Page 43 - Contribution To Phenomenology

36 LESTER EMBREE

centrally with cultural phenomena, namely, Cognitive Science, and Richard
Zaner continues his long-term project of reflection on medicine.
It seems more Ukely that the mentioned figures would accept that
their philosophizing about culture generally proceeds through a considera-
tion of cultural worlds in relation to work of specialized disciplinary
approaches than it seems that they would readily accept the taxonomy
oflfered above for these disciplines. Nevertheless, while there might be
disagreements about how to distinguish them, it would seem difficult to
deny that medicine and technology are practical disciplines^^ or that most
of the other chapters chiefly rely on cultural sciences?^ Husserl's views on
religion presented by Hart presents an interesting case: Are religious
practices cognitive, practical, or axiotic? Certainly, all three components
are to be found in them, but which one predominates? And is the
combination of practices of advanced preparation provided in Religion
Departments and divinity schools a theoretical, an axiotic, or a practical
discipline? The same questions can be asked about environmental,
ecofeminist, ethnic studies and other practices and disciplines, and if these
are decided to be either practical or theoretical in their culminations,
what of architecture, alluded to above, and other fine arts phenomenol-
ogical work on which is, unfortunately, not represented in this volume?
Whether or not attempting to relate their efforts to the trifurcation of
the cultural discipUnes would be helpful for the phenomenology of the
cultural disciplines is for the mentioned authors and other readers to
decide in word and deed. If some phenomenologists concerned with some
cultural discipUnes consider the efforts of others, which has happened,
then the further question can be asked of whether it is at the amateur,
crafty, or disciplinary level, which reduces to a question of the degree of
preparation in the form of close study of the efforts of others, i.e., the
keeping up with, e.g., Carr's work on history, Ihde's work on technology.

^^ Cf. also S. Kay Toombs, The Meaning of Illness; A Phenomenological Account
of the Different Perspectives of Physician and Patient (Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic
Publishers, 1992). Furthermore, see Anne H. Bishop and John R. Scudder, Nursing:
The Practice of Caring (New York: National League for Nursing Press, 1991)
pertains to another practical discipline and shows that at least bi-disciplinary efforts
can work.
^^ Recent work by Gary Madison relative to another cultural science, namely
economics, can also be mentioned, e.g., "Beyond Theory and Practice: Hayek on the
Logic of Cultural Dynamics," Cultural Dynamics 3 (1990).