Breaking down experience-Heidegger's methodological use of breakdown inBeing and Time

Phenomenologists draw on descriptions of experience to uncover the conditions that enable experience. However, a second-order or distanced view of experience can distort it. In his analysis of the ready-to-hand, Heidegger utilizes experiences ofbreakdownto avoid this problem, but he does not provide a detailed account of why this methodology is effective. I use Heidegger's analysis of interpretation to reconstruct a detailed account of the breakdown methodology and show why it avoids the problem of observation distortion. Although Heidegger is only explicit about his use of this methodology in the analysis of the ready-to-hand, I show that analyses of breakdown experiences are implicit throughoutBeing and Timeand have an important role in two key moments of the analysis of Dasein: Being-with (publicness) and Dasein's structural whole (care).

Automated summary

Phenomenologists use Heidegger's analysis method to reveal that understanding of phenomena should not only be based on surface descriptions, but also need to delve into the underlying conditions and meanings. Through the reconstruction and exploration of Heidegger's analysis method, a better understanding of the importance of the research method focusing on "breakdown" in avoiding observation distortion can be achieved.