Abstract:
This paper examines Husserl’s largely overlooked reflections on myth and their implications for his conception(s) of universalism. While Husserl’s “Vienna Lecture” portrays myth as the opposite of the theoretical attitude that defines European rationality, his unpublished manuscripts reveal a more nuanced perspective: myth functions not only as a concealment of truth but also as the cultural matrix enabling the emergence of rationality. On this basis, three forms of universalism can be distinguished in Husserl’s thought: an exclusivist European universalism, a naturalistic intercultural universalism, and a universalism of self-critical openness and hope. I argue that only the third form coheres with Husserl’s broader phenomenology, especially his account of myth as a prefiguration of reason and the regulative role of the idea of God. Universalism thus emerges less as an achieved possession than as a dialogical and teleological task grounded in intercultural exchange, self-critique, and peaceful interaction.
Keywords:
Husserl, myth, universalism, European rationality, intercultural dialogue
How to cite:
Liu, Boda. “Husserl’s Understanding of Myth and His Universalism(s).” Eidos. A Journal for Philosophy of Culture 10, no. 1 (2026): 118-138. https://doi.org/10.14394/eidos.jpc.2026.0006.
Author:
Boda Liu
Department of Philosophy, University of Vienna
Universitätsstraße 7, A-1010 Vienna, Austria
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8268-9774
cinholau@gmail.com
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