Comments on Richard Colledge’s Essay (2021) "Thomism and Contemporary Phenomenological Realism": Considerations of Jacques Maritain, John Deely and Thomistic Approaches to the Questions of These Ti, #20

Philosopher Richard Colledge aims to make a small contribution in an article published in the American Catholic Philosophical Quarterly (volume 95 (30), 2021, pages 411-432). The full title is "Thomism and Contemporary Phenomenological Realism: Toward a Renewed Engagement". Of course, there are many styles of phenomenology. Paralleling popular artistic trends during Edmund Husserl's life (1859-1938), they range from impressionism to surrealism. The few realists criticize phenomenology, claiming that the product of phenomenological reduction, the identification of 'what the thing itself must be', may cover over or lose touch with the originating mind-independent reality, 'the thing itself'.
Colledge follows up on one critic, Gunter Figal, of the University of Freiberg, without realizing that some modern disciplines outside of phenomenology may have already benefitted from this very property. Indeed, not even Figal acknowledges that phenomenology holds an unspoken position in regards to the empirical sciences, in effect acting out the constitution of the social sciences within the milieu of empirical inquiry.
In sum, 'what the thing itself must be' through phenomenological reduction may become 'a thing itself' in regards to a social science.
In this Edmund Husserl discovered the essence of contemporary social sciences.
This commentary follows Comments on Mark Spencer's Essay (2021) "The Many Phenomenological Reductions", establishing that phenomenology situates empirical science (while, simultaneously, empirical science excludes Thomism from doing the same).
This commentary follows Comments on Joseph Trabbic's Essay (2021) "Jean-Luc Marion and... First Philosophy", concerning the fact that there is no perspective for phenomenology situating empirical science. Marion provides one, without realizing it (because he gets distracted by the antics of Jacques Derrida). Marion's struggle raises the possibility that all the social sciences practice phenomenological reduction (even before Husserl discovers the method).
Comments on Joseph Colledge's Essay (2021) "Thomism and Contemporary Phenomenological Reduction" takes the development one step further, showing that Gunter Figal successfully offers an alternate perspective, comparable to Marion's, yet does not realize the full theoretical import of his struggle. Phenomenological reductionism is the hidden step within the formulation of modern social sciences.