In his Phenomenology of Perception (PP) (first published in 1945), the French philosopher Maurice Merleau-Ponty developed the concept of the body-subject as a primary way of being-in-the-world. In contrast to a Cartesian dualistic theory and the "dead" body, Merleau-Ponty body was a human perceiving, sensing and feeling body, intertwined, mutually present, and engaged with the world and others. The book was hugely influential for social scientist, humanistic and phenomenological philosophers and influenced a generation of thinkers and practitioners in areas as diverse as architecture, education, health care and movement culture and politics. I first came across PP when I worked with my … [Read more...] about Gunn Engelsrud – Phenomenology of perception – 30DoS #22
Physiotherapy – in a nutshell
The great American philosopher, Hilary Putnam, died a few days ago (13 March) at the grand age of 89, leaving behind an amazing legacy of ideas and thoughtful inquiry (obituary here). Putnam was someone who applied philosophical ideas from the natural sciences to areas as diverse as religion, ethics and aesthetics and was a major influence on analytical philosophy in the second half of the 20th century. One of Putnam's most famous sayings was that "Any philosophy that can be put in a nutshell belongs in one." Reading this again the other day made me reflect on one of the longstanding paradoxes of physiotherapy - namely the desire to pin it down; identify it so that people will (finally) … [Read more...] about Physiotherapy – in a nutshell