The dimensions of intentionality in the dialogue between functional neurodynamics and phenomenology. A comparison between Freeman and Merleau-Ponty

Abstract

The contribution intends to investigate the notion of intentionality in its multidimensionality, comparing Freeman’s neurobiological perspective with some ingenious philosophical intuitions of Merleau-Ponty with particular reference to the concepts of the intentional arc and the tendency to achieve a maximal grip. These investigations make it possible to interpret the most recent experimental data within an epistemological framework capable of explaining the development of the structures of human behavior using a specific genealogical approach inspired by an evolutionary non-reductionist naturalism.