Key moments in Merleau-Ponty's philosophy of nature are explored through a chronological analysis of his major works. Toadvine begins with an ontology of nature from "The Structure of Behavior," then delves into the role of reflection in "Phenomenology of Perception," highlighting the interplay between nature and human subjectivity. The concept of "intertwining" leads to a discussion of "chiasm," which represents the connection between sense and the sensible, culminating in an examination of the relationship between humans and nature in Merleau-Ponty's later philosophy.
Merleau-Ponty's Reading of Husserl explores the relationship between two of the greatest thinkers of the twentieth Edmund Husserl, the father of modern phenomenology, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty, considered by many to be his greatest philosophical heir. While Merleau-Ponty's influence on the dissemination and reception of Husserl's thought is indisputable, unresolved questions remain concerning the philosophical projects of these two Does phenomenology first reach its true potential in Merleau-Ponty's hands, guided by his appreciation of the tacit goals underlying Husserl's philosophical project? Or is Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology a creative but ultimately misdirected appropriation of Husserl's work? In this volume, the first devoted to a comparison of the work of these two philosophers, ten leading scholars draw on the latest research and newly available manuscripts to offer novel insights into Merleau-Ponty's reading of Husserl - with implications for our understanding of phenomenology's significance, its method, and the future of philosophy.
Exploring the concept of deep time, this work critiques the contemporary fixation on apocalyptic scenarios and their impact on sustainability. It argues that this perspective stems from a flawed understanding of time that overlooks our connections to the past and present. By employing a phenomenological lens, the author, Ted Toadvine, draws on thinkers like Merleau-Ponty and Derrida to propose a philosophy of time that embraces the complexities of human and nonhuman interactions, ultimately advocating for a transformative relationship with the earth and its myriad temporalities.
Advancing a phenomenological approach to deep time Our imagination today is dominated by the end of the world, from sci-fi and climate fiction to actual predictions of biodiversity collapse, climate disruption, and the emergence of the Anthropocene. This obsession with the world's precarity, The Memory of the World contends, relies on a flawed understanding of time that neglects the past and present with the goal of managing the future. Not only does this mislead sustainability efforts, it diminishes our encounters with the world and with human and nonhuman others. Here, Ted Toadvine takes a phenomenological approach to deep time to show how our apocalyptic imagination forgets the sublime and uncanny dimensions of the geological past and far future. Guided by original readings of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Emmanuel Levinas, Jacques Derrida, Jean-Luc Nancy, and others, he suggests that reconciling our embodied lives with the memory of the earth transforms our relationship with materiality, other forms of life, and the unprecedented future. Integrating insights from phenomenology, deconstruction, critical animal studies, and new materialism, The Memory of the World argues for a new philosophy of time that takes seriously the multiple, pleated, and entangled temporal events spanning cosmic, geological, evolutionary, and human durations.
