The Landscape of Merleau-Pontyan Thought
Contributions to Phenomenology 2023 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-26074-2_7 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | The essay raises the question of how Merleau-Ponty's diverse projects connect, noting that his notes indicate the book he was working on at his death was meant to return to problems left "insoluble" in Phenomenology of Perception. It asks whether he hoped this work would supersede the Phenomenology, correct for its false start, or press on in the same direction. |
Abstract
Abstract Merleau-Ponty wrote prolifically throughout his life on psychology, aesthetics, and politics, on pedagogy, physics, and painting. Between his appointment to the Université de Lyon in 1945 and his sudden death in Paris in 1961—a copy of Descartes’Dioptriqueon the desk in front of him—the survey of courses he taught is dizzying in scope. For all its promise, however, the interdisciplinary nature of Merleau-Ponty’s work, and the abruptness of its end, raises the question of how these projects connect. The question is encouraged by Merleau-Ponty’s own notes, which indicate that the book he was working on at the time of his death was meant to return to problems left “insoluble” inPhenomenology of Perception(VI 200). Did he hope this work would supersede thePhenomenology? to correct for its false start? to press on in the same direction?