1001Philosophers

Alfred Schutz 1899 – 1959

Alfred Schutz (1899 – 1959) was an Austrian-American philosopher of the Contemporary era, associated with Phenomenology and Continental Philosophy.

Alfred Schutz was an Austrian-American philosopher and the principal founder of the phenomenology of the social world. Trained as a lawyer and economist in Vienna, he combined a long career as an international banking executive with deep philosophical work and, after his emigration to the United States in 1939, with teaching at the New School for Social Research. His Phenomenology of the Social World extended Husserl's phenomenology into a study of the meaning structures of everyday life, and his essays on multiple realities, social typifications, and the stranger shaped the work of Garfinkel, Berger, Luckmann, and the subsequent traditions of ethnomethodology and the social construction of reality.

Key facts

Nationality
Austrian-American
Era
Contemporary
Movements
Phenomenology, Continental Philosophy

Selected quotes

  • Attributed to Alfred Schutz:

    “The lifeworld is the unquestioned ground of all our experience.”

  • Attributed to Alfred Schutz:

    “We act in a world made meaningful by typifications.”

  • Attributed to Alfred Schutz:

    “The Other is given to me first as a fellow human and only afterwards as a problem.”

  • Attributed to Alfred Schutz:

    “Meaning is what we attach to our acts as we look back upon them.”

  • Attributed to Alfred Schutz:

    “Multiple realities surround everyday life: dreams, art, science, religion.”

Alfred Schutz by topic

Frequently asked about Alfred Schutz

When did Alfred Schutz live?
Alfred Schutz was born in 1899 and died in 1959.
Where was Alfred Schutz from?
Alfred Schutz was an Austrian-American philosopher of the Contemporary era.
What philosophical movements is Alfred Schutz associated with?
Alfred Schutz was associated with Phenomenology and Continental Philosophy.
What was Alfred Schutz known for?
Alfred Schutz was an Austrian-American philosopher and the principal founder of the phenomenology of the social world.
How many quotes are attributed to Alfred Schutz?
There are 5 attributed quotations from Alfred Schutz in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.