Always already is a philosophical term regarding the perception of

phenomena A phenomenon ( : phenomena) is an observable event. The term came into its modern philosophical usage through Immanuel Kant, who contrasted it with the noumenon, which ''cannot'' be directly observed. Kant was heavily influenced by Gottfried W ...

by the

mind The mind is the set of faculties responsible for all mental phenomena. Often the term is also identified with the phenomena themselves. These faculties include thought, imagination, memory, will, and sensation. They are responsible for various m ...

of an observer. The features of a phenomenon that seem to precede any perception of it are said to be "always already" present.

Development

"Always already" literally translates the German phrase ''immer schon'' that appears prominently in several 20th century philosophical works, notably

Martin Heidegger Martin Heidegger (; ; 26 September 188926 May 1976) was a German philosopher who is best known for contributions to phenomenology, hermeneutics, and existentialism. He is among the most important and influential philosophers of the 20th centur ...

's '' Being and Time''. The phrase is not specific to philosophy in German, but refers to an action or condition that has continued without any identifiable beginning. Heidegger used the phrase routinely to indicate that Dasein, the human experience of existence, has no beginning apart from the world in which one exists, but is produced in it and by it. On the strength of Heidegger's influence, French and later English philosophers adopted the literal translation of the phrase. In the Marxist tradition,

Louis Althusser Louis Pierre Althusser (, ; ; 16 October 1918 – 22 October 1990) was a French Marxist philosopher. He was born in Algeria and studied at the École normale supérieure in Paris, where he eventually became Professor of Philosophy. Althusser ...

observed that "individuals are always-already subjects" within an ideological structure before they perceive themselves as such—indeed, even before birth.Althusser, Louis (1970)
Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses
During the late 20th century the term spread into various areas of philosophical discourse that include

literary theory Literary theory is the systematic study of the nature of literature and of the methods for literary analysis. Culler 1997, p.1 Since the 19th century, literary scholarship includes literary theory and considerations of intellectual history, mo ...

, hermeneutics and

deconstruction The term deconstruction refers to approaches to understanding the relationship between text and meaning. It was introduced by the philosopher Jacques Derrida, who defined it as a turn away from Platonism's ideas of "true" forms and essences w ...

References

* Tore Langholz, Das Problem des »immer schon« in Derridas Schriftphilosophie, Vienna 2016: Passagen. A priori Concepts in aesthetics Concepts in epistemology Concepts in logic Concepts in metaphysics Concepts in the philosophy of mind Continental philosophy Deconstruction Epistemological theories Existentialism Existentialist concepts German philosophy Hermeneutics Interpretation (philosophy) Literary theory Martin Heidegger Metaphysical theories Ontology Perception Phenomenology Post-structuralism {{Post-structuralism-stub

Development

See also

References