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PhenomenologyofPerceptionWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

PhenomenologyofPerception
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

PhenomenologyofPerception(French:
Phnomnologiedelaperception)isa1945bookby
FrenchphilosopherMauriceMerleauPonty.The
workestablishedMerleauPontyasthepreeminent
philosopherofthebody.FirstpublishedinEnglish
translationin1962,[1]anewEnglishtranslationwas
publishedin2013.[2]

PhenomenologyofPerception

Contents
1Summary
2Scholarlyreception
3References
4Externallinks

Summary
FollowingtheworkofEdmundHusserl,Merleau
Ponty'sprojectistorevealthephenomenological
structureofperception.However,MerleauPonty's
conceptionsofphenomenology,andforthatmatter
thedialectic,donotpreciselyfollowthoseofHusserl
orMartinHeidegger.
MerleauPonty'scentralthesisiswhathelatercalled
the"primacyofperception."Wearefirstperceiving
theworld,thenwedophilosophy.Thisentailsa
critiqueoftheCartesiancogito,resultinginalargely
differentconceptofconsciousness.TheCartesian
dualismofmindandbodyiscalledintoquestionas
ourprimarywayofexistingintheworldandis
ultimatelyrejectedinfavorofanintersubjective
conceptionordialecticalandintentionalconceptof
consciousness.Whatischaracteristicofhisaccountof
perceptionisthecentralitythatthebodyplays.We
perceivetheworldthroughourbodiesweare
embodiedsubjects,involvedinexistence.

TheFrenchedition
Author

MauriceMerleauPonty

Originaltitle Phnomnologiedelaperception
Translator

ColinSmith(1sttranslation)
DonaldLandes(2ndtranslation)

Country

France

Language

French

Subject

Phenomenology

Published

1945(ditionsGallimard,in
French)
1962(Routledge&Kegan
Paul,inEnglish)
2012(Routledge,new
Englishtranslation)

Mediatype

Print

Pages

466(1965Routledgeedition)

ISBN

9780415834339(2012Routledge
edition)

Further,theabilitytoreflectcomesfromapre
reflectivegroundthatservesasthefoundationforreflectingonactions.Inotherwords,weperceive
phenomenafirst,thenreflectonthemviathismediationofperception,whichisinstantaneousand
synonymouswithourbeinginperception,asanoutcomeofourbodyhood,i.e.,embodiment(Gestalt
psychology).
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PhenomenologyofPerceptionWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Hisaccountofthebodyhelpshimunderminewhathadbeenalongstandingconceptionof
consciousness,whichhingesonthedistinctionbetweentheforitself(subject)andinitself(object),
whichplaysacentralroleinSartre'sphilosophy.(OneofhismaintargetswashiscolleagueJeanPaul
Sartre,whoreleasedBeingandNothingnessin1943,shortlybeforethepublicationofPhenomenologyof
Perception.)Thebodystandsbetweenthisfundamentaldistinctionbetweensubjectandobject,
ambiguouslyexistingasboth.[3]

Scholarlyreception
PhenomenologyofPerceptionestablishedMerleauPontyasthepreeminentphilosopherofthebody.
AlongwithMerleauPonty'sotherwritings,ithasfoundamorereceptiveaudienceamonganalytic
philosophersthantheworksofotherphenomenologists.[4]

References
1. MerleauPonty,Maurice.Trans:ColinSmith.PhenomenologyofPerception(London:Routledge&Kegan
Paul,1965)[p.iv]
2. MerleauPonty,Maurice.Trans:DonaldLandes.PhenomenologyofPerception(London:Routledge,2012)
[p.i]
3. MerleauPonty,Maurice.Trans:ColinSmith.PhenomenologyofPerception(London:Routledge,2005)[e.g.
pp.408]
4. Bernasconi,Robert,inTedHonderich'sTheOxfordCompaniontoPhilosophy(Oxford:OxfordUniversity
Press,2005)[p.588]

Externallinks
ExcerptscanbefoundatGoogleBooks:MerleauPonty,Maurice.PhenomenologyofPerception
(http://books.google.com/books?
id=tOCZPO6EFQAC&dq=phenomenology+of+perception&source=gbs_navlinks_s).
Thecompletebookisfreelyavailable(https://archive.org/details/phenomenologyofp00merl)at
Archive.org.

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