Merleau-Ponty and Contemporary Philosophy of Perception

This book explores perception through Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology, offering solutions to contemporary debates about content and nature. It argues that perception has unique content that cannot be described in terms of sensations or concepts and that perceptual intentionality provides a powerful combination of realism and intentionalism. It appeals to scholars and advanced students working on phenomenology and the philosophy of perception.

Format: Hardback
Length: 211 pages
Publication date: 04 August 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This book delves into the realm of Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology to offer innovative and promising solutions to contemporary debates surrounding perception. By extending and defending Merleau-Ponty's account of perceptual content and the relationship between perception and the world, it showcases the enduring value of his insights in the philosophy of perception today. The author's central focus revolves around two key topics: the contents and nature of perception. In the first half of the book, the author engages in discussions about the content of perception, specifically exploring the properties or features of the world that become apparent to us through perception and the various modes in which these revelations occur. Drawing upon Merleau-Ponty's description of perceptual "sense," the author argues that perception possesses a distinct kind of content that cannot be adequately captured through sensations or concepts. He then demonstrates how this account of perceptual sense can shed light on debates regarding the richness of perceptual content, including whether we can perceive moral properties. In the second half of the book, the author turns his attention to the nature of perception. Here, he advocates for Merleau-Ponty's account of perceptual intentionality as a powerful framework that combines the core insights of two prominent contemporary approaches to this question: realism and intentionalism. The author elucidates how this combination can be developed, defends it against objections, and explains how it possesses the capacity to address the challenges posed by the existence of illusions and hallucinations.

Merleau-Ponty and Contemporary Philosophy of Perception will captivate scholars and advanced students engaged in the study of phenomenology and the philosophy of perception. Its comprehensive exploration of perception's contents and nature provides a rich and insightful perspective that will deepen our understanding of this fundamental human experience.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032265896