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The Cambridge Companion to Merleau-Ponty
Maurice Merleau-Ponty (1908-1961) was described by Paul Ricoeur as 'the greatest of the French phenomenologists'. The essays in this 2004 volume examine the full scope of Merleau-Ponty's philosophy, from his central and abiding concern with the nature of perception and the bodily constitution of intentionality to his reflections on science, nature, art, history, and politics. The authors explore the historical origins and context of his thought as well as its continuing relevance to contemporary work in phenomenology, philosophy of mind, cognitive science, biology, art criticism and political and social theory. What emerges is a fresh image of Merleau-Ponty as a deep and original thinker whose philosophical importance has been underestimated, in part owing to the influence of intellectual movements such as existentialism and structuralism, into which his work could not be easily assimilated. New readers will find this the most convenient and accessible guide to Merleau-Ponty currently available.
408 pages, Paperback
First published September 20, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 20, 2021
Đọc cuốn này do nghiên cứu triết học của Merleau-Ponty đến hiện tượng luận và ảnh hưởng đến ngành khoa học nhận thức như thế nào.
Nghiên cứu triết học này thì thấy ngành khoa học nhận thức cũng khá hay
Nghiên cứu triết học này thì thấy ngành khoa học nhận thức cũng khá hay
February 8, 2016
Most of the essays in this collection where well written and quite interesting. My favourites included Sean Kelly's 'Seeing Things in Merleau-Ponty,' Judith Butler's 'Merleau-Ponty and the Touch of Malebranche,' Renaud Barbaras' 'A Phenomenology of Life,' and Jonathan Gilmore's 'Between Philosophy and Art.'
December 28, 2024
I feel like this book comes at a crucial point in my philosophical development, proving both revolutionary and revitalizing.
Revolutionary because it has granted me a new conception of ontology, of the body and of what it is capable of. Merlau-Ponty’s influence is now indelible in my thought. His championing of the body as the primary site through which we primarily experience the world has established itself as one of the primary influences in my everyday attitude towards the world. Although unfinished, his ontological turn has revolutionized my conception of dichotomies such as subject-object, elucidating to me that they are not exclusive terms, but are interconnected, interwoven in the lived experience of man.
Revitalizing as well because it has given me new tools to understand and critique the world around me, specially through Merlau-Ponty’s particular reading of phenomenology. Merlau-Ponty has also cemented in my own thought the paramount importance of the body, both as a site where knowledge resides and where power too resides, allowing me to connect his project to that of another great influence on me, Michel Foucault.
His views on aesthetics are worthwhile, but only as a means to explain his Phenomenology of Perception and the role the body plays in perception and the grasping of reality. His views on politics are worthwhile as well, and you can glean aspects of his project in phenomenology and ontology, but feel more like an appendix to his project.
Merlau-Ponty therefore marks a turning point in my intellectual development, and has become, alongside Foucault and Camus, the third primary pilar in my thought.
Revolutionary because it has granted me a new conception of ontology, of the body and of what it is capable of. Merlau-Ponty’s influence is now indelible in my thought. His championing of the body as the primary site through which we primarily experience the world has established itself as one of the primary influences in my everyday attitude towards the world. Although unfinished, his ontological turn has revolutionized my conception of dichotomies such as subject-object, elucidating to me that they are not exclusive terms, but are interconnected, interwoven in the lived experience of man.
Revitalizing as well because it has given me new tools to understand and critique the world around me, specially through Merlau-Ponty’s particular reading of phenomenology. Merlau-Ponty has also cemented in my own thought the paramount importance of the body, both as a site where knowledge resides and where power too resides, allowing me to connect his project to that of another great influence on me, Michel Foucault.
His views on aesthetics are worthwhile, but only as a means to explain his Phenomenology of Perception and the role the body plays in perception and the grasping of reality. His views on politics are worthwhile as well, and you can glean aspects of his project in phenomenology and ontology, but feel more like an appendix to his project.
Merlau-Ponty therefore marks a turning point in my intellectual development, and has become, alongside Foucault and Camus, the third primary pilar in my thought.
July 16, 2024
As a non-philosopher I found most of the chapters informative and largely accessible. The first three chapters strike as the strongest (by Taylor Carman, Sean Kelly and Charles Taylor) but of course the chapters written by Judith Butler and Claude Lefort will sell the book because of the fame of the authors. I would recommend you do read some Merleau-Ponty first.
November 24, 2020
read some years ago... no idea where is review...
May 29, 2014
The three chapters I read were solid, academically-reputable if ultimately stylistically limited affairs.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews