The comparison of the "Other" conception in Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Jean-Paul Sartre

The aim of this study is to clarify the other conception of Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Jean-Paul Sartre, who are two important contemporary philosophers of the 20th century, by comparing them their views. Maurice Merleau-Ponty, one of the strong representatives of the philosophy of phenomenology, applies the method of phenomenology to the body and claims that body is just as intentional as consciousness. By stating the priority of the body in perception, he brings the philosophy of the body to the agenda. Due to body view, Merleau-Ponty came to the conclusion that the existence of other minds is not a significant philosophical issue. For Merleau-Ponty, the first encounter with the other is bodily. The body of the other and my body are two separate parts of a common whole. The body of the other is body-subject and cultural object for me. According to him, the other is in the position of a second self with a different body. Jean-Paul Sartre has attracted people's attention by taking the human as the basis in his works and has succeeded in being an interpreter of their feelings. According to Sartre, the human being determines his own destiny because the right to choose belongs to the individual. The individual who thinks that he has to make his own choices will feel himself responsible for the choice he has made. Choosing oneself means choosing all people, because man is always in relation to others in this world. According to Sartre, the relationship with the other is established with the feeling of shame that the other's gaze gives us. The gaze of the other reduces us to the object state.