The Un-/Conscious Subjectivity and its Incessant Tension: A Research in Phenomenology and Beyond

• Applicant: Dr. Chung Yan Wun
• Subject Area: Theoretical Philosophy ; Practical Philosophy
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 569668878

The project is a philosophical investigation of the problem of the unconscious (das Unbewusste) from phenomenological and psychoanalytic perspectives, as well as of the concept’s ethical and existential significance for understanding pathological lived-experiences. The aim is twofold. Philosophically and theoretically, it seeks a deepened understanding of human subjectivity revealing its darkened region—namely, the unconscious. Human subjectivity will ultimately be uncovered as an un-/conscious subjectivity shaped by ceaseless tensions between the two forces. Ethically and medically, the peculiarities of each individual—such as personal biographies, repressed wishes and desires—will be illuminated. The unconscious constitutes an individuality that never fully aligns with the flattened values and rationalization of everyday life. This individuality deserves respect, especially in subjects suffering from mental disorders, if we are to adopt a more humanistic attitude toward patients in medical contexts.The project begins with the ordinary and natural-scientific conception of the unconscious in empirical sciences. There, the unconscious is a vaguely defined concept, basically reduced to the non-conscious, which points to something “outside” consciousness. At this point, a critical confrontation with phenomenology and psychoanalysis takes place. The natural-scientific view is shown to be a merely descriptive unconscious, referring only to latent, statically residing non-conscious ideas and memories. By contrast, the dynamic notion reveals a dimension intrinsically belonging to consciousness—one shaped by tension and interplay. Despite ongoing research on the unconscious in contemporary discourse, further investigation remains necessary.The project undertakes four tasks. 1) The unconscious will be reconceptualized as an intrinsic dimension of consciousness—and thus of subjectivity—rather than something external to it. 2) The heterogeneous nature of unconscious and conscious activities will be revealed. The unconscious does not always follow the operating principles of consciousness. Whereas conscious perception aims at objective representation, the unconscious seeks symbolic, subjective presentation of itself through external objects. 3) Despite their heterogeneity, an ongoing interplay exists between unconscious and conscious activities within subjectivity. This interplay may be described as a zigzag movement, a dynamic pull-push between the two. The unconscious may pull the conscious subject back by counteracting its one-sidedness, or consciousness pushes the unconscious away through repression. 4) It turns to the phenomenological psychopathology of trauma and autism spectrum disorder, applying earlier results to clinical contexts. In doing so, it aims not only to deepen understanding of neurodivergent lived-experience but also to uphold the idea of medical humanity, which resists reducing mental illness to mere biophysiological malfunction.

• DFG Programme: WBP Position