Physiotherapy, and biomedicine generally, owes a lot to René Descartes (for a refresher on an earlier post on the critical issue of Cartesian Dualism in PT, go here). But Descartes’ influence extends much further than just the body-as-machine, and has fundamentally shaped medicine and physiotherapy practice ethics for more than 100 years. 400 years ago, Descartes set out to discover what could be known beyond doubt. His method was to doubt everything, from the existence of physical objects around him, to dreams and ideas. What was left, he surmised, would be the basis upon which all knowledge could be built. The first thing Descartes believed he could trust was that he himself was … [Read more...] about Critique of the biomedical model #3 (or what it really means to be a person)
Anna Rajala – Phenomenology of spirit – 30DoS #12
Phenomenology of Spirit (1807) is perhaps Hegel’s most influential work, especially through Marx’s critique that “stood Hegel on his head”: Marx inverted Hegel’s idealist absolutism into dialectical materialism. In the Phenomenology Hegel describes the dialectical experience and development of consciousness from sense-certainty, perception, understanding and self-consciousness to absolute knowing. Hegel argues in the famous passage titled ‘Lordship and Bondage’ that self-consciousness exists only insofar it exists in the world of others and is acknowledged by others. This idea of subject formation as social, as the need for mutual recognition, has influenced many philosophers, both who … [Read more...] about Anna Rajala – Phenomenology of spirit – 30DoS #12