The Birth of Sense: Generative Passivity in Merleau-Ponty’s Philosophy (Series In Continental Thought)

"In The Birth of Sense, Don Beith proposes a new concept of generative passivity, the idea that our organic, psychological, and social activities take time to develop into sense. More than being a limit, passivity marks out the way in which organisms, persons, and interbodily systems take time in order to manifest a coherent sense. Beith situates his argument within contemporary debates about evolution, developmental biology, scientific causal explanations, psychology, postmodernism, social constructivism, and critical race theory. Drawing on empirical studies and phenomenological reflections, Beith argues that in nature, novel meaning emerges prior to any type of constituting activity or deterministic plan. The Birth of Sense is an original phenomenological investigation in the style of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and it demonstrates that the French philosopher's works cohere around the notion that life is radically expressive. While Merleau-Ponty's early works are widely interpreted as arguing for the primacy of human consciousness, Beith argues that a pivotal redefinition of passivity is already under way here, and extends throughout Merleau-Ponty's corpus. This work introduces new concepts in contemporary philosophy to interrogate how organic development involves spontaneous expression, how personhood emerges from this bodily growth, and how our interpersonal human life remains rooted in, and often thwarted by, domains of bodily expressivity" -- From the publisher

In The Birth of Sense, Don Beith proposes a new conceptof generative passivity, the idea that our organic, psychological,and social activities take time to develop into sense. More thanbeing a limit, passivity marks out the way in which organisms,persons, and interbodily systems take time in order to manifest acoherent sense. Beith situates his argument within contemporarydebates about evolution, developmental biology, scientific causalexplanations, psychology, postmodernism, social constructivism, andcritical race theory. Drawing on empirical studies andphenomenological reflections, Beith argues that in nature, novelmeaning emerges prior to any type of constituting activity ordeterministic plan.

The Birth of Sense is an original phenomenologicalinvestigation in the style of Maurice Merleau-Ponty, and itdemonstrates that the French philosopher's works cohere around thenotion that life is radically expressive. While Merleau-Ponty'searly works are widely interpreted as arguing for the primacy ofhuman consciousness, Beith argues that a pivotal redefinition ofpassivity is already under way here, and extends throughoutMerleau-Ponty's corpus. This work introduces new concepts incontemporary philosophy to interrogate how organic developmentinvolves spontaneous expression, how personhood emerges from thisbodily growth, and how our interpersonal human life remains rootedin, and often thwarted by, domains of bodily expressivity.

Contents......Page 10 Acknowledgments......Page 12 Abbreviations......Page 14 Introduction: In the Shadow of Philosophy......Page 16 1: Consciousness and Animality......Page 32 2: The Passivity of Life......Page 68 3: The Passivity of Second Nature......Page 111 4: The Intercorporeal Institution of Agency......Page 134 Conclusion: The Hidden Nature of Passivity......Page 172 Notes......Page 180 References......Page 206 Index......Page 214 Don Beith proposes a new concept of "generative passivity," the idea that our organic, psychological, and social activities take time to develop into sense. Drawing on empirical studies and phenomenological reflections, he argues that in nature, novel meaning emerges prior to any type of constituting activity or deterministic plan.