Body Dualism Research Articles

XIII—Reclaiming the Idea of ‘the Human’

Abstract Progressive social movements correctly presume that justice demands treating people with humane regard: combining respect for human agency with concern for human vulnerability to suffering. Promoting humane regard is a critical means of acknowledging the moral claims of humanity. Some critics reject the underlying concept of a universal humanity, in virtue of which human beings form a distinct community of reciprocal moral obligation. Critics charge that the concept presumes indefensible dualisms (of mind and body, and humanity and nature); that it wrongly assigns a privileged status to reason; and that it involves an unsupportable belief in human exceptionalism. I argue that we can assert the moral claims of humanity without privileging reason, repudiating nature, or denying that there are many valuable ways to be human. I also defend an account of human moral exceptionalism that does not imply human moral superiority, to show that we can meet morally weighty obligations to humans while affirming morally substantive connections to non-human communities and domains.

(Re)Searching Critical Thinking in a Hong Kong Classroom: A Postfoundational Reflection on Ignorant Modernity

Purpose This article takes a postfoundational lens to reflect upon my ethnographic (re)searching experience in a Hong Kong high school biology classroom to expose ignorant theoretical–methodological assumptions of researchers and teachers on critical thinking for new realizations. Design/Approach/Methods Using an encountered embodied thinking moment as a trigger, this article examines the texts/discourses collected from teachers/teaching and students/learning to unpack underlying philosophical–theoretical–methodological traps and ignorance. Findings The analysis exposes three ignorant assumptions. First is a mind–body dualism that has historically disembodied thinking as an abstract and invisible mind/cognitive activity. Second is a knowledge–skill/thinking divide that upgrades critical thinking as a transferrable higher-order skill above and external to knowledge. Third is a naturalized assumption that didactic instructions in Asian classrooms are not as conducive to thinking cultivation as (Western) student-centered pedagogies. Originality/Value My postfoundational reflections interrogate and expand these philosophical–theoretical–methodological grounds to reconstruct effective thinking curricula and classrooms.

Doubts about an argument from doubt

ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to debate a version of the Cartesian argument from doubt for mind–body dualism which has been proposed recently by Ari Maunu in this journal (Inquiry, 61/4). After introducing Maunu's argument, one section is devoted to the critique of his argument. In this section, in addition to some other criticisms, we will consider a methodological parallel to Maunu's argument that is like his style of argumentation but is intended to draw the opposite conclusion. The discussion section includes Richard Swinburne's critical commentary on these two contrasting arguments. It also examines Swinburne's amended version of a Cartesian argument, which he believes to offer support for Maunu's position.

Balāgah al-Jasad al-Furjūwī baina al-Ta’bīr al-Ĥarakī wa al-Kalimah al-Manṭūqah Masraḥiyyah “Kharīf” Numūżajā

This research aims to analyze body rhetoric between motor expressions and spoken words in the play "Kharif" as a model for the work of director Asmaa Houri. This qualitative research has a case study type of research on literary appreciation in drama performances in Morocco. The research data is in body rhetoric played by several drama actors. Data collection techniques use in-depth observation and documentation. The data analysis uses data reduction, data presentation, and conclusion. The research results show that the body is important in constructing a drama performance. Rather, the motor elements contribute to the production of a diverse group of connotations. Several topics that shape the picture of contemporary drama in Maraco include women's movements and the duality of body and soul, men's and the duality of presence and absence, body language related to eye movements, and silence and the body in choreography.

Artificial Intelligence’s Novel “Mind-Reading” Capabilities through Neuroscience: A Challenge for Mind-Body Dualism?

