Where Merleau-Ponty Meets Dewey: Habit, Embodiment, and Education
Malcolm Thorburn, Steven A. Stolz
Studies in Philosophy and Education September 9, 2023 DOI: 10.1007/s11217-023-09897-1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Citations | 12 |
| Key points | Argues that combining Dewey's account of habit with Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology of the body-subject offers a more holistic conception of education that avoids over-privileging abstraction and cognition. Proposes that Dewey's pragmatism can serve as a theoretical bridge to Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology of perception, and that recognizing both differences and overlaps between the two thinkers can inform contemporary educational practice. |
Abstract
Abstract This paper utilises selective writings by John Dewey and Maurice Merleau-Ponty as the conceptual basis for considering how an enhanced synergistic focus on habit and embodiment could support practice gains in schools. The paper focuses on Dewey’s belief that established habits can help students to incorporate experiences into evaluations of educational progress and Merleau-Ponty’s spotlight on the body-subject, and how it provides a holistic way of conceiving relations that avoid over privileging abstraction and cognition and under-representing the centrality of the body in human experience. We then evaluate the role of language and reflection in relation to habit, embodiment, and education before discussing some of the general educational practice considerations which might improve the quality of students learning experiences. In conclusion, we consider the possibilities for Dewey’s pragmatism to function as a theoretical bridge to Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology of perception and the nature of experience. We argue that while it is important to recognise points of difference, in relation to philosophical treatments of habit and embodiment, it is also important to consider the overlap and new connections between Merleau-Ponty and Dewey which are valuable to take forward in contemporary education.