Abstract

This thesis provides an integrated interpretation of Merleau-Ponty's political philosophy relying on his general philosophic framework. The realization of humanism is a persistent concern of Merleau-Ponty. His "existential phenomenology" provides it with philosophic foundations. His theory of the human subject as enmeshed in the natural and social world, rather than a self-contained rational individual, recognizes physiological, psychological and historical determinations of human behaviour, whilst admitting the possibility of "free" creative activity capable of transforming human history. Since we are engaged in a world with others he believes we must be concerned with the fate of others and treat others as fellow human subjects. ;These insights are antithetical to liberalism and its individualistic assumptions about human action and the restrictive concept of the political realm. His existential phenomenology requires a collectivist politics that does not negate the effect of individual intervention. In the post-war years his humanism was embedded in Marxism. He saw himself as revitalizing the authentic dialectical Marxist tradition that he believed would create the conditions for humanist community in which the individual would not be sacrificed to the whole, nor the collective subverted in the name of the individual. ;As Merleau-Ponty abandoned his critical sympathy with communism in light of the inhumanities of Soviet practice, he began to re-think humanism outside of Marxism. This did not involve a retreat to liberalism and a repudiation of Marxism, as many interpreters of Merleau-Ponty contend, but a radical re-thinking of a humanist politics still is indebted to Marx. ;Although Merleau-Ponty does not provide an adequate 'theory' of humanist politics he points to elements that any humanist politics must embody. A just political power would strive to overcome hierarchical and authoritarian relations and establish reciprocity between human subjects. In promoting popular participation and increased public knowledge, Merleau-Ponty hopes to advance a political power that furthers human equality and creates the conditions for mutual human respect