top of page
4 Teresas Reunited
Society of Edith Stein
There is a beautiful Stain glass image at St. Edward's Catholic Church in North Augusta, S.C. USA depicting the 4 Carmelite Sisters Reunited together as one.
The artwork depicts Saint Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) being welcomed into sainthood by three other Carmelite saints.
The three welcoming saints are Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), and Saint Teresa of Ávila.
This stained glass window by Joseph K. Beyer, commissioned by Fr. Peter Clarke at St. Edwards Church in North Augusta, SC.
4. 'Givenness' of the Living Body
Edith Stein explores how we experience our own bodies. She suggests that our body is not simply a physical object among other objects in the world. It is our living body, constantly present in our experience and inseparably united with our conscious life. Through sensation, movement, perception, and action, we encounter ourselves as embodied persons. This understanding becomes essential for Stein's later exploration of empathy, personhood, and our encounter with other human b
Jun 34 min read
3. Understanding Soul, Body and Will: The Constitution of the Psychophysical Individual.
The psycho-physical individual unites soul and living body. Feelings, bodily responses, and actions illustrate psycho-physical causality. Mental capacities develop through experience, while will directs actions using the body. Feelings demand expression in movement, gestures, or reflection. Volition introduces creativity beyond cause-and-effect, making the "I" master of the body. Understanding this unity explains the intimate interplay of mind, body, and action in human exper
Apr 82 min read
2. Living Body and the "I": The Constitution of the Psychophysical Individual.
The living body forms the foundation of consciousness, combining inner sensations and outer perception. Movement, touch, and general feelings shape awareness of self and the world. Sensations are localized in the body, creating a unique psychophysical unity. The body and “I” are inseparable, with moods and feelings dynamically influencing both thought and action. This union highlights the essential link between psychic and physical life.
Apr 82 min read
1. Development of the "I": The Constitution of the Psychophysical Individual.
Edith Stein’s analysis of the psycho-physical individual explores the development of self-awareness, the continuous stream of consciousness, and the substantial soul. She shows how individuality arises through self-ness, qualitative variation, and the enduring attributes of the soul, forming a unified psycho-physical identity unique to each person.
Apr 82 min read
Introduction: The Constitution of the Psychophysical Individual.
Empathy through phenomenology is discussed, critiquing historical theories that fail to fully explain how we perceive others’ consciousness. It examines Lipps’ focus on expression and instinct, highlighting gaps in understanding. Phenomenology aims to show how individuals and personalities form in pure consciousness, providing clarity on the constitution of conscious objects. Defining the individual helps map the structure that makes empathy possible.
Apr 81 min read
7. Munsterberg's Experience of Foreign Consciousness: The Essence of Acts of Empathy.
Hugo Munsterberg’s theory examines experiencing the consciousness of others. Understanding foreign subjects involves perceiving their acts of will, which stay distinct yet enter awareness. He connects this with memory, showing past experiences influence the present. Extending “acts of will” to anticipatory attitudes, the theory emphasizes immediate awareness of others, shaping personal identity in relation to foreign consciousness.
Apr 82 min read
6. Max Scheler on Understanding Other Minds: The Essence of Acts of Empathy.
Scheler’s theory of grasping foreign consciousness explains how we Scheler’s theory explains perceiving others’ experiences alongside our own through a “neutral stream of experience.” Inner perception targets acts, not objects. Empathy lets us feel another’s emotions non-primordially while our own remain primordial. He distinguishes central and peripheral experiences, some persisting in non-actual modes, offering a framework that contrasts with Husserl and clarifies reflectio
Apr 82 min read
5. Genetic Theories on Understanding Other Minds: The Essence of Acts of Empathy.
Philosophical and psychological theories try to explain how we experience others’ consciousness. Imitation copies behaviours, association links actions to past experiences, and analogy infers feelings from our own. Empathy, however, presents the other’s experience directly. Phenomenology reveals its essence, showing how it occurs without replication or inference, offering a framework that all psychological approaches must acknowledge to remain valid.
Apr 82 min read
bottom of page