Meaning: The quote "What is thematically posited is only what is given, by pure reflection, with all its immanent essential moments absolutely as it is given to pure reflection" is attributed to the philosopher Edmund Husserl. This quote encapsulates a central idea in Husserl's phenomenology, a philosophical method and approach to understanding consciousness and experience.

Husserl is considered the founding father of phenomenology, a philosophical movement that seeks to describe and understand the structures of consciousness and experience as they present themselves to us, without making assumptions about the nature of reality or the external world. In this quote, Husserl is emphasizing the importance of pure reflection in uncovering the essential aspects of phenomena as they are given to consciousness.

To understand the quote, it's essential to unpack some key concepts from Husserl's phenomenology. Firstly, "thematically posited" refers to the act of consciously directing attention towards an object or experience. According to Husserl, when we thematically posit something, we are focusing our consciousness on it, allowing it to become the center of our attention and intention.

The phrase "what is given, by pure reflection" points to the idea that in phenomenology, the starting point for understanding any phenomenon is to suspend any assumptions about its nature and instead, simply describe it as it presents itself to consciousness. This process involves a kind of "pure reflection," where the philosopher or observer refrains from adding any preconceived notions or interpretations to the phenomenon being examined.

Husserl further emphasizes that this pure reflection should capture "all its immanent essential moments absolutely as it is given to pure reflection." Here, he is highlighting the need to grasp the essential aspects of the phenomenon exactly as they appear in consciousness, without adding or subtracting anything from the experience. This involves a rigorous commitment to describing the phenomenon in its full richness and complexity, without filtering it through our preconceptions or biases.

This approach aligns with Husserl's broader project in phenomenology, which aims to uncover the structures of consciousness and experience without presupposing any metaphysical or ontological commitments. By focusing on the phenomena as they are given in consciousness, Husserl sought to reveal the essential features of human experience and the ways in which we come to know and understand the world.

In summary, Husserl's quote encapsulates the foundational principles of phenomenology, emphasizing the importance of pure reflection and the suspension of preconceptions in the study of consciousness and experience. Through this approach, phenomenology seeks to uncover the essential structures of phenomena as they are given to consciousness, without assuming anything about the nature of reality beyond our lived experience. This method has had a profound influence on philosophy, psychology, and other fields concerned with the nature of human experience.