(Graduate students register for PHIL 232.) French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty wrote that we are neither angels nor machines but living beings. In contrast to both a first-person introspective analysis and the third-person scientific approach, Merleau-Ponty aimed to describe the basic invariant structures of human life by using the phenomenological method. The result was a new concept of experience that is essentially embodied. In this class, you will learn about the phenomenological method and read Merleau-Ponty's now classic text Phenomenology of Perception. PREREQS: 2 courses in philosophy prior to enrollment (recommended PHIL 80) OR PHIL 131/PHIL 231, my intro to phenomenology course. This course is not repeatable.
4 units · Letter or Credit/No Credit
(Graduate students register for 232.) French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty wrote that we are neither angels nor machines but living beings. In contrast to both a first-person introspective analysis and the third-person scientific approach, Merleau-Ponty aimed to describe the basic invariant structures of human life by using the phenomenological method. The result was a new concept of experience that is essentially embodied. In this class, you will learn about the phenomenological method and read Merleau-Ponty's now classic text Phenomenology of Perception. PREREQS: 2 courses in philosophy prior to enrollment (recommended PHIL 80) OR PHIL 131/231, my intro to phenomenology course. This course is not repeatable.
Offered in Winter 2026 at Stanford University.