Merleau-Ponty. The world that is given to the subject because the subject is given to himself.
PEP ASKS
Can you explain me the following phrase of Merleau-Ponty: "I began to reflect, my reflection is a reflection upon an unreflected, it cannot be unaware of itself as an event, henceforth it appears as a genuine creation, as a change in the structure of consciousness, and yet this involves reconizing, prior to its own operations, the world that is given to the subject because the subject is given to himself."? Can you explain me in concrete why he says "the world that is given to the subject because the subject is given to himself"?
CHAT GPT ANSWERS
Merleau-Ponty's phrase is a complex expression of his phenomenological ideas, which revolve around the relationship between the subject (the self) and the world. Let’s break it down to understand the key concepts: 1. **Reflection on the Unreflected**: - When Merleau-Ponty talks about "reflection," he means the process by which we become aware of our own thoughts, perceptions, and experiences. - "Unreflected" refers to the immediate, pre-reflective experience of the world—our direct, lived experience before we start analyzing or thinking about it. - So, when he says "my reflection is a reflection upon an unreflected," he’s saying that when we reflect or think about our experiences, we are reflecting on something that was originally just lived or experienced without thinking. Reflection turns our immediate, direct experience into an object of thought. 2. **Reflection as an Event**: - He then notes that reflection itself is an "event"—it’s something that happens in time and has its own reality. When you reflect, it’s not just a passive act; it actively changes the way you experience yourself and the world. This reflection creates something new ("a genuine creation") in your consciousness. 3. **The World Given to the Subject**: - Here, Merleau-Ponty refers to a fundamental aspect of his philosophy: the idea that consciousness is always situated in a world. We don't just reflect on our experiences in a vacuum; we are always already immersed in a world that we are experiencing. - The phrase "the world that is given to the subject because the subject is given to himself" means that the world and the subject (the self) are intertwined. The world is "given" to us because we are already aware of ourselves as subjects in that world. Our ability to reflect on ourselves (being "given to himself") is what makes it possible for the world to appear to us as it does. ### Concrete Explanation of "The World That is Given to the Subject Because the Subject is Given to Himself": In more concrete terms, Merleau-Ponty is saying that our experience of the world is inseparable from our experience of ourselves. You don't first experience the world and then become aware of yourself; rather, the moment you are aware of yourself as a subject, you are also aware of the world. The two are co-constitutive—our sense of self and our experience of the world emerge together. For example, when you wake up in the morning, you don’t first experience the bed, the room, and then think, "Oh, I exist." Instead, as soon as you are aware of your own existence (you wake up as "you"), the world (the bed, the room) also appears to you as something you are situated in. The "world" is given to you in the same act in which you are given to yourself as a subject. This is why Merleau-Ponty emphasizes that the world and the subject are fundamentally interconnected in the act of reflection and experience. So, the "world given to the subject" because "the subject is given to himself" highlights the idea that our consciousness (self-awareness) and our perception of the world arise together—they are two sides of the same coin.
Can you explain me the following phrase of Merleau-Ponty: "I began to reflect, my reflection is a reflection upon an unreflected, it cannot be unaware of itself as an event, henceforth it appears as a genuine creation, as a change in the structure of consciousness, and yet this involves reconizing, prior to its own operations, the world that is given to the subject because the subject is given to himself."? Can you explain me in concrete why he says "the world that is given to the subject because the subject is given to himself"?
CHAT GPT ANSWERS
Merleau-Ponty's phrase is a complex expression of his phenomenological ideas, which revolve around the relationship between the subject (the self) and the world. Let’s break it down to understand the key concepts: 1. **Reflection on the Unreflected**: - When Merleau-Ponty talks about "reflection," he means the process by which we become aware of our own thoughts, perceptions, and experiences. - "Unreflected" refers to the immediate, pre-reflective experience of the world—our direct, lived experience before we start analyzing or thinking about it. - So, when he says "my reflection is a reflection upon an unreflected," he’s saying that when we reflect or think about our experiences, we are reflecting on something that was originally just lived or experienced without thinking. Reflection turns our immediate, direct experience into an object of thought. 2. **Reflection as an Event**: - He then notes that reflection itself is an "event"—it’s something that happens in time and has its own reality. When you reflect, it’s not just a passive act; it actively changes the way you experience yourself and the world. This reflection creates something new ("a genuine creation") in your consciousness. 3. **The World Given to the Subject**: - Here, Merleau-Ponty refers to a fundamental aspect of his philosophy: the idea that consciousness is always situated in a world. We don't just reflect on our experiences in a vacuum; we are always already immersed in a world that we are experiencing. - The phrase "the world that is given to the subject because the subject is given to himself" means that the world and the subject (the self) are intertwined. The world is "given" to us because we are already aware of ourselves as subjects in that world. Our ability to reflect on ourselves (being "given to himself") is what makes it possible for the world to appear to us as it does. ### Concrete Explanation of "The World That is Given to the Subject Because the Subject is Given to Himself": In more concrete terms, Merleau-Ponty is saying that our experience of the world is inseparable from our experience of ourselves. You don't first experience the world and then become aware of yourself; rather, the moment you are aware of yourself as a subject, you are also aware of the world. The two are co-constitutive—our sense of self and our experience of the world emerge together. For example, when you wake up in the morning, you don’t first experience the bed, the room, and then think, "Oh, I exist." Instead, as soon as you are aware of your own existence (you wake up as "you"), the world (the bed, the room) also appears to you as something you are situated in. The "world" is given to you in the same act in which you are given to yourself as a subject. This is why Merleau-Ponty emphasizes that the world and the subject are fundamentally interconnected in the act of reflection and experience. So, the "world given to the subject" because "the subject is given to himself" highlights the idea that our consciousness (self-awareness) and our perception of the world arise together—they are two sides of the same coin.
Comentaris
Publica un comentari a l'entrada