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Taking its cues from the references to Eugen Fink and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry that respectively begin and end Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenology of Perception, Bryan Smyth delivers a spell-binding interpretation of Merleau-Ponty’s magnum opus. In particular, Smyth argues that it is the problem of method that is most definitive for Merleau-Ponty’s work, and, through an analysis of Merleau-Ponty’s use of the notion of “heroism,” he argues compellingly for the inherently political—and, specifically, Marxist—character of Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology. In this highly original analysis, Smyth demonstrates the rich relevance of Lukács’ Marxism, Catholic incarnationism and Binswanger’s psychology to Merleau-Ponty’s philosophy. The work is particularly strong for its emphasis on the themes of death, repression, class consciousness and the “tacit cogito” in Merleau-Ponty’s philosophy. This is an elegantly and clearly written book of essential importance to any serious student of Merleau-Ponty. * John Russon, Professor of Philosophy, University of Guelph, Canada * By bringing Merleau-Ponty’s reading of Marx's concept of history and Saint Exupéry's account of the heroic act together with Merleau-Ponty's phenomenological project, Bryan Smyth has brilliantly and possibly forever altered our way of thinking about Merleau-Ponty’s philosophy. Nearly everything we thought we understood in Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenology of Perception - the nature of pre-objective experience and intersubjectivity, the role of the tacit cogito in the phenomenology of phenomenology, the living subject as producer, the meaning of freedom - is radically reconfigured, leaving the reader breathlessly turning the pages into new world, the thought of a figure so familiar yet so completely new. * Dorothea Olkowski, Professor of Philosophy, University of Colorado, USA *

Taking its cues from the references to Eugen Fink and Antoine de Saint-Exup ry that respectively begin and end Merleau-Ponty's Phenomenology of Perception, Bryan Smyth delivers a spell-binding interpretation of Merleau-Ponty's magnum opus. In particular, Smyth argues that it is the problem of method that is most definitive for Merleau-Ponty's work, and, through an analysis of Merleau-Ponty's use of the notion of heroism, he argues compellingly for the inherently political-and, specifically, Marxist-character of Merleau-Ponty's phenomenology. In this highly original analysis, Smyth demonstrates the rich relevance of Luk cs' Marxism, Catholic incarnationism and Binswanger's psychology to Merleau-Ponty's philosophy. The work is particularly strong for its emphasis on the themes of death, repression, class consciousness and the tacit cogito in Merleau-Ponty's philosophy. This is an elegantly and clearly written book of essential importance to any serious student of Merleau-Ponty. John Russon, Professor of Philosophy, University of Guelph, Canada By bringing Merleau-Ponty's reading of Marx's concept of history and Saint Exup ry's account of the heroic act together with Merleau-Ponty's phenomenological project, Bryan Smyth has brilliantly and possibly forever altered our way of thinking about Merleau-Ponty's philosophy. Nearly everything we thought we understood in Merleau-Ponty's Phenomenology of Perception - the nature of pre-objective experience and intersubjectivity, the role of the tacit cogito in the phenomenology of phenomenology, the living subject as producer, the meaning of freedom - is radically reconfigured, leaving the reader breathlessly turning the pages into new world, the thought of a figure so familiar yet so completely new. Dorothea Olkowski, Professor of Philosophy, University of Colorado, USA

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Bryan A. Smyth is Adjunct Professor of Philosophy at the University of Mississippi, USA. He has also taught philosophy at McGill University and Mount Allison University, Canada and the University of Memphis, USA.

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