(Gk., other + phenomenology ) Term introduced in ‘Beyond Belief’ (1982) by Dennett, to describe an exploration of consciousness that takes the reports we and others give of what a particular state is like as part of the admissible data. Introspective reports are not rejected out of hand, as in methodologies influenced by behaviourism . For producing such a report gives an intentional identification of mental states (that is, shows what we take them to be), and this can be studied regardless of whether such states really exist.
Philosophy dictionary. Academic. 2011.