Understanding

The Self
By
Maurice Merleau Ponty
Maurice Merleau-Ponty
• A French philosopher
and author Born on
March 14, 1908
• He studied at the Ecole
Normale Superieure in
Paris and took his
agregation in
Philosophy in 1931
• His idea of “SELF” is
an Embodied
Subjectivity
The Self as Embodied Subjectivity

Embodied means
“ Giving a body to “
Subjectivity is the state
of being subject.
Maurice Merleau-Ponty Believed the physical
body to be an important part of what makes
up the subjective self.

Two Philosophies of Maurice Merleau Ponty

Empiricism & Rationalism
 EMPIRICISM
Empiricism is the belief that our
physical senses are the only
source of knowledge. If the
source of our knowledge can't
be seen, touched, heard, tasted,
etc., it really can't be trusted.
Or, in other words, if it can't be
empirically studied, it's a no go.
 RATIONALISM
Rationalism asserts that
reason and mental
perception, rather than
physical senses and
experience, are the basis of
knowledge and self. In
other words, our rational
thinking minds are where
it's all at!
Maurice Merleau-Ponty stepped on
the scene and declared
rationalism and empiricism both
miss the mark. To him,
rationalism elevates the
importance of the mind and
perception too much, while
empiricism too strongly negates
them.
 Summary
Maurice Merleau-Ponty believed the
physical body to be an important
part of what makes up the
subjective self. This concept stands
in contradiction to rationalism and
empiricism. Rationalism asserts that
reason and mental perception,
rather than physical senses and
experience, are the basis of
knowledge and self.