MAKING SENSE OF THE PHENOMENON: COMPARISON OF PARTIAL CONSCIOUSNESS AND HOLISTIC CONSCIOUSNESS

Summary

This study examines the relationship between the meaning-making of phenomena and the level of consciousness. The fundamental difference between fragmented and holistic consciousness lies in the source of meaning. In fragmented consciousness, meaning is attributed to external causes, while in holistic consciousness, meaning stems from the essence. This study interprets the phenomenon-essence relationship within the context of levels of consciousness and discusses the connection between the thought-emotion-action sequence and the structures of consciousness.

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Entrance

Humans perceive various phenomena from the external world through sensations and experiences. The meaning of these phenomena is directly related to the cognitive and conscious structure. In the philosophical tradition, thinkers such as Kant, Husserl, and Heidegger have emphasized the structural role of consciousness in the interpretation of phenomena.[1] This article defines two fundamental structures of consciousness by focusing on the decisive role of the level of consciousness in the process of interpreting phenomena: Partial Consciousness and Total Consciousness.

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Meaning in Partial Consciousness

At a fragmented level of consciousness, an individual tends to explain phenomena in terms of other phenomena. Each phenomenon is causally linked to another phenomenon. In this case:

• Why is it outside?

• Meaning is sought in the relationship between phenomena.

• Emotion often precedes thought and reactive action occurs.

In this form of consciousness, the individual positions the phenomenon as a reality separate from himself. Therefore, meaning remains within the external causal chain rather than revealing the essence of the person.

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Meaning in Holistic Consciousness

At the level of holistic consciousness, the individual evaluates the phenomenon by relating it to his own essential structure:

• The reason is in the essence.

• The phenomenon has a stimulating quality that awakens the person's inner values and self-knowledge.

• The sequence of Thought → Emotion → Action occurs.

• The action is not a reactive one, but an intentional action arising from consciousness.

At this level of consciousness, meaning emerges not in the relationships between phenomena, but in the self's recognition of itself through phenomena.

View of Unity Consciousness

When an individual who has reached unity consciousness sees a phenomenon:

“What value does this phenomenon awaken in me?”

“What knowledge does this phenomenon make visible in my essence?”

asks questions.

Therefore, the phenomenon is not an external reality but the field of self-knowledge.

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The Difference Between Scientific Interpretation and Substantive Interpretation

Modern science, when explaining phenomena, seeks their causes in other phenomena. This method is naturally based on the perspective of fragmented consciousness.[2] The knowledge that emerges here is objective, but not self-knowledge.

Holistic consciousness, on the other hand, considers phenomena as a means of making the knowledge hidden within the essence visible in consciousness. This meaning-making occurs on the axis of knowledge, value, and essence.

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Conclusion

Phenomena acquire different meanings depending on the individual's level of consciousness.

• In fragmented consciousness, meaning is found outside and in the chain of causality.

• In holistic consciousness, meaning arises in the essence and inner awareness.

Therefore, as consciousness rises, meaning becomes internalized, and action shifts from reactivity to existential orientation. Directing one's consciousness away from external causal ties and toward the self means progressing toward unity consciousness.

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Footnotes

[1] Kant, Immanuel. Critique of Pure Reason. (The distinction between phenomenon and noumenon and the role of consciousness).

[2] Husserl, Edmund. Ideas Pertaining to a Pure Phenomenology. (Phenomenological reduction and the orientation of consciousness).

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Source

• Kant, I. (1781). Critique of Pure Reason.

• Husserl, E. (1913). Reflections on Phenomenology.

• Heidegger, M. (1927). Being and Time.

• Turut, M. (2025). Personal Notes and Mindfulness Observations. Edirne.