I Belong To Time And Space: Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s Phenomenology of Time
Time, an integral part of our existence, often goes unnoticed as we navigate life. We tend to perceive time as a mere backdrop to our actions and perceptions, a sequence of moments that pass by without much consideration. However, the French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty challenges this conventional view, proposing that time plays a profound role in shaping and structuring our experience of being in the world. According to him, time is not merely an objective measurement on a clock but something we live through our embodied existence.
In his seminal work “Phenomenology of Perception,” Merleau-Ponty delves into the subjective experience of time, rejecting the notion of time as a series of disconnected instants. He posits that time is an interconnected whole, where the past flows into the present, and the present opens up possibilities for the future. Rather than moving through time as if it were a container, we inhabit time with our very being.
Crucially, this lived experience of time is deeply intertwined with our embodiment. Time is not an abstract concept outside of ourselves; we encounter time through our bodies, movements, and sensory perceptions. The body is not merely an object existing in objective space and time; instead, it serves as the conduit through which we engage with the world. Merleau-Ponty eloquently expresses this idea: “I am not in space and time, nor do I conceive space and time; I belong to them, my body combines with them and includes them.”
What implications does this perspective hold for how we approach time and our lives? Merleau-Ponty’s insights invite us to reconsider our relationship with time. Instead of viewing it as quantifiable and divisible, we are encouraged to appreciate its interconnected nature. The past is not lost but continues to live within us through memory and habitual actions. The future is not merely a distant destination but a realm of possibilities that we project based on our embodied skills and current situations. The present moment is pregnant with meaning, intricately connected to the temporal whole.
Embracing this phenomenological view of time can inspire us to be more mindful of the present moment. We can learn to pay attention to the “temporal landscapes” that surround us, recognizing how our habits and skills connect us to our personal history. By observing how our anticipations of future goals shape our perceptions and actions in the present, we can grasp the significance of each moment.
By adopting this perspective, we can liberate ourselves from a narrow and mechanistic view of time. Instead, we become more sensitive to the flow of time as we inhabit it through our embodied existence. This heightened awareness grants us access to deeper sources of meaning and motivation. We understand ourselves as temporal beings, intricately connected to the past, present, and future.
