Merleau-Ponty, The Phenomenology of Perception

Summary

This video introduces key ideas from Maurice Merleau-Ponty's 1945 book, *Phenomenology of Perception*. Merleau-Ponty challenges mind-body dualism by emphasizing the body’s role in grounding philosophy in lived experience. He critiques both intellectualism and empiricism for their detachment from reality. Through the method of phenomenology, Merleau-Ponty advocates for describing experiences as they are lived, focusing on the body’s motility and orientation in space. His ideas on perception, embodied consciousness, and space have influenced both philosophy and recent scientific studies on consciousness.

Takeaways

• 😀 Merleau-Ponty emphasizes the importance of the living body in philosophy to move away from mind-body dualism, which he considers a pseudo-problem.
• 🧠 He argues that many philosophical problems are unnecessary once we start from the lived experience of the body in the world.
• 👁 Phenomenology, for Merleau-Ponty, focuses on the description of experience as it truly is, grounded in perception.
• 🛠 He warns against both intellectualism, which abstracts from reality, and empiricism, which reduces experience to perception.
• 🌍 Merleau-Ponty introduces the concept of 'phenomenological reduction' to bracket our natural assumptions and focus on the structures of lived experience.
• 💡 He merges subjectivism and objectivism, rejecting the strict binary between subject and object.
• 👤 Merleau-Ponty distinguishes between the body as an inert object (Körper) and the living, subjective body (Leib), emphasizing the latter in understanding human experience.
• 📜 The historical nature of the person is crucial to Merleau-Ponty's philosophy, as humans are in a constant state of becoming.
• 🚶‍♂️ For Merleau-Ponty, movement and motility are key to understanding how we engage with the world, prioritizing action over abstract thought.
• 📍 He differentiates between objective space, a third-person view, and oriented space, which is egocentric and rooted in bodily experience.

Q & A

Who is Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and what is he best known for?

Maurice Merleau-Ponty is a French philosopher best known for his work in phenomenology and his emphasis on the living body in philosophy. He argued against mind-body dualism and believed that philosophy should be grounded in lived experience.

What does Merleau-Ponty mean by 'pseudo problems' in philosophy?

Merleau-Ponty considers many philosophical problems, especially those that arise from mind-body dualism, to be 'pseudo problems.' He believed that these issues are created when we imagine ourselves as detached from the world and fail to start from our lived experience.

What is phenomenology according to Merleau-Ponty?

Phenomenology, for Merleau-Ponty, is the study of essences that investigates existence based on lived experience. It aims to describe experience as it really is, focusing on the direct, bodily engagement with the world rather than abstract or detached thought.

Why does Merleau-Ponty reject both intellectualism and empiricism?

Merleau-Ponty rejects intellectualism because it abstracts us from the world, and he rejects empiricism because it reduces existence to mere perception without exploring the structures that make perception possible. He believes both approaches are insufficient for understanding lived experience.

What is the phenomenological reduction, and how does Merleau-Ponty use it?

The phenomenological reduction is a method of bracketing or suspending our assumptions about the world to focus on lived experience. Merleau-Ponty uses it to step back and observe the world without withdrawing from it, allowing us to investigate existence on its own terms.

How does Merleau-Ponty view the relationship between the body and the mind?

Merleau-Ponty rejects the mind-body dualism and views the body not as an inert object, but as a living, subjective entity. He believes that we cannot understand ourselves as subjects apart from our bodies, which are integral to our perception and experience of the world.

What is the distinction between 'Körper' and 'Leib' in Merleau-Ponty's philosophy?

'Körper' refers to the body as an objective, third-person entity, while 'Leib' refers to the living, subjective body experienced in the first-person. Merleau-Ponty emphasizes the latter, focusing on the body as it is lived and expressed.

How does Merleau-Ponty describe the concept of space?

Merleau-Ponty distinguishes between objective space (external, homogenous, and third-person) and oriented space (bodily, situational, and first-person). He argues that our understanding of space must begin from the body's orientation in space rather than from an external, objective perspective.

What is the 'body schema,' and why is it important for Merleau-Ponty?

The 'body schema' is a tacit, pre-reflective knowledge of the body's position and movement in space. It is essential for Merleau-Ponty because it underlies our ability to engage with the world and perceive it through bodily action, shaping our lived experience.

How does Merleau-Ponty's view differ from traditional scientific approaches to perception and space?

Merleau-Ponty believes that traditional scientific approaches, which treat objective space as fundamental, are misguided. Instead, he argues that perception and space must be understood from the body’s perspective, prioritizing oriented space as the basis for understanding objective space.