Don Beith practices philosophy phenomenologically, researching the role of the body in self-identity and learning, the nature of interpersonal relationships, and existential concepts of health, care, and authenticity. His work appears in Chiasmi, Continental Philosophy Review, Symposium, and elsewhere. He teaches at the University of Maine.
Listed in: Philosophy · Continental Philosophy · Philosophy | Movements | Phenomenology
The Birth of Sense
Generative Passivity in Merleau-Ponty’s Philosophy
By Don Beith
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.
