Seeing and being seen

April 20, 2017

Outside Reading: Merleau-Ponty’s “Eye and Mind”

In Merleau-Ponty’s essay “Eye and Mind,” he argues that there is a unique interplay between nature and humanity. Both nature and humans share the same flesh, a natural part of them. This flesh connects them together allowing for an interplay of consciousness. The flesh allows the human to see nature but also for nature to see humanity. Nature is no longer about the human perception but a interchangeable perception. Merleau-Ponty argues that art reveals this “sacred vision” because most of us operate in “profane vision” instead. Citing Cezanne’s painting of Mont Sainte-Victoire, he argues that art makes us feel as if we are being seen, reminding us that this is always how we should interact with the world around us. This view is intriguing because it shifts us away from a anthropocentric worldview, reminding us that this world is not made by us and it is not under our control. Our mental capacity does not allow us to have to control – nature is seeing as well and perhaps providing a degree of accountability.