Phenomenalism

Phenomenalism is created in the 19th century designation of certain philosophical doctrines and derives from the Greek phainomenon, which means as much as appearance. Accordingly, it is meant that a thing in itself can not be known through experience, but its appearance is an object of experience-based knowledge. Thus, the knowledge of an object can only refer to the conscious sensations, but not the thing in itself. Furthermore, it is necessary to distinguish whether at all a reality is suspected behind the phenomena, as is the case with Immanuel Kant, or whether the phenomena are viewed as mere sensations or objects of consciousness and reality is not seen as a given, as for example in Ernst Mach is found. In the first case we speak of objective phenomenalism, the latter of subjective phenomenalism. As opposite of the phenomenalism of realism may be considered.