THIAGO MARTINS DOS SANTOS SILVA

The work explores the relationship between the sensible and the intelligible in Merleau-Ponty’s philosophy, dividing the analysis into four parts. The central question is how ontologically distinct dimensions can coexist and condition each other. Merleau-Ponty revisits significant philosophical positions, such as empiricism, idealism, and criticism, critiquing the traditional view that separates mind and body. In the first part, "Corporeality," it highlights how corporeality is fundamental to the emergence of meaning. Merleau-Ponty refutes classical interpretations of gesture, proposing that communication is more than contiguous associations; it is an intrinsic bodily expression. Speech is seen as a spontaneous act, more connected to the body than to the mind. The following chapters address artistic and scientific creation. In "Language: Life and History in Art," Merleau-Ponty discusses modern art as a search for truth without preconceived models, questioning the museum's role in defining what is artistic. In "Coexistence: the Field of Culture," science is explored as a living institution interconnected with history and culture. Finally, the notion of reversibility is presented as crucial for understanding how cultural elements intertwine. Merleau-Ponty emphasizes that form and meaning are inseparable and that cultural creation involves a continuous process of discovery and interpretation. The work concludes that the identity between material form and meaning is essential for understanding new cultural beings.