Merleau-Ponty
Beauty, Phenomenology, and the 'Theological Turn
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2353016 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Blake Allen (0000-0002-3772-0197, University of Cambridge, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 38 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 71-90 |
| Publication date | 2021-05-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Theory Culture & Society (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0263-2764 • E-ISSN: 1460-3616 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0263276420915268 |
| OpenAlex | W3023784553 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 10 |
In a landmark text, 'The Theological Turn of French Phenomenology', Dominique Janicaud posits a boundary that sharply divides the legitimate phenomenological tradition from a problematic variant seen to be fundamentally compromised by theology. This article develops an immanent critique of Janicaud's position. It demonstrates that his boundary relies on the mature work of Maurice Merleau-Ponty as a constitutive exemplar of the tradition, that this work is centrally concerned with beauty, and that its notion of beauty is irreducibly theological. Merleau-Ponty himself will thus be shown to enact his own version of the theological turn. I shall consequently propose a reconstrual of the boundary of phenomenology. My argument relies fundamentally on Merleau-Ponty's essay, 'Eye and Mind', and includes a critical restatement of Galen Johnson's reading of this text. In addition to its direct relevance to phenomenology, this article bears upon broader concerns, including the relationships between theory, the body, aesthetics, and the post-secular
Beauty · Epistemology · Phenomenology (philosophy · Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy · Philosophy · Philosophy, Ethics, and Existentialism · Simone de Beauvoir and Sartre
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0.75 |
| Citation span | 2022 - 2026 (5) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |