Challenging and rewarding in equal measure, Phenomenology of Perception is Merleau-Ponty's most famous work. Impressive in both scope and imagination, it uses the example of perception to return the body to the forefront of philosophy for the first time since Plato. Drawing on case studies such as brain-damaged patients from the First World War, Merleau-Ponty brilliantly shows how the body plays a crucial role not only in perception but in speech, sexuality and our relation to others.
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'Merleau-Ponty was one of the most substantial French philosophers of the twentieth century.' - Times Literary Supplement
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“ It helps to read other work ABOUT Merleau-Ponty; M.C. Dillon's "Merleau-Ponty's Ontology" is the best book I've found in this regard. ”
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
184 of 185 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Merleau-Ponty's work is nothing less than a classic, one of the great works of philosophy in the 20th century. It should go without saying, then, that this work should be made available in an up-to-date and scholarly translation.
Unfortunately, this is what Routledge has refused to do. Not only does this "new" edition maintain all of the known mistakes and inconsistencies of the original translation (most of which were not corrected when the translation was revised twenty years ago), but it also introduces literally dozens of type-setting errors. In addition to all of the obvious mistakes in punctuation and spelling (e.g., "intelfection" on p. xx; "in a world" instead of "in a word" on p. 129; "deralizes" for "derealizes" on p. 140; "writes" for "writers," p. 163; "Rinswanger" for "Binswanger," note 6, p. 185, and the list goes on and on), you will also encounter such lovely gems as "Bergson's inferiority" (instead of "interiority", p. 67) and "adduction" transformed into "abduction" -- when distinguishing between the two is precisely the point of Merleau-Ponty's discussion (p. 243). In short, an already flawed translation has now been bungled into a bloody mess. If you are reading this book for the first time, you would be well-advised to check the used bookstores for a copy of the earlier edition. If you are trying to use this text with students, lots of luck to you!
It is also worth mentioning that Routledge has again failed to include a translation of Merleau-Ponty's original table of contents in this edition, so that many English readers are still unaware that he provided a detailed outline of the entire text to guide the reader. A translation by Daniel Guerriere is available in the Journal of the British Society for Phenomenology 10, no. 1 (1979) - although, of course, the page numbers no longer correspond to this "new" edition.
Unfortunately, this is what Routledge has refused to do. Not only does this "new" edition maintain all of the known mistakes and inconsistencies of the original translation (most of which were not corrected when the translation was revised twenty years ago), but it also introduces literally dozens of type-setting errors. In addition to all of the obvious mistakes in punctuation and spelling (e.g., "intelfection" on p. xx; "in a world" instead of "in a word" on p. 129; "deralizes" for "derealizes" on p. 140; "writes" for "writers," p. 163; "Rinswanger" for "Binswanger," note 6, p. 185, and the list goes on and on), you will also encounter such lovely gems as "Bergson's inferiority" (instead of "interiority", p. 67) and "adduction" transformed into "abduction" -- when distinguishing between the two is precisely the point of Merleau-Ponty's discussion (p. 243). In short, an already flawed translation has now been bungled into a bloody mess. If you are reading this book for the first time, you would be well-advised to check the used bookstores for a copy of the earlier edition. If you are trying to use this text with students, lots of luck to you!
It is also worth mentioning that Routledge has again failed to include a translation of Merleau-Ponty's original table of contents in this edition, so that many English readers are still unaware that he provided a detailed outline of the entire text to guide the reader. A translation by Daniel Guerriere is available in the Journal of the British Society for Phenomenology 10, no. 1 (1979) - although, of course, the page numbers no longer correspond to this "new" edition.
67 of 71 people found the following review helpful
By Idiosyncrat
Format:Paperback
Well, not narrowly on the philosophy of mind; that'd be an analytic-biased description (and one that leaves out all the things such people may extraneous and annoying in this book).
The field of philosophy of mind in Anglophone philosophy has all but ignored Merleau-Ponty's work, much to its disadvantage. Connectionism and dynamic systems theory as applied to the mental are seen as a "new" development, but the Gestalt psychologists and Merleau-Ponty had very much the same ideas long before. And a bunch of other ones, which to Anglophone ears may sound like they're from that other planet which lies across the Channel, but which deserve to be taken seriously.
Warning: this book is HARD to read, all the more so because of cultural differences between analytic and continental philosophers. The translation is also not very good; if you can read French, go for the original. It helps to read other work ABOUT Merleau-Ponty; M.C. Dillon's "Merleau-Ponty's Ontology" is the best book I've found in this regard.
Also, I think it's better to first read the following two things before tackling the book: (a) M-P's "The Primacy of Perception" (the lecture, collected in the book of the same name) for a shorter summary of his goals with the book; (b) the first chapter (and maybe the second, too) of his first book The Structure of Behavior, which discusses in great detail Merleau-Ponty's understanding of Gestalt Psychology (M-P actually refers the reader to this material repeatedly in the first few chapters of the Phenomenology of Perception).
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book can be part of an excellent upper-division course for undergraduates on the method of philosophical description called phenomenology. Particularly in Merleau-Ponty's description of the lived body and of our intersubjective relations there lies such inspiring attention to our own experience that both myself and my students are often left breathless. This book is both philosophy and poetry, and both aspects of this book are clear and well-researched.
