A methodology is a theory of method that justifies which methods should be used to investigate a topic and why. Merleau-Ponty, a phenomenologist known for his analyses of perception, worked within a tradition rather than a unified movement, where figures inherit and develop particular themes and ideas. Phenomenology claims a distinct method, but different phenomenologists interpret it variously. This chapter explains Merleau-Ponty's understanding of the phenomenological method and how he applies it in his study of perception.
Neopragmatism offers an anti-metaphysical approach to philosophical problems by shifting attention from metaphysics to language, seeking uncontentious explanations for why certain talk creates the impression of deep puzzles. In perception, this chapter applies neopragmatist techniques to undermine naïve realism, a theory that perceptual experience directly presents mind-independent reality. The critique has two parts: first, it challenges naïve realism's metaphysical commitments; second, it uses neopragmatism to explain away ideas thought to support it, such as perceptual experience's openness and its insight into the mind-independent world. Neopragmatism also suggests a positive view of perception: adverbialism, where sensory states carry information without robust representation.