SYNCHRONY AND DIACHRONY OF THE «TRANSCENDENTAL EGO» OF E. HUSSERL’S PHENOMENOLOGY
Authors:   Odesa National Medical University, Chuikova Olena 
Published: June 2024

Subject of study. Synchrony and diachrony of linguistic structuralism as applied to E. Husserl’s «transcendental Ego» is the subject of our research as a property of the concept we are studying. Synchrony and Diachrony in sections of the concept showed its intermediate structures-concepts of a subjective and temporal nature, which are progressively its constitutive structures-stages. The Other, otherness, mirror self, selfhood, retentional consciousness, internal time, consciousness-time are the result of synchronic and diachronic cuts. The Other and alter ego are expressions of the diachrony of subjectivity. In the phenomenology of E. Husserl, an analogue of synchrony and diachrony are the concepts of retentional modification and propotential modification of the «transcendental Ego». Purpose. The purpose of our research is to prove the fruitfulness of the elements of linguistic structuralism of synchrony and diachrony in relation to the construction of the concept of «transcendental Ego». Explore the subjective-temporal concepts of the Other, otherness, mirror self, alter ego, self, retentional consciousness-time as a result of the interaction of linguistic structuralism, transcendental, structural linguistic-philosophical research methods that gave distinction (J. Derrida’s term) of some important structures – for example, the I differs from the Ego. We are trying to find a similar or correlating concept with synchrony and diachrony in transcendental phenomenology, perhaps it is a modification, for example, a retentional modification. Method. Our research is relatively interdisciplinary, combining linguistic structuralism and philosophical structuralism and poststructuralism, transcendental phenomenology, hermeneutics and the like. Structuralism itself includes academic linguistics, epistemology, philosophy, partly the social-critical aspect of science, the history of philosophy and language. The methodology of our research is linguistic structuralism, which we apply to the study of subjectivist and temporal components that help construct the concept of the «transcendental Ego» by E. Husserl. This is logical, because structuralism tends to explore structures as deep, hidden foundations, which is characteristic of the concept of the «transcendental Ego». Structuralism recognizes the presence of a primary deep structure in the subject, which is observed in the «transcendental Ego», which has primary and secondary layers. The method of synchrony and diachrony allowed us to see and study these layers. Linguistic structuralism, along with E. Husserl’s phenomenology of time, operates with history and temporal forms. Thus, the methodology of linguistic structuralism in relation to transcendental phenomenology turned out to be very fruitful; we found many similarities between the methodology of linguistic structuralism and transcendental phenomenology in the aspect of constructing the concept of «transcendental Ego». We recalled the academic definitions of synchrony and diachrony, based on the texts of their founders, especially F. de Saussure. We examined the invariants of interpretation of the concepts of synchrony and diachrony based on the texts and in comparison with Kantian logical concepts. We also use the methods of transcendental phenomenology of E. Husserl, namely: phenomenological reduction, transcendental reduction, temporal modifications (retentional modification, propotential modification). We also turned our attention to philosophical structuralism and poststructuralism, the archeology of knowledge, the archeology of the past about the subject, historicism, the genealogical method, epistemology, constructivism, distinction (for example, the distinction between the Self and the Ego) of M. Foucault and J. Derrida. We also turned to the hermeneutic method, description, interpretation, interpretation of subjectivity based on P. Ricoeur. Conclusion. In the course of the study, we came to the conclusion that the method of synchrony and diachrony of linguistic structuralism is fruitful for a better understanding, disclosure of auxiliary concepts and construction of the concept of «transcendental Ego». Synchrony and diachrony are even key in the process of building the «transcendental Ego», because they are realized in the subjectivist and temporal components of this concept. Synchrony and diachrony realize the potential of the «transcendental Ego», revealing intermediate concepts of subjectivity that simultaneously manifest themselves in different temporal forms: retention, now, protention, moreover, in their diachronic transformation and synchronic cut. Concepts that are a subjective expression of diachrony have a special meaning – this is the Other, otherness, the mirror Self, alter ego, the Self, the Ego, the self. We discovered that the transcendental phenomenology of E. Husserl uses the ideas of synchrony and diachrony in a different terminology. Diachrony in Husserlian terminology is called modification. Hence we speak of retentional modification, protentional modification, when we discuss the diachrony of the temporal component of the «transcendental Ego». Synchrony in Husserl’s terminology is not just a now-relevant, but a complex combination of subjectivist concepts with diachronic ones (like the Other, the history of the Ego) in statics at a given specific moment. The synchronic moment of actual presence is greater than the time-consciousness model. Synchrony, together with intentionality, with the stream of consciousness, the flow of time, is one of the methods of genesis and synthesis, and also the universalization of the «transcendental Ego» at one of the moments of the statics of the actual presence in the now. The use of the methodology of linguistic structuralism in the elements of synchrony and diachrony in relation to the study of the «transcendental Ego» is completely justified, because structuralism explores structures as deep, hidden foundations. At the same time, deep primary and secondary layers are characteristic of the «transcendental Ego». Structuralism recognizes the presence of a primary deep structure in subjectivity. The concept of «transcendental Ego» has subjective-temporal primary and secondary layers. Linguistic structuralism, along with E. Husserl’s phenomenology of time, operates with history and temporal forms. Thus, the interaction of linguistic structuralism and transcendental phenomenology highlighted the synchronic and diachronic components of secondary subjectivities and temporal forms of the«transcendental Ego».