Merleau-Ponty and the Paradoxes of Expression [Hardcover]

Merleau-Ponty and the Paradoxes of Expressionoffers a comprehensive reading of the philosophical work of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, a central figure in 20th-century continental philosophy.

By establishing that the paradoxical logic of expression is Merleau-Ponty's fundamental philosophical gesture, this book ties together his diverse work on perception, language, aesthetics, politics and history in order to establish the ontological position he was developing at the time of his sudden death in 1961. Donald A. Landes explores the paradoxical logic of expression as it appears in both Merleau-Ponty's explicit reflections on expression and his non-explicit uses of this logic in his philosophical reflection on other topics, and thus establishes a continuity and a trajectory of his thought that allows for his work to be placed into conversation with contemporary developments in continental philosophy. The book offers the reader a key to understanding Merleau-Ponty's subtle methodology and highlights the urgency and relevance of his research into the ontological significance of expression for today's work in art and cultural theory.

An original reading of Merleau-Ponty's philosophy through the paradoxical logic of expression that clarifies Merleau-Ponty's subtle phenomenological and existential methodology.

Donald A. Landes is Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Concordia University, Montr?al, Qu?bec, Canada.

Landes traces how a subtly but radically shifted concept of expression weaves through Merleau-Ponty's lifetime oeuvre, including the sometimes overlooked The Structure of Behavior and the oft-misunderstood political works. As such, this book is a valuable contribution to a vital emerging topic in Merleau-Ponty scholarship. Using both Merleau-Ponty's published works and some unpublished lecture material, Landes also brings to bear the intriguing work of Merleau-Ponty's onetime student Gilbert Simondon, in particular Sl©