Phenomenon
Aphenomenon(pl.:phenomena), sometimes spelledphaenomenon,is anobservableevent.[1]The term came into its modernphilosophicalusage throughImmanuel Kant,who contrasted it with thenoumenon,whichcannotbe directly observed. Kant was heavily influenced byGottfried Wilhelm Leibnizin this part of his philosophy, in which phenomenon and noumenon serve as interrelated technical terms. Far predating this, theancient GreekPyrrhonistphilosopherSextus Empiricusalso usedphenomenonandnoumenonas interrelated technical terms.
Common usage[edit]
In popular usage, aphenomenonoften refers to an extraordinary, unusual or notable event. According to theDictionary of Visual Discourse:[2]
In ordinary language 'phenomenon/phenomena' refer to any occurrence worthy of note and investigation, typically an untoward or unusual event, person or fact that is of special significance or otherwise notable.
Philosophy[edit]
In modern philosophical use, the termphenomenameans things as they are experienced through the senses and processed by the mind as distinct from things in and of themselves (noumena). In hisinaugural dissertation,titledOn theFormand Principles of the Sensible and Intelligible World,Immanuel Kant(1770) theorizes that the human mind is restricted to the logical world and thus can only interpret and understand occurrences according to their physical appearances. He wrote that humans could infer only as much as their senses allowed, but not experience the actual object itself.[3]Thus, the termphenomenonrefers to any incident deserving of inquiry and investigation, especially processes and events which are particularly unusual or of distinctive importance.[2]
Science[edit]
The sameburningphenomenon isobserved,but different flameshapeandcolouringphenomena are also observed.
In scientific usage, a phenomenon is any event that isobservable,including the use ofinstrumentationto observe, record, or compile data. Especially inphysics,the study of a phenomenon may be described asmeasurementsrelated tomatter,energy,ortime,such asIsaac Newton's observations of theMoon's orbitand ofgravity;orGalileo Galilei's observations of the motion of apendulum.[4]
Innatural sciences,a phenomenon is an observable happening or event. Often, this term is used without considering the causes of a particular event. Example of a physical phenomenon is an observable phenomenon of the lunar orbit or the phenomenon of oscillations of a pendulum.[4]
A mechanical phenomenon is a physical phenomenon associated with theequilibriumormotionof objects.[5]Some examples areNewton's cradle,engines,anddouble pendulums.
Sociology[edit]
Group phenomena concern the behavior of a particular group of individual entities, usually organisms and most especially people. The behavior of individuals often changes in a group setting in various ways, and a group may have its own behaviors not possible for an individual because of theherd mentality.
Social phenomenaapply especially to organisms and people in that subjective states are implicit in the term. Attitudes and events particular to a group may have effects beyond the group, and either be adapted by the larger society, or seen as aberrant, being punished or shunned.
See also[edit]
- Awareness
- Condition of possibility
- Essence
- Electrical phenomena
- Experience
- Intuition
- List of cycles
- List of effects
- List of electrical phenomena
- List of geological phenomena
- List of Internet phenomena
- List of natural phenomena
- List of severe weather phenomena
- List of syntactic phenomena
- Observation
- Optical phenomena
References[edit]
- ^"Phenomenon".The Columbia Encyclopedia.2008.
- ^ab"Phenomenon/Phenomena".Dictionary of Visual Discourse: A Dialectical Lexicon of Terms.2011.
- ^Kant, Immanuel.[1770] 2019.On the Form and Principles of the Sensible and Intelligible World,translated by W. J. Eckoff (1894). – via Wikisource.
- ^abBernstein, Jeremy(1996).A Theory for Everything.New York: Copernicus.
- ^"Mechanical Phenomenon".AudioEnglish.org.Tudorancea Media Network.Archivedfrom the original on 23 July 2011.Retrieved23 May2011.
External links[edit]
The dictionary definition ofphenomenonat Wiktionary
Quotations related toPhenomenonat Wikiquote
Media related toPhenomenaat Wikimedia Commons
