Sunday, April 1, 2012

James and Merleau-Ponty

Merleau-Ponty states "Truth does not 'inhabit' only 'the inner man,' or more accurately, there is no inner man, man is in the world, and only in the world does he know himself" (279). He focuses on the relation of the rest of the world to man and how this affects his perceptions and his finding of truth. James focuses on the individual act of truth finding and man's experience. I see these as contrasting because James doesn't take into account that man only has truth because he exists in the world and the world affects him. James looks only at man and his own ability to find truth without relation to any other factors.

1 comment:

  1. Marie, I have to defend James from the charge that he doesn't see "the world" as being central to the formation of truth. From *Pragmatism*: "[Pragmatism's] only test of probable truth is what works best in the way of leading us, what fits every part of life best and combines with the collectivity of experience's demands, nothing being omitted."For both Merleau-Ponty and James, man is always in the world, and whatever knowledge we posses comes through our interactions with the world.

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