ABSTRACT
In this chapter I introduce the phenomenological perspective of Maurice Merleau-Ponty. Merleau-Ponty builds his position through a series of engagements with the work of other writers in both philosophy and psychology. Much of this engagement can be bracketed out for the purposes of a brief exposition but to fully understand Merleau-Ponty’s position on the body it is necessary to understand something of the position of Descartes, whom he criticises, and also Husserl, whose work he builds upon. For these reasons the chapter begins with a brief exposition of their ideas.
