One example of the frustration of secondary reflection and the mysterious is the functional person; however, this is really just one example of a more general phenomenon: the person who has given in to the "spirit of abstraction".
Roughly, we can say that where primary reflection tends to dissolve the unity of experience which is first put before it, the function of secondary reflection is essentially recuperative; it reconquers that unity.
"Roughly, we can say that where primary reflection tends to dissolve the unity of experience which is first put before it, the function of secondary reflection is essentially recuperative; it reconquers that unity" (Marcel 1951a, p. 83).
Throughout Marcel's work there is an attempt to reveal objective structures of human existence by means of the process of secondary reflection, a process that helps individuals to appreciate and recover defining human experiences.
On the other hand, when a secondary reflection acts as the source for a tertiary reflection emerging in the direction of the primary reflection, the intensity can be modified by constructive or destructive interference.
The second aspect of secondary reflection involves a process of recovery, or what Marcel called, in The Philosophy of Existentialism, an assurance of the realm of mystery.
When we engage in primary reflection without proceeding to the synthesizing, recollecting act of secondary reflection, we fall victim to what Marcel calls the spirit of abstraction.
As shown in Fig. 6, the low-angle XRD pattern of this sample shows an intense main peak with a weak secondary reflection, confirming the ordered mesoporous structure which is same as that of the Eu3+ ions-doped mesoporous silica thin films with an Eu/Si molar ratio of 2.57% calcined at 600°C.
Secondary reflection, which recoups the unity of experience, points the way toward a fuller understanding of the participation alluded to in examples of the mysterious.
It is difficult to forgive Heidegger". Dr. Levinas's alternative to traditional approaches was a philosophy that made personal ethical responsibility to others the starting point and primary focus for philosophy, rather than a secondary reflection that followed explorations of the nature of existence and the validity of knowledge.
