Merleau-Ponty and Nancy on Sense and Being: At the Limits of Phenomenology

Marie-Eve Morin offers a reinterpretation of Merleau-Ponty and Nancy's philosophy from the perspective of realist and object-oriented tendencies in contemporary philosophy. She challenges speculative realism's critique of contemporary Continental philosophy as correlationism and develops an ontology that respects the materiality and exteriority of what exists without reinstating the mind-world divide. Morin argues that Merleau-Ponty and Nancy overcome the Cartesian presupposition at work in current realist appeals to step out of our own thoughts and reach the great outdoors. She also defends anthropomorphism as a way of overcoming the Cartesian Sartrian ontology of the object.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 216 pages
Publication date: 31 August 2023
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Marie-Eve Morin offers a fresh perspective on the debate between philosophical materialism and realism in the aftermath of phenomenology and deconstruction. Challenging speculative realism's critique of contemporary Continental philosophy as correlationism, Morin develops an ontology that upholds the materiality and exteriority of what exists without reverting to the mind-world divide. Through the lens of Merleau-Ponty and Nancy, Morin demonstrates how these thinkers transcend the Cartesian presupposition at work in the current realist appeal to step out of our own thoughts and reach the great outdoors. Providing an alternative to the phenomenological reduction of being to sense, Morin defends anthropomorphism as a means of overcoming the Cartesian Sartrian ontology of the object. Marie-Eve Morin's reinterpretation of Merleau-Ponty and Nancy's philosophy from the perspective of realist and object-oriented tendencies in contemporary philosophy offers a valuable contribution to the ongoing dialogue between these philosophical traditions.

In her analysis, Morin focuses on three key ideas where Merleau-Ponty's and Nancy's thinking intersect: body, thing, and being. She meticulously tracks the role of difference or spacing within sensing and sense-making, highlighting how their respective conceptions of encroachment and promiscuity, or unpassable limit, may provide counterweights to each other. By delving into these interconnections, Morin sheds light on the complexities and nuances of their philosophical frameworks, offering a rich and nuanced understanding of the interplay between materiality, exteriority, and the human experience.

Through her exploration of Merleau-Ponty and Nancy's thought, Morin challenges the boundaries of traditional philosophical discourse and opens up new avenues for thinking about the nature of reality and the place of the human subject within it. Her work provides a valuable resource for scholars and students interested in exploring the intersection of phenomenology, deconstruction, realism, and object-oriented philosophy, as well as those seeking to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the human experience in the contemporary world.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781474492430