Collection of links: Gendlin’s “Reflexivity”: Its Historical Background and Uniqueness

Gendlin introduced the idea of “reflexivity” in Chapter V of his early masterpiece, “Experiencing and the Creation of Meaning,” and developed it in his later writings. Below, I will introduce a series of posts on “reflexivity”.

First, I presented the background on reflexivity in the form of a collection of excerpts from the writings of Richard McKeon and Eugene Gendlin:

• McKeon’s “Reflexive Principles” & Gendlin’s “Reflexivity”
  Abstract: The “reflexive principles” in “Philosophic Semantics” by Richard McKeon and the “reflexivity” in Chapter V of “Experiencing and the Creation of Meaning” by Eugene Gendlin seem to be correlated. In addition, I will introduce how often the term “reflexive” is used when both philosophers refer to Aristotle.

• Thomas Aquinas, McKeon, & Gendlin
  Abstract: In ‘Chapter V: The Principle of Universals: “IOFI”’ of “Experiencing and the creation of meaning,” the mention of Thomas Aquinas is likely due to the influence of Gendlin’s philosophy teacher, Richard McKeon.

• Descartes, Spinoza, McKeon, & Gendlin
  Abstract: A common feature of McKeon’s and Gendlin’s writings is the frequent use of the term “reflexive” in their discussions of Descartes and Spinoza.

Next, I presented the uniqueness and novelty of Gendlin’s reflexivity in the form of a collection of excerpts from the writings of him:

• What does Gendlin’s “reflexivity” not mean?
  Abstract: Gendlin’s idea of “reflexivity” has a uniqueness that cannot be contained in a mere repetition of McKeon’s view of the history of philosophy. I will attempt to trace Gendlin’s additions and modifications to the traditional concept of “reflexivity.” I will try to answer the question, “What is Gendlin’s ‘reflexivity’ not?”

• Not only the product but also the process: contribution of Gendlin’s philosophy to “reflexivity”
  Abstract: In my previous article, I argued that the term “reflexive,” which comes from Latin, does not fully express what Gendlin means. However, it gives the impression that Gendlin had no complaints about Aristotle, who did not use this term. Therefore, in this article, I would like to discuss the originality and novelty of Gendlin’s practical philosophy compared to the philosophies of Aristotle and other previous philosophers.