Phenomenology is a philosophical movement that emerged in the early 20th century, founded by the German philosopher Edmund Husserl. Husserl sought to establish a rigorous scientific basis for philosophy by focusing on the structures of consciousness and the phenomena that appear in acts of consciousness. He introduced the method of “phenomenological reduction,” which involves setting aside assumptions about the external world to examine experiences as they are perceived.

Following Husserl, phenomenology evolved through the contributions of his students and contemporaries. Martin Heidegger expanded the scope of phenomenology to explore the question of Being, emphasizing human existence and its temporal and historical contexts. This existential turn influenced French philosophers such as Jean-Paul Sartre and Maurice Merleau-Ponty. Sartre applied phenomenological methods to existentialism, exploring concepts of freedom and responsibility, while Merleau-Ponty focused on the embodied nature of perception.

In the latter half of the 20th century, phenomenology intersected with various disciplines beyond philosophy. It informed developments in psychology through the work of thinkers such as Maurice Merleau-Ponty and influenced sociology via Alfred Schutz, who applied phenomenological ideas to social sciences. Phenomenology also impacted literary theory, architecture, and cognitive science.

Today, it continues to be a significant force in continental philosophy, contributing to debates in philosophy of mind, ethics, and metaphysics.