Reading Merleau-Ponty: On the Phenomenology of Perception

Maurice Merleau-Ponty's Phenomenology of Perception is widely acknowledged to be one of the most important contributions to philosophy of the twentieth century. In this volume, leading philosophers from Europe and North America examine the nature and extent of Merleau-Ponty's achievement and consider its importance to contemporary philosophy.

The chapters, most of which were specially commissioned for this volume, cover the central aspects of Merleau-Ponty's influential work. These include:

• Merleau-Ponty’s debt to Husserl
• Merleau-Ponty’s conception of philosophy
• Perception, action and the role of the body
• consciousness and self-consciousness
• naturalism and language
• social rules and freedom

Reading Merleau-Ponty is an indispensable resource for understanding Merleau-Ponty's path-breaking work. It is essential reading for students of phenomenology, philosophy of mind and psychology, and anyone interested in the relationship between phenomenology and analytic philosophy.

Contributors: David Smith, Sean Kelly, Komarine Romdenh-Romluc, Hubert Dreyfus, Mark Wrathall, Thomas Baldwin, Simon Glendinning, Naomi Eilan, Eran Dorfman, Francoise Dastur