Approbation and Disapprobation in Husserl’s Phenomenology: Navigating Value Conflicts through Justified Evaluations

Abstract

The analysis of the acts of approval (Billigung) represents one of Husserl’s first attempts to describe value estimation or appreciation (Wertschätzung). As some authors show, the acts of approval play a prominent role in our experience because through them we are confronted with the justification of our evaluations. Yet, despite their importance, these acts seem to play no further role in Husserl’s later reflections on the evaluative experience. By relying on the recent publication of the manuscripts included in the Studien zur Struktur des Bewusstseins, I offer a reconstruction of the Husserlian account of approval, situated between the emotional-volitive acts (Gemütsakte) and the intellective acts (Verstandesakte). I explore what problems Husserl faces in conceiving approval as a “secondary feeling” (sekundäres Gefühl) related to liking (Gefallen) and why Husserl abandoned the theme of approval in his phenomenological axiology. I suggest that by reflecting on whether our intentional acts are correct and justified, approbation and disapprobation not only reveal our personal values but also constitute the ground upon which we take sides in value conflicts. Indeed, while we gain awareness of our evaluations, we can endorse or reject judgments, emotions, desires, and wishes, and their related values on the basis of whether we take them right or wrong, justified or unjustified.