |
Abstract
Abstract Gerda Walther was a phenomenologist associated with the Munich and Freiburg phenomenological circles. A student of Alexander Pfänder and Edmund Husserl, she applied the phenomenological method to issues in social and abnormal psychology and parapsychology, with a particular interest in mystical and religious experiences. Her dissertation, Toward an Ontology of Social Communities, is a pioneering work in social ontology that investigates we-experiences and the feeling of inner connectedness characteristic of belonging to a community. Her Phenomenology of Mysticism aims to give a scientific analysis of mystical lived-experiences, differentiating them from other varieties of experience, such as perception, dreams, hallucinations, and so on.