Page 232 - Cultural Studies of Science Education

206 D. Karrow and X. Fazio

Hermeneutic phenomenology is the structure Heidegger uses repeatedly and
iteratively to clarify the general character of our understanding of any phenomenon.
It consists of three broadly construed levels:
First, an entity or phenomenon is grasped globally and hence without detailed
articulation.
Second, the “Being” of that entity, or the different possible ways in which it can
show itself, is laid out.
Third, the “meaning” of that Being, or the ground upon which the entity shows
itself in those various ways, is highlighted and described (Parker 2005).
So in terms of NatureWatch, again, in addition to satisfying program objectives,
in what other ways might this ontological realm be invoked? As we have seen,
Heidegger’s approach to phenomenology broke with Husserlian tradition – so
simple and “pure” student descriptions of phenomena will not suffice. In addition,
students would be required to interpret their descriptions, perhaps a more complex
task. Nonetheless, students could take their previously suggested descriptions of
worm ecology and interpret these beyond the interpretive (rational-scientific)
framework demanded by the NatureWatch program. Of course, part of this exercise
would be to point to (explicitly, or implicitly) the overly utilitarian nature of
NatureWatch. One could conceivably reap the benefits of engaging with worms for
other reasons, that is, spiritual, historical, aesthetic, and emotional. Furthermore,
students could explore other interpretations of worms, and provide their own. This
of course, would have to be carefully modeled by teachers supporting the cause, yet
passionate too about its outcomes.
In summary, Heidegger’s view of philosophy was that it was not something “to
be applied to life, but rather comes out of life and is lived as a part of life”; an
important and salient distinction (Malpas 2006, p. 41). Citizen science programs,
such as NatureWatch could espouse such a philosophy with simple yet effective
reorientations by teachers during program implementation. Let us examine these in
greater detail in what follows.

Heidegger’s Being and Time

Unless we go back to the world, space cannot be conceived. (Heidegger 1962, p. 148)

Being and Time is a monumental undertaking to critique the foundations of western
metaphysical thinking. Metaphysics is that branch of philosophy concerned about
the nature of Being and what it means to be. Over the course of history, metaphysi-
cians have answered these questions in different ways, and it was Heidegger who
again expressed interest in revisiting the question: What is the meaning of Being?
Seemingly a simple question, yet through his attempt to answer the question, he
radicalized philosophy, and more specifically phenomenology. Heidegger was
compelled to do this because Being is a universal concept, and because it continues
to remain concealed (Wollan 2003).