Merleau-Ponty, Phenomenology of Perception 6: Language (Phenomenology Lecture 10)

[@myla6135]

Many thanks John. I mentioned under one of your other videos my interest in Chinese painting and since then I've explored a little about Chinese writing or calligraphy. It's very different from Western calligraphy as it's an expressive art form that takes its place alongside their painting and poetry. The brilliant book I've just finished reading, written by a French man, has some similarities with Merleau-Ponty (which the author acknowledges). I thought this excerpt which I've included below fitted here rather well. Bear in mind that Chinese calligraphy is a whole body act and not at all like when we write. "Calligraphic form is expressive only if it proceeds from gesture emanating from the depths of our bodily subjectivity. In calligraphy, as in music or dance, a subjective disposition extending over the whole body must precede that act. The intention to express is transmuted into gesture ........The calligrapher does not visualise the character before writing it, but discovers it as it takes shape before his eyes. It is the same phenomenon as in speech. When we speak we do not normally formulate our sentences in our head before voicing them aloud. We start with the intention that shapes itself into a sentence and discover this sentence as we utter it, at the same time as the listener." Jean Francois Billeter in The Art of Chinese Writing

[@gettingtogiveproject]

Really brilliant articulation on how we participate in the world most meaningful when we are oriented correctly. Thank you John 🙏

[@JohnRusson123]

Thanks--I appreciate your comments!

[@o.s.h.4613]

Spectacular work. I really like how practical and concrete your approach to this text is.

[@JohnRusson123]

Thanks! I appreciate your comment.

[@raghadwadi8310]

❤️What a great lecture!

[@JohnRusson123]

Wow--thanks!