Elements concerning the problem of History in Merleau-Ponty

Author(s)

Jose Luiz Bastos Neves

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH/SBD)
• Defense date: 2010-04-16

Examining board members

Marilena de Souza Chaui; Carlos Alberto Ribeiro de Moura; Paulo Vieira Neto

• Advisor: Marilena de Souza Chaui

Abstract

Which idea of history is announced in Merleau-Pontys last writings? Which difficulties it intends to solve? In order to answer those questions, it seemed necessary to reexamine the limits of the philosophy of history characteristic of the philosophers early existentialism, still attached to a certain philosophy of consciousness. Once those limits were established, we tried to retrace the path that led Merleau-Ponty in rewrit-ing his concept of history. We tried to do it in two moments. Firstly, we analyzed the way in which Merleau-Ponty, in the early fifties, understood the cultural worlds ration-ality through the concepts of institution of meaning and diacritical structure. This goes along with an idea of history that is centered on the notion of elective affinities. Secondly, we tried to establish the concept of experience presupposed by these new analysis of the cultural world. In the sensible worlds silent lógos, Nature proved itself to be already meaningful independently of the acts of consciousness. That alters the role attributed to human productivity in Merleau-Pontys earlier texts. Finally we tried to comment on the notion of an ontological history, which can be found in the later texts of Merleau-Ponty. (AU)