Very few of us have had a chance to look at our planet. Look at it as if from a spacecraft passing by on its way to some unknown destination. We may be used to the idea of our planet as a pale blue dot and may have seen pictures of it, which is already a lot. But what … Continue reading Shifting Perspective
Exploring the Familiar
What do we overlook when we stay in the familiar? What can looking at the familiar reveal about it? This quote is from an article I wrote about the area of philosophy called phenomenology. One of its key ideas is known as bracketing or suspending. "What should we bracket? Our natural attitude – the familiar, pre-theoretical, uncritical … Continue reading Exploring the Familiar
Will You Chance Your Arm?
All idioms have their backstories that can often reveal something interesting about the human condition. The Irish phrase "to chance your arm" (meaning - to take a risk) is a fascinating example. Its story features a very old door. This is said to be the door that played a key role in the birth of … Continue reading Will You Chance Your Arm?
Self-Knowledge Paradox
"It follows essentially... that the positing of the essence with the intuitive apprehension that immediately accompanies it does not imply any positing of individual existence whatsoever. Pure essential truths do not make the slightest assertion concerning facts. Hence, from them alone we are not able to infer even the pettiest truth concerning the fact world." … Continue reading Self-Knowledge Paradox
Maurice Merleau-Ponty on Perception
In his highly influential work Phenomenology of Perception (originally published in 1945), the French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty wrote the following about perception. These words can remind us that whatever we perceive through our senses, already has a sense. Otherwise, we could not perceive 'it' - 'it' already being 'something'. "Perception is precisely this act that creates, … Continue reading Maurice Merleau-Ponty on Perception
Home on the Move
When do you feel at home? Having spent the last ten years moving across several countries, I know it is difficult to answer this question. Or, rather, it is difficult precisely because I have moved and have been on the move. Moving changes you. It is one of those things that you cannot undo once … Continue reading Home on the Move
Visual Illusions and Context
In an interesting passage from his influential work Phenomenology of Perception (originally published in 1945), philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty refers to the visual illusion where two equally long lines appear different. It is known as the Müller-Lyer illusion (see the picture below). Merleau-Ponty suggests that we are mistaken to think of these lines as equal or unequal … Continue reading Visual Illusions and Context
A House Seen From Everywhere
In his influential work Phenomenology of Perception (originally published in 1945), the French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty says that to see a house as it itself is would mean to see it from everywhere. What does he mean? After all, to see always means to see from somewhere. Precisely so. We are finite beings and so we … Continue reading A House Seen From Everywhere
Maurice Merleau-Ponty on Philosophy
In the "Preface" of his highly influential work Phenomenology of Perception (originally published in 1945), the French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty wrote the following words about philosophy. Perhaps they can serve as an inspiration to embrace and even encourage the experience of being a beginner: "There is no thought that encompasses all of our thought... The philosopher … Continue reading Maurice Merleau-Ponty on Philosophy
Maurice Merleau-Ponty on Perception
The 20th-century French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty studied human perception his entire career. He stressed the absolutely fundamental, primary nature of our perception - being there and situating us in the world before any analysis, judgment, explanation or observation. Here is what he says in the "Preface" of his highly influential work Phenomenology of Perception (originally published … Continue reading Maurice Merleau-Ponty on Perception
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