Central and East European
Society for Phenomenology

Conference | Paper

Merleau-Ponty: a phenomenological perspective on science

Pablo Pellegrini

Tuesday 13 September 2022

16:30 - 17:15

Palazzo del Capitanio-Aula Stefanini

In this intervention I want to uncover Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenological perspective on science, considering mainly his lessons on nature, held at Collège de France in 1956.
In there, through the analysis of Quantum Mechanic’s philosophical problems, emerges a deep and structured phenomenological point of view on the role of science in the seek for truth.

 

In particular Merleau-Ponty expresses a critique of a certain kind of scientism called by him the "cartesian-laplacian myth". The attitude of a certain group of scientists and philosophers of science who, in their reflections, implicitly assume a dualistic conception of being. Always distinguishing the in-itself from the representation, and defining the subject as an absolute rational capacity, and the object as a closed system definable in all its aspects. Furthermore he shows the relationship between philosophy and physics distinguishing carefully the tasks of the philosopher, to criticize the philosophically naive attitudes intervening where scientific-Being meet a prescientific-Being, from those of the physicist. Concluding his reflection Merleau-Ponty adfirms, with a concrete example, that a phenomenological approach is relevant and important even in science, because the ground of scientific research is deeply radicated in the Lebenswelt of human researchers.