This work is a commented transcription of lectures, courses, and notes by Maurice Merleau-Ponty, dating from the period 1946-1950. These manuscripts continue the themes of the 1945 Phenomenology of Perception, revolve around Humanism and Terror, and anticipate some analyses from his early courses at the Collège de France.

The presented documents are completely unpublished and are not part of the manuscript collection deposited at the National Library of France. A comprehensive scholarly edition including variants as well as systematic tracing of references to authors and concepts mentioned by Merleau-Ponty.