Body (metaphysics)
Encyclopedia
The definition of a body in terms of metaphysics
is a puzzling endeavor. It is likely to connote the notion of some sort of inert physical matter subject to the whims of volition and in kind to physical law. This view is particularly widespread in philosophy when one is dealing with thinkers of the Enlightenment - most famously, Immanuel Kant
. John Locke
, for example, defines body simply as ".. something that is solid and extended, whose parts are separable and movable different ways." (Nidditch, 1975)
However, the issue becomes more complex than just that. This is illustrated by even the most cursory glance at the philosophical movement of Embodiment. Embodiment as referred to in this article, does not refer to the word as the school of analytic philosophy
generally does, i.e., to deal with issues of Philosophy of Mind
and artificial intelligence
. Rather, Embodiment makes another use of the word which may be found within the school of phenomenology, and the category of Continental philosophy
more generally. This usage arose and was dealt with by philosophers such as Edmund Husserl
or, even earlier, by Hegel, and it seems to suggest that this body itself is precisely that which is doing the cognition of itself qua body, through self-consciousness
.
The Oxford English Dictionary
literally defines the prefix "meta-" as "'With sense ‘beyond, above, at a higher level,'" and the word 'physical' as "Of or pertaining to material nature, or to the phenomenal universe perceived by the senses; pertaining to or connected with matter; material; opposed to psychical, mental, spiritual." The traditional Enlightenment conception of the body is precisely merely physical rather than metaphysical. Given the questionable connotation of the 'physical' as something opposed to the mental, it is important to keep in mind that thinkers of the Enlightenment, such as Locke, can not quite give us a metaphysical definition that gets at the complexities involved in the meaning of such a term.
This trend of thought reflects a tendency of Embodiment thinkers to suggest a collapse of Cartesian Dualism into, rather than the traditional mind-body problem, the body-body problem. In phenomenology, the Cartesian problem evolves into a notion first espoused by Edmund Husserl of phenomenological epoché
. We must theoretically recover from this if we are to act in the world. Notable Embodiment theorists such as Maurice Merleau-Ponty
discuss the extent to which the Cartesian, or even Husserlian mind-body problem is usurped by the primacy of the body in its corporeality.
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
is a puzzling endeavor. It is likely to connote the notion of some sort of inert physical matter subject to the whims of volition and in kind to physical law. This view is particularly widespread in philosophy when one is dealing with thinkers of the Enlightenment - most famously, Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher from Königsberg , researching, lecturing and writing on philosophy and anthropology at the end of the 18th Century Enlightenment....
. John Locke
John Locke
John Locke FRS , widely known as the Father of Liberalism, was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Francis Bacon, he is equally important to social...
, for example, defines body simply as ".. something that is solid and extended, whose parts are separable and movable different ways." (Nidditch, 1975)
However, the issue becomes more complex than just that. This is illustrated by even the most cursory glance at the philosophical movement of Embodiment. Embodiment as referred to in this article, does not refer to the word as the school of analytic philosophy
Analytic philosophy
Analytic philosophy is a generic term for a style of philosophy that came to dominate English-speaking countries in the 20th century...
generally does, i.e., to deal with issues of Philosophy of Mind
Philosophy of mind
Philosophy of mind is a branch of philosophy that studies the nature of the mind, mental events, mental functions, mental properties, consciousness and their relationship to the physical body, particularly the brain. The mind-body problem, i.e...
and artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
. Rather, Embodiment makes another use of the word which may be found within the school of phenomenology, and the category of Continental philosophy
Continental philosophy
Continental philosophy, in contemporary usage, refers to a set of traditions of 19th and 20th century philosophy from mainland Europe. This sense of the term originated among English-speaking philosophers in the second half of the 20th century, who used it to refer to a range of thinkers and...
more generally. This usage arose and was dealt with by philosophers such as Edmund Husserl
Edmund Husserl
Edmund Gustav Albrecht Husserl was a philosopher and mathematician and the founder of the 20th century philosophical school of phenomenology. He broke with the positivist orientation of the science and philosophy of his day, yet he elaborated critiques of historicism and of psychologism in logic...
or, even earlier, by Hegel, and it seems to suggest that this body itself is precisely that which is doing the cognition of itself qua body, through self-consciousness
Self-awareness
Self-awareness is the capacity for introspection and the ability to reconcile oneself as an individual separate from the environment and other individuals...
.
The Oxford English Dictionary
Oxford English Dictionary
The Oxford English Dictionary , published by the Oxford University Press, is the self-styled premier dictionary of the English language. Two fully bound print editions of the OED have been published under its current name, in 1928 and 1989. The first edition was published in twelve volumes , and...
literally defines the prefix "meta-" as "'With sense ‘beyond, above, at a higher level,'" and the word 'physical' as "Of or pertaining to material nature, or to the phenomenal universe perceived by the senses; pertaining to or connected with matter; material; opposed to psychical, mental, spiritual." The traditional Enlightenment conception of the body is precisely merely physical rather than metaphysical. Given the questionable connotation of the 'physical' as something opposed to the mental, it is important to keep in mind that thinkers of the Enlightenment, such as Locke, can not quite give us a metaphysical definition that gets at the complexities involved in the meaning of such a term.
This trend of thought reflects a tendency of Embodiment thinkers to suggest a collapse of Cartesian Dualism into, rather than the traditional mind-body problem, the body-body problem. In phenomenology, the Cartesian problem evolves into a notion first espoused by Edmund Husserl of phenomenological epoché
Epoché
Epoché is an ancient Greek term which, in its philosophical usage, describes the theoretical moment where all judgments about the existence of the external world, and consequently all action in the world, is suspended...
. We must theoretically recover from this if we are to act in the world. Notable Embodiment theorists such as Maurice Merleau-Ponty
Maurice Merleau-Ponty
Maurice Merleau-Ponty was a French phenomenological philosopher, strongly influenced by Karl Marx, Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger in addition to being closely associated with Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir...
discuss the extent to which the Cartesian, or even Husserlian mind-body problem is usurped by the primacy of the body in its corporeality.
- P. H. Nidditch (Ed.) (1975). John Locke: An Essay concerning Human Understanding. Chap. XIII Sect. 11. Oxford: Oxford University Press.