Phenomenology and Pragmatism: On the Philosophical Conceptualization of Anthropological Culture

In the philosophical thought of twentieth century, the notion of world of life frequently confronts as an ontological concept that expresses the existence of the subject in the world. This notion is presented as a multi dimensional and multiple meaning concept, which represents all elements of the relationship between the subject and the world, all modes of this relationship and it also constitutes the ground of this relationship. In this sense, the phenomenological and pragmatist perspectives, that identify this notion with the interactional experience of the subject, become especially prominent. On the other hand, the concept of anthropological culture is a common concept and comes in sight based on the notion of experience in the views of both philosophical traditions, especially John Dewey's and Merleau-Ponty's. In this context, the aim of this study is on the one hand to analyze the philosophical basis of the concept of anthropological culture and on the other hand to evaluate and compare the presentation of this concept on the ontological ground by pragmatist and phenomenological traditions.