Noumenal:
In the philosophy of Kant, an object as it is in itself independent of the mind, as opposed to a phenomenon. Also called thing-in-itself.
Noumena are the basic realities behind all sensory experience. According to Kant, they are not knowable because they cannot be perceived, but they must be thinkable because moral decision making and scientific investigation cannot proceed without the assumption that they exist.
Contingency:
Dependent on or conditioned by something else
Determinism:
A theory or doctrine that acts of the will, occurrences in nature, or social or psychological phenomena are causally determined by preceding events or natural laws
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Noumenal contingencies are a paradox. Contingencies, or situations, exist everywhere. They may define one’s day-to-day activities. Noumenal contingencies are unknowable situations that exist in one’s mind. The view that situations are always tied to each other’s actions is an idea developed by determinism. Certain situations radically rupture lives and our environment that surrounds us. These ruptures may carry incredible weight in time. Noumenal as they are unperceived, but situational, as they will continue another chain of actions or situations. The point of departure from a chain of events is the rupturing in time of a lineage of contingencies. Thus the investigations of noumenal contingencies may bring about a physical noumenal reality in which we can further prevent (or simply become prepared) for phenomenological ruptures in time.
Investigation # 1:
How can the inevitable void of a failed campus be utilized for new use?
Can this rupture in time be examined beforehand in order to change the outcome of the inevitable?
Universities and schools around Japan are collapsing in the current economic state. One such university is Eichi University (now St. Thomas University) in Amagasaki, Japan. The economy in conjunction with strict emphasis on high school testing and placement known as “cram school,” reduces the need for college for Japanese students. Enrollment at Eichi University has continued to spiral and attempts to contain enrollment decline have included the building of the highest tower in Amagasaki, to enforce the campus as a landmark. The university announced in 2010 that it will close its doors in 2014.
The problem of colleges in Japan is a national one. The emphasis on the high school system has led to a weaker array of colleges. Specific economies may collapse within Japan leaving some colleges to succumb to the fall in the economy, but now more than ever students are going overseas to study.
Noumenal Contingencies 
Congrats on getting the blog off the ground! And, in inimitable Gabe style, things are intense right out of the gate… this post had me running back to my philosophy textbooks to refresh my memory on Kant and what he thought a “noumenon” was.
However, I’m afraid I’m still a little lost. I’m struggling with unwrapping this dense paragraph here:
My sense is that this passage is key to understanding your research objectives, so I’d like to try and get my head around it.
I’m particularly stuck on this: aren’t all contingencies, by definition, noumena (and thus, obviously, noumenal) since contingencies are abstract concepts which are complete onto themselves and do not need to be observed or understood by a person, as a phenomenon would?
But moreso, I’m confused by the concept of “noumenal/situational contingencies” and how they “rupture” into “phenomenological contingencies,” and then, how this rupture disrupts the “determinism” of event-chains.
Are you trying to say that there are forces at play (such as financial forces, which I suppose Kant would describe as noumenal because they are intangible) which have physical consequences – such as the loss of a job, or the closure of a school? I guess the jargon is hard for me to decipher, and obscures (for me, at least) your intentions.
This may be because I’m not as familiar with Kant, but I keep wanting to think of your situations/contingencies in terms of Plato’s forms. Are you opting for Kant in order to avoid the baggage that comes with Platonism – ideals, perfection, divinity and all of that?
I’m curious to see how your interest in philosophy relates to the closure of that Japanese school. Philosophy’s role in architecture is fascinating to me, and I eagerly await seeing this develop.
Nilus,
Thank you for reading and dissecting. I am still trying to better articulate what I am trying to bring to the table, constructing an argument around how I think one should approach these ideas. Of course, the paragraph is somewhat of a mess. I need to distill the ideas. I am not sure if this is what I want to bring to the table for the end product, but it is something I am thinking about.
I am understanding (and specifically looking at) contingencies in the situational definition-meaning something will always be contingent up a set of actions. I don’t see contingencies as a phenomena, or are abstract concepts complete to their own. Quite the contrary, I am constructing the argument that contingencies are indeed knowable, by tracing. There is always a linkage. (Maybe I need to do more research, if I am saying the same thing)
There are definitions that describe contingencies as events that are unlikely to happen-lets say chance, or are “unknown”.
I am stating that if everything is caused by a set of actions then one must design or investigate for the moments where there is a breakage in the chain of events. These events, in my point of view are noumenal. (They are unknowable, not existing within the mind) The events are phenomena, or are not teathered to a series of contingencies. In the Japanese school problem, the noumena is a series of Japanese factors, that in tandem, produce the closure. They are “unknowable” because in my view, they need to be investigated and brought to light.
I am using Kant beacuse it is focuses on the object. The thing in itself. From my very nascent and naive understanding of Plato, it seems his forms are non-material. The highest possibility of reality or understanding can be achieved through understanding of forms. (Universal knowledge, pure forms within one’s mind)
I am definitely opting for the construction of change through perception and the material world. This is where I believe radical change may occur, at these moments of phenomena, or of rupture.
So in my opinion, the problem of the school i is a major moment. The school closing can be viewed as a resultant of a myriad of larger societal problems, and more than a “thing in itself.” It exists as problem that is contingent upon many other Japanese economic factors and events that have produced this unique rupture in time. It is the investigation of this event that may lead to a further understanding of Japanese society and how to prevent or produce a positive result from the school’s closure.
Let me know if anything is cleared so we can discuss further. U already have been a help as you understand philosophy much much more than i do.
“These events, in my point of view, are noumenal.”
I wanted to say, the [forces that produces the events] are noumenal.
The forces or the unknowns, are intangible. By investigating, one can maybe link a paper trail of reasons or contingencies as to how the closure occured, etc.
I have been very taken with Bruno Latour’s introduction to Making Things Public: Atmospheres of Democracy. Among other things, it’s a powerful rethinking of where and how architecture intersects with politics. Latour engages Kant, among other philosophers…perhaps he will be more useful than Kant himself. Also on Peter Sloterdijk. Give it a read, Gabe, and see what you think.
Thank you. Its too expensive to buy. Will have to use full leverage of Bird or another library shortly.