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
Wild bodies
Robert Macfarlane is currently one of the UK's best-loved non-fiction authors. His recent book Landmarks is a tour de force of physical and metaphorical walks through the landscape - literal and linguistic - of Britain's ancient physical language. In Landscapes Macfarlane writes about the word hoard that surrounds the 'islands, rivers, strands, fells, lochs, cities, towns, corries, hedgerows, fields and edgelands uneasily known as the British Isles.” (Link to The Guardian book review). I love Macfarlane's writing, not least because it's so physical. Reading a Macfarlane book is like an exploration into the language of the body and its interaction with the natural world. There are a … [Read more...] about Wild bodies
Perception is everything
A recent article in the Boston Globe (Doctors debate safety of their white coats) talked about how doctors had realised that their traditional white coats were 'germ magnets,' and how they were now discarding them in favour of less formal attire. Setting aside the rather obvious question of why a dirty white lab coat would be any more rancid than a dirty shirt - a point also sidestepped in the article - the Globe went on to suggest that the good natured debate that had ensued 'touched on shifting perceptions of the physician’s role.' On the one hand, the white lab coat is a symbol of trust. There are studies that show powerful placebo effects of people wearing white lab coats (see … [Read more...] about Perception is everything