Phenomenological crossroads between Husserl and Flusser. Toward a Phenomenology of the Image in the post-digital age of AI
This article examines the phenomenological relationship between Edmund Husserl’s foundational ideas on intentionality , perception, and consciousness, and Vilém Flusser’s media-philosophical critique of technical images . While Husserl laid the groundwork for understanding consciousness as always directed toward objects through intentional acts, Flusser extended this logic to consider how new media—specifically technical images—restructure the horizon of intentional experience. Through a comparative reading, we argue that Flusser offers a post-phenomenological extension of Husserlian thought, addressing the historical evolution of appearance and its mediation through apparatuses. By situating technical images within the lifeworld (Lebenswelt ), the article shows how Flusser’s theory can be understood as a phenomenology of post-industrial perception, where the image no longer reveals the world, but instead simulates it, altering the structure of intentionality itself. Ultimately, we propose a synthesis that sees Flusser’s technical image not merely as a cultural artifact but as a new noematic layer within phenomenological experience, calling for a reconsideration of subjectivity and meaning in the digital age.