FROM STRUCTURE TO STYLE. MERLEAU-PONTY
FROM STRUCTURE TO STYLE. MERLEAU-PONTY
Author(s): Abbed KanoorSubject(s): Philosophy, Aesthetics, Behaviorism, Phenomenology
Published by: Издательство Санкт-Петербургского государственного университета
Keywords: Maurice Merleau-Ponty; phenomenology; structure; style; form; biology; behavior; Gestalt; aesthetics;
Summary/Abstract: In this article I try to show that there is an evolution in Merleau-Ponty’s understanding of the concept structure. Structure is neither an entity nor an a priori principle, but the expression of certain configurations of sense and meaning. There is a transition from a static to a dynamic approach, paralleling a movement from a philosophy of structure to a philosophy of individuation. There exists for each individual a general structure of behavior as a unity expressed in certain constants of its conduct. The structure is a momentary manifestation of the general orientation of the passive-affective life in its bodily expressions. Structuration is the act of creating order in the perception of the surrounding situation and the process of taking a position in it. By doing so Merleau-Ponty replaces the Gestalt psychology with a philosophy of the living being. This essential philosophical intuition culminates in the concept of style, which becomes an important element in Merleau-Ponty’s later phenomenological aesthetics and phenomenology of world appearance.
Journal: Horizon. Феноменологические исследования
- Issue Year: 12/2023
- Issue No: 1
- Page Range: 9-29
- Page Count: 21
- Language: English