Lecture 1

The Lifeworld: The World We Are Already In

This course begins by shifting our orientation from answers to attention. In modern education, we are often rushed toward conclusions, statistics, and definitions. Phenomenology asks us to slow down and notice the "stage" upon which all those facts appear. Before we can analyze the world, we must learn to see it.

The Problem with Modern Education

Core Concept: Prioritizing analysis over lived experience.

We are trained to explain the "why" before we have fully looked at the "what."
This creates a gap between our academic knowledge and our actual lives.

Think about a time you visited a place that was completely new to you. What did you notice first? Was it the "data" about that place, or was it the specific way the light hit the buildings or the way people walked?

The Central Question

Core Concept: Moving from "Who am I?" to "Who are we?"

Often, we think of ourselves as isolated individuals—"islands" of consciousness. However, we are always born into a world that is already there. We don't invent our own language, our own architecture, or our own social rules. We tell our stories from *within* these shared worlds.

If you were the only person left on earth, would you still be "you"? How much of your identity depends on the people and the structures around you?

Introducing the Lifeworld (Lebenswelt)

Core Concept: The taken-for-granted horizon of experience.

The Lifeworld is everything that is so familiar we no longer notice it. It is the "water" we swim in. This includes the layout of your home, the routine of your morning, and the unspoken rules of a classroom. Its power lies in its invisibility; it guides us precisely because we don't have to think about it.

Activity: The Room Audit

Take five minutes to look around the space you are currently in. Try to see it as if you are an alien observing human life for the first time.

Physical: Why are the surfaces at this specific height?
Social: Why is everyone positioned the way they are? What is the "standard" behavior expected here?
Temporal: What is the "tempo" of this room? Is it rushed, or is it still?

Share one thing you noticed that you usually ignore. How does that single element influence your ability to learn or think in this space?

The Lifeworld is Intersubjective

Core Concept: Meaning is a collaborative, shared project.

According to sociologist Alfred Schutz, we operate using a "stock of knowledge" that we assume others share. When you walk into a store, you assume the person behind the counter knows how a transaction works. This "shared script" is what allows society to function without constant explanation.

The Lifeworld is Not Neutral

Core Concept: "Normal" is built by history and power.

What feels "obvious" to one person might be an obstacle to another. The world is structured around specific expectations of what a "normal" body or "normal" life looks like. To see the lifeworld clearly, we must recognize that it is a construction, not a neutral fact of nature.

Think of a piece of technology or a building. Who was it designed for? Who might find it difficult or impossible to use? How does the "world" tell them they don't belong?

The Goal: World-Awareness

The aim of this course is not just self-discovery, but world-awareness. We are learning to recognize the stage on which our lives unfold. Before we can change the world or tell its story, we must first learn the discipline of seeing it as it truly is.

For your next class: Observe your own "autopilot" mode. When you are walking or doing a chore, try to "wake up" and describe the physical world around you in detail. What have you been missing?