The work of French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty touches on some of the most essential and vital concerns of the world today, yet his ideas are difficult and not widely understood. Lawrence Hass redresses this problem by offering an exceptionally clear, carefully argued, critical appreciation of Merleau-Ponty's philosophy. Hass provides insight into the philosophical methods and major concepts that characterize Merleau-Ponty's thought. Questions concerning the nature of phenomenology, perceptual experience, embodiment, intersubjectivity, expression, and philosophy of language are fully and systematically discussed with reference to main currents and discussions in contemporary philosophy. The result is a refreshingly jargon-free invitation into Merleau-Ponty's important and transformational way of understanding human experience.
Author(s): Lawrence Hass
Year: 2008
Language: English
Pages: 272
Cover......Page 1
Contents......Page 8
Acknowledgments......Page 10
List of Abbreviations of Texts by Merleau- Ponty......Page 14
Introduction to Merleau- Ponty’s Philosophy: “Singing the World”......Page 18
Prelude: Scenes from the Cartesian Theater......Page 28
1. The Sensation Fallacy: Toward a Phenomenology of Perception......Page 43
2. The Secret Life of Things......Page 70
3. Singing the Living Body Electric......Page 91
4. Elemental Alterity: Self and Others......Page 117
5. Later Developments: Écart, Reversibility, and the Flesh of the World......Page 141
6. Expression and the Origin of Geometry......Page 163
7. Behold “The Speaking Word”: The Expressive Life of Language......Page 188
Conclusion: The Visible and the Invisible......Page 210
Appendix: Th e Multiple Meanings of Flesh in Merleau- Ponty’s Late Writings......Page 218
Notes......Page 222
Bibliography......Page 258
Index......Page 266
