Researching causal relationships from the first-person perspective. An Expansion of the micro-phenomenological method

Abstract

While first-person methods have made steps in the direction of becoming scientifically recognized, the value of the kind of knowledge such methods uncover may still be regarded as limited. One of the main objectives of scientific research is to deliver insight into causal relationships. First-person research is mostly understood as not providing causal knowledge. Rather, a common view is that phenomenology exclusively seeks to describe and never to explain. Here I will explore a view that is radically opposed to this. I will propose and discuss two claims: (1) Only first-person experience gives us full insight into causal relationships. (2) First-person methods can provide causal knowledge with general applicability. The discussion draws on recent work on the philosophy of dispositions by Mumford and Anjum, as well as ideas proposed by Kiene et al. in the context of clinical case studies. It is also shown how causal investigation may be integrated into the micro-phenomenological interview, one of the most widely used and recognized first-person methods in current research.