This paper explores a philosophical problem at the intersection of neuroscience and artificial intelligence (AI), and the potential impact of these novel AI “mind-reading” technologies on various forms of mind–body dualism, including substance, interaction, property, predicate, and emergent dualisms. It critically examines how AI’s ability to interpret and predict mental states from neural patterns challenges traditional dualistic theories, which have historically posited distinct relationships between the mind and body. The paper analyzes each dualistic theory in the context of AI advancements. Substance and interaction dualisms are scrutinized for their claims of mind–body independence and causal interaction, respectively, in light of AI’s capabilities to correlate mental and physical states. Property dualism’s assertion of unique mental properties emerging from physical processes is tested against AI’s potential to map mental phenomena to brain activity. Predicate dualism’s linguistic and conceptual distinction between mental and physical realms is challenged by AI’s ability to bridge these domains. Similarly, emergent dualism, which views mental states as novel phenomena, confronts the possibility of their reduction to physical brain processes. Despite these challenges, the paper argues for the adaptability of dualistic theories to integrate AI insights, suggesting a re-evaluation rather than a negation of dualism. It highlights the enduring relevance of philosophical inquiry into the nature of consciousness and mind–body relationships in the age of AI, suggesting that such technological advancements invigorate rather than terminate the philosophical debate.

Reifying actions into artifacts: process–object duality from an embodied perspective on mathematics learning

Grasping mathematical objects as related to processes is often considered critical for mathematics understanding. Yet, the ontology of mathematical objects remains under debate. In this paper, we theoretically oppose internalist approaches that claim mental entities as the endpoints of process–object transitions and externalist approaches that stress mathematical artifacts—such as physical manipulatives and formulas—as constituting mathematical objects. We search for a view on process–object duality that overcomes the dualism of mind and body. One such approach is commognition that describes mathematical objects as discursive entities. This paper expands the nature of mathematical objects beyond discourse and highlights the role of learners’ interaction with the environment by adopting ecological onto-epistemology. We develop a functional dynamic systems perspective on process–object duality in mathematics learning emphasizing embodied actions and the re-invention of artifacts’ affordances. As a main result, we reconsider process–object duality as a reification of repetitive actions into a cultural artifact that consists of two steps: (1) forming a new sensory-motor coordination that brings new perception to the fore and (2) crystallizing a new artifact in a mathematical environment that captures this new perception. An empirical example from research on embodied action-based design for trigonometry illustrates our theoretical ideas.Graphical abstract

Embodied and Enactive Creativity: Moving Beyond the Mind–Body Dichotomy in School Education

ABSTRACTThis study explores the ways in which embodied creativity is conceived and implemented in french schools through the study of a corpus of professional articles published since the 1960s in a journal dedicated to physical education. The analysis focuses on pedagogical experiments to foster bodily creativity carried out in primary schools, as part of a wide‐ranging educational reform during the 1970s. Those practices mark a radical break with the grammar of schooling whose worldwide spread is linked to the colonial expansion of western Europe. They revealed many similarities with indigenous pedagogies through the willingness to go beyond the mind–body dichotomy, to value a sensitive and intuitive body, to anchor knowledge in lived experience and to move from a top‐down relationship between teacher and pupil to a more horizontal one. The 1980s marked a return to more traditional methods, but these pedagogical experiments nurtured a conception of embodied and enactive creativity that sought to go beyond a western vision of the body, of action and of the relationship with the world in school education. The convergences with non‐western pedagogies underline the interest of these approaches to explore and foster embodied and enactive creativity.

Transhumanism, Society and Education: An Edusemiotic Approach

We propose a semiotic framework to underpin a posthumanist philosophy of education, as contrasted to technological determinism. A recent approach to educational processes as semiotic phenomena lends itself as a philosophy to understand the current interplay between education and technology. This view is aligned with the transhumanist movement to defend techno-scientific progress as fundamental to human development. Particularly, we adopt a semiotic approach to education to tackle certain tensions in current debates on the human. Transhumanism scholars share the optimistic belief that there is no limit to how the ethical use of technology can help alleviate suffering and increase our health and wisdom. From this perspective, it appears possible to acquire capacities that require rethinking the notion of human altogether. For others, this undermining of essentialist concepts of humanity entails serious risks, especially related to ethical egalitarianism. We adopte the perspective of edusemiotics, a framework that brings together semiotics, educational theory and philosophy of education. As a theoretical-practical framework, edusemiotics affords a hermeneutic and semiotic method for our approach. Peirce’s logic of signs is used to analyze socio- educational interactions as environmental. We observe two lines of thought. On the one hand, technological transhumanism enhances Cartesian