Starting with Merleau-Ponty

Description

Merleau-Ponty was one of the most important European philosophers of the 20th century, whose work made enormous contributions to the development of phenomenology and the concept of the lived-body. Clearly and thematically structured, covering all Merleau-Ponty's key works and focussing particularly on the hugely important The Phenomenology of Perception, Starting with Merleau-Ponty leads the reader through a thorough overview of the development of his thought, resulting in a more thorough understanding of the roots of his philosophical concerns. Offering coverage of the full range of Merleau-Ponty's ideas, the book firmly sets his work in the context of the 20th century intellectual landscape and explores his contributions to phenomenology, existentialism, empiricism, objective thought and his vision of human reality. Crucially the book introduces the major thinkers and events that proved influential in the development of Merleau-Ponty's work, including Husserl, Sartre, Heidegger and those philosophers and psychologists whom he labelled 'intellectualists' and 'empiricists'. This is the ideal introduction for anyone coming to the work of this hugely important thinker for the first time.

Katherine J. Morris is Fellow in Philosophy at Mansfield College, University of Oxford, UK. Her previous publications include Sartre (Blackwell, 2007) and, with Gordon Baker, Descartes' Dualism (Routledge, 1996).

This elegantly written work shows an exceptional combination of clarity and critical acuity. Katherine Morris traverses Merleau-Ponty's arguments in a systematic and engaging manner, and brings out the continuing relevance of his insights. An essential introduction for all those seeking to understand his philosophy of embodied perception. -- Timothy Mooney, Senior Lecturer, School of Philosophy, University College Dublin, Ireland An excellent introduction to Merleau-Ponty's thought. Katherine Morris offers a clear and coherent account of his ideas. She skilfully guides the reader through his arguments and shows the increasing relevance of his philosophy to contemporary debates in a number of areas. This is a very welcome addition to the literature. -- Komarine Romdenh-Romluc, Lecturer, Department of Philosophy, The University of Nottingham, UK