Merleau-Ponty's Understanding of Truth

Abstract

<p>T'he question "What is truth?" which is as old as philosophy, often prompts groans, looks of exasperation and is often considered to be a banal, worn-out and, in some cases, an unanswerable Question. Old though the question may be, it still catches our interest no matter how many times our search for an answer has been fruitless Repeatedly, we try to find an answer to this question, knowing that the answer is of great significance.</p> <p>In this thesis, I discuss Merleau-Ponty's new answer to this old question. Those looking for a clearcut discussion in his writings in which he examines truth explicitly and at length, will be disappointed. Instead, they will find throughout his writings, short discourses and statements about truth. In my thesis, I have attempted to pierce through Merleau-Ponty's various ways of describing truth to discover the kernel of his thought, to find what he understood truth to be and, also, to argue that Merleau-Ponty's understanding of truth was a departure from traditional ways of understanding truth.</p>