Contrary to the unfounded views of one reviewer, I would argue WITH Merleau-Ponty (who says as much in several key places, including his essay "The Philosopher and His Shadow") that Merleau-Ponty's work here is simply an extension of Edmund Husserl's work. Thus, the book fits in nicely after a discussion of some of Husserl's _Cartesian Meditations_ (found in Donn Welton's _Essential Husserl_). Students have also found Merleau-Ponty to be compatible with de Beauvoir and Sartre (both of whom he knew and wrote for and to), Heidegger, and Derrida.
In my most recent course, I have used John Russon's compelling book _Human Experience_ first as a way to show some of the phenomenological themes in Merleau-Ponty's book before getting the students to hunker down and try to pull apart Husserl (who is quite difficult) and then Merleau-Ponty (who is a kind of reward for doing the rigorous discipline of reading Husserl). All in all, this is a book that will surely motivate some students towards graduate school work in Continental philosophy.
Contrary to the unfounded views of one reviewer, I would argue WITH Merleau-Ponty (who says as much in several key places, including his essay "The Philosopher and His Shadow") that Merleau-Ponty's work here is simply an extension of Edmund Husserl's work. Thus, the book fits in nicely after a discussion of some of Husserl's _Cartesian Meditations_ (found in Donn Welton's _Essential Husserl_). Students have also found Merleau-Ponty to be compatible with de Beauvoir and Sartre (both of whom he knew and wrote for and to), Heidegger, and Derrida.
In my most recent course, I have used John Russon's compelling book _Human Experience_ first as a way to show some of the phenomenological themes in Merleau-Ponty's book before getting the students to hunker down and try to pull apart Husserl (who is quite difficult) and then Merleau-Ponty (who is a kind of reward for doing the rigorous discipline of reading Husserl). All in all, this is a book that will surely motivate some students towards graduate school work in Continental philosophy.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic text
This is not for the faint of heart. Merleau-Ponty does not believe in brevity, but the overall text was extremely interesting and engaging. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Hannah Pynchon
5.0 out of 5 stars
An existential phenomenological philosophy...
This is an impossible book to review. The magnitude of what Merleau-Ponty takes on and accomplishes in this work is simply astounding. Read more
Published on October 9, 2010 by Brian C.
5.0 out of 5 stars
awesome quality and an awesome, yet challenging read.
Great quality.
Also, The topic is very intriguing and thought provoking...
Very dense text, but very worth the challenge.
Also, The topic is very intriguing and thought provoking...
Very dense text, but very worth the challenge.
Published on October 4, 2010 by Elezebeth C Davis
1.0 out of 5 stars
Do NOT buy this edition
This is a great work of philosophy that I highly recommend. However, do not by any means buy this Routledge edition. Read more
Published on November 11, 2009 by I. Gabel
5.0 out of 5 stars
Phenomenology of Perception- Brilliant, timely, everyone should read.
This book is a beautiful bridge for those who still adhere to the cartesian gap theory. seating the phenomenal experience of man in and through 'body'... Read more
Published on May 1, 2008 by Vivian
4.0 out of 5 stars
Breakthough Phenomenology
"What is phenomenology? It may seem strange that this question has still to be asked half a century after the first works of Husserl" So says Merleau-Ponty in the opening pages of... Read more
Published on July 17, 2007 by Steiner
5.0 out of 5 stars
A masterpiece!
Merleau-Ponty's masterpiece is really an exquisite piece of writing. I know from an excellent source that there is a new translation coming soon. Read more
Published on February 22, 2007 by Kirsten Iverson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful
Very prompt shipping and the book was in excellent condition when it arrived, in plenty of time for classes starting.
Published on February 11, 2007 by C. Clegg-Roberts
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stunning
While reading this book you get a sense of a man truly on the verge of profound truth. It's a difficult read (the section on time alone will make you wonder if the book is written... Read more
Published on October 14, 2006 by Alex Johnston
4.0 out of 5 stars
I enjoyed this book
My mom made me read this book because I expressed an interest in psychology. It was pretty good; I took it to the beach and got laughed at, though. I like Husserl and Hegel too.
Published on January 21, 2005
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 28
books:
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100
books
cite this book:
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- Principles of Gestalt Psychology by K. Koffka on page 58, page 353, and Back Matter
- The Order of Things: An Archaeology of the Human Sciences by Michel Foucault in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- Madness and Civilization (Routledge Classics) by Michel Foucault in Back Matter
- A Short History of Ethics: A History of Moral Philosophy from the Homeric Age to the Twentieth Century by Alasdair C. MacIntyre in Back Matter
- Short History of Ethics by Alasdair C. MacIntyre in Back Matter
See all 28 books this book cites
- Merleau-Ponty's Later Works and Their Practical Implications: The Dehiscence of Responsibility by Duane H. Davis on 17 pages
- The Spell of the Sensuous: Perception and Language in a More-Than-Human World by David Abram on 9 pages
- Bitter Milk: Women and Teaching by Madeleine Grumet on 8 pages
- Living Across and Through Skins: Transactional Bodies, Pragmatism, and by Shannon Sullivan on 8 pages
- Merleau-Ponty (Arguments of the Philosophers) by Stephen Priest on 7 pages
See all 100 books citing this book
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