MYSTICAL ASPECT OF EDITH STEIN'S ANTHROPOLOGY: FROM PHENOMENOLOGY TO THOMISM
Anthropological Measurements of Philosophical Research December 22, 2016 J. A. Shabanova
Edith Stein's anthropology contains mystical elements that bridge phenomenology and Thomism. Will, not mind or faith, directs knowledge toward mystical unity of subject and object. Stein diverges from Husserl on five points: she views the world as immediate contemplation of an entity transcending being and thinking; she finds phenomenology neglects the ontological Absolute; she seeks to overcome epistemological rationality through mystical contemplation where object and subject become identical; she turns to Thomism for metaphysical elements lacking in phenomenology; and she criticizes transcendentalism for losing the world. Empathy and intuition are key constructs in her evolution toward philosophical mysticism, which enriches contemporary anthropology with metahistorical moral and existential meaning.