“… and a quasi-geographical inscription of history”
From a Working Note of the Late Merleau-Ponty Towards a Geophilosophy of History
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15160/2282-5460/3034Parole chiave:
History, Anthropology, Ontology, Ecology, PhenomenologyAbstract
The paper introduces a geophilosophical perspective on history, drawing on the later work of M. Merleau-Ponty. It begins by isolating the idea of a “quasi-geographical inscription of history” in a late Working Note from The Visible and the Invisible. The second section demonstrates that this idea could be the pivot for the overthrow of the Hegelian philosophy of history, arguing that the Earth is not the basis of Weltgeschichte but an active participant in human adventures. The paper then argues that Merleau- Ponty’s idea calls for a new relationship between anthropology and geography. Engaging with Tim Ingold’s Dwelling Perspective and Augustin Berque’s Ecumenical Thought, it concludes by showing how a new ontology is emerging within an ecological-practical framework. Ultimately, geophilosophy paves the way for a decolonial theory of history.
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