An Analysis Of The Theory Of The Other From The Perspective Of Merleau-Ponty's Phenomenology

Otherness is one of the main topics of phenomenology,which attracts the attention of many phenomenologists.Among them,Maurice Merleau-Ponty,an important representative of French phenomenology,has a distinctive research on the theory of otherness which is different from the problem of "other-mind" in the traditional sense.Merleau-Ponty's theory of otherness is built on the basis of the living body subject that integrates the flesh and consciousness.It emphasizes that others is not merely the existence of subjective consciousness of others,but others who have the same status with me when the body subject intervenes in the world by perception.In his early thoughts,he critically interprets the thought of"intersubjectivity" and realizes the transformation to body-intersubjectivity.In his later thoughts,he further found the ontological basis of "flesh" for the relationship between myself and others,placing myself and others in the relationship of mutual entanglement and involvement.Merleau-Ponty's theory of otherness changed the previous view of our consciousness or that of others,and set out to confirm the coexistence of others and myself-other by way of thinking beyond the traditional philosophical dilemma of subject-object dichotomy.At present,there is relatively little attention on Merleau-Ponty's theory of others at home and abroad.This study not only provides a new philosophical perspective for thinking about the theory of otherness,but also has important significance for reflecting on the relationship between myself and others in the realistic context.This paper is mainly divided into four parts to investigate otherness theory of Merleau-Ponty.The first part sorts out the development clues of the phenomenological theory of otherness before Merleau-Ponty,and comprehensively understands the development and status of Merleau-Ponty's theory of otherness in phenomenology.In the second part,I explore the ideas of Merleau-Ponty early theory of otherness,first made clear the theoretical basis for others possible,including pure consciousness lost its subjectivity in in Merleau-Ponty's philosophy,but he has not completely abandoned consciousness,but put it into the perception,emphasized the importance of perception,and further establish the status of the body.Others is the existence of the same meaning as myself that the body encounters when it enters the world through perception.The third part starts from the ontological theory of "flesh" in the later period.The relationship between myself and others is not an absolute opposition,but a reversible interwoven relationship,which provides an ontological basis for the relationship between myself and others.In the last part,I reflected on the creative nature of otherness theory from both theoretical and practical perspectives.Merleau-Ponty's otherness theory chose different ideas and proposed new concepts such as "body-subject","flesh" and "reversibility" to replace the traditional concepts of consciousness and matter,in an attempt to break through the dilemma of traditional subject-object dichotomy.Merleau-Ponty puts others on the same level with myself and emphasizes the interwoven coexistence of the self and others,which is of great practical significance for the construction of a community with a Shared future for mankind.