Stuck in between. Phenomenology’s Explanatory Dilemma and its Role in Experimental Practice

Abstract Questions about phenomenology’s role in non-philosophical disciplines gained renewed attention. While we claim that phenomenology makes indispensable, unique contributions to different domains of scientific practice such as concept formation, experimental design, and data collection, also contend when it comes explanation, phenomenological approaches face a dilemma. Either attempts explain conscious phenomena do not satisfy central constraint on explanations, i.e. the asymmetry between explanans explanandum, or they this explanatory only by largely merging with non-phenomenological explanation types. The consequence dilemma is insofar are explanatory, provide an own type explanation. We substantiate our two claims offering three case studies phenomenologically inspired experiments cognitive science. Each study points out specific contribution while illustrating how outline.