The Notion of Consciousness in the Structure of Behavior (Merleau-Ponty).

Abstract

The goal of the present paper is to introduce the concept of consciousness in the philosophy of M erleau-Ponty, based on his “The Structure of Behavior,” in wich he offers an analysis of Biology stressing the passage from the biological order to the symbolic or human order. In that work, Merleau-Ponty strengthens the concept of “structure” as an alternative to the classical metaphysical dichotomy between subject and object (res cogitans e res extensa), trying to understand both the integration and the ruptures between the different orders of phenomena (physical, vital and human). The advantage of the notion of structure would also be the possibility of apprehending consciousness in situation and the emergence of sense anterior to the conscience of self and of the world..