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A term that has been used in as many widely varying senses in modern philosophy as has the term which names the subject matter of this science, "phenomena" ... In the middle of the nineteenth century, the definition of "phenomenon" was further extended until it became synonymous with "fact" or "whatever is observed to be the case." As a consequence, "phenomenology" acquired the meaning that it possesses most frequently in contemporary uses -- a purely descriptive study of any given subject matter" (Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 1967)