Maurice Merleau-Ponty
Born in 1908
plato.stanford.edu
Philosophy
Maurice Merleau-Ponty was a French phenomenological philosopher who significantly influenced 20th-century thought.
Born in 1908, he studied alongside Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir at the École Normale Supérieure.
Merleau-Ponty's work focused on perception's role in understanding and engaging with the world.
He uniquely bridged phenomenology with sciences, particularly psychology.
His major works include "La structure du comportement" and "Phénoménologie de la Perception." Merleau-Ponty held prestigious academic positions, including the Chair of Philosophy at the Collège de France.
He was also politically engaged, serving as editor for Les Temps Modernes.
Merleau-Ponty died suddenly in 1961 at the age of 53.