Episode 138 - Kimberly S. Engels - Phenomenology of The Phenomenon

Joining me for this episode is philosopher Kimberly S. Engels. Kimberly is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Molloy University and her research focuses on existentialism, phenomenology, and ethics. In 2023 she started a new research project on the UAP phenomenon, focusing on the lived conscious experience of individuals who report these kind encounters, and how they integrate these experiences into their understanding of self, other, and world. This work has seen her become Research Director at the John Mack Institute, and Advisory Board Member for the Society for UAP Studies. Phenomenology is the direct investigation and description of phenomena as consciously experienced, without theories about their causal explanation. In the interview I begin by talking with Kimberly about her background and exploring phenomenology in more detail. From there we discuss how its methods can be applied in the of study of extraordinary experiences such as those people have with UAPs/UFOs and also how it can help experiencers understand those events on a personal level. Further details about Kimberly's research is available at https://kimberlyengels.academia.edu/ and to find her blog posts for the Society for UAP Studies, go to https://www.societyforuapstudies.org/blog. Kimberly also has a podcast series called 'Phenomenology of the Phenomenon' which is available on the Society for UAP Studies YouTube channel here. If you enjoy what I do with Some Other Sphere and would like to support its upkeep, you can make a donation via Ko-fi. To buy the podcast a coffee go to https://ko-fi.com/someotherspherepodcast. Thank you!   The podcast theme music is by The Night Monitor, from his album, ‘Close Encounters of the Pennine Kind’. You can find out more about The Night Monitor's music at https://thenightmonitor.bandcamp.com/.