Body functions in Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology

Abstract

This study gives an insight into the phenomenology of the French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty, who employed the idea of ​​the body in order to study the epistemological and ontological problems posed in contemporary philosophy. But the body in Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology is not viewed like the concepts of the body, which conflicts with the soul, nor is the body as it is in the field of physiology, which has the same meaning as the thing or subject.

     The body, as presented by Merleau-Ponty's existential phenomenology, is the private body or the phenomenological body, which is a unity between the soul and the body, and it serves as a means of existence, as we understand this meaning through the functions of the body; Because he is the one who looks at things, and he is also connected to other human bodies through sexual relations.We also find that Merleau-Ponty gave great importance to the linguistic functions performed by the body. So, this study deals with four important elements: vision. Body position and movement. The body as a sexual entity. The body as a means of expression and speech.