Phenomenology of Perception

Firstpublishedin1945,MauriceMerleau-Ponty?smonumentalPhénoménologiedelaperceptionsignalledthearrivalofamajornewphilosophicalandintellectualvoiceinpost-warEurope.Breakingwiththeprevailingpictureofexistentialismandphenomenologyatthetime,ithasbecomeoneofthelandmarkworksoftwentieth-centurythought.Thisnewtranslation,thefirstforoverfiftyyears,makesthisclassicworkofphilosophyavailabletoanewgenerationofreaders.PhenomenologyofPerceptionstandsinthegreatphenomenologicaltraditionofHusserl,Heidegger,andSartre.YetMerleau-Ponty?scontributionisdecisive,ashebringsthistraditionandotherphilosophicalpredecessors,particularlyDescartesandKant,toconfrontaneglecteddimensionofourexperience:thelivedbodyandthephenomenalworld.Chartingaboldcoursebetweenthereductionismofscienceontheonehandand"intellectualism"ontheother,Merleau-Pontyarguesthatweshouldregardthebodynotasamerebiologicalorphysicalunit,butasthebodywhichstructuresone?ssituationandexperiencewithintheworld.Merleau-Pontyenricheshisclassicworkwithengagingstudiesoffamouscasesinthehistoryofpsychologyandneurologyaswellasphenomenathatcontinuetodrawourattention,suchasphantomlimbsyndrome,synaesthesia,andhallucination.ThisnewtranslationincludesmanyhelpfulfeaturessuchasthereintroductionofMerleau-Ponty?sdiscursiveTableofContentsassubtitlesintothebodyofthetext,acomprehensiveTranslator?sIntroductiontoitsmainthemes,essentialnotesexplainingkeytermsoftranslation,anextensiveIndex,andanimportantupdatingofMerleau-Ponty?sreferencestonowavailableEnglishtranslations.AlsoincludedisanewforewordbyTaylorCarmanandanintroductiontoMerleau-PontybyClaudeLefort.TranslatedbyDonaldA.Landes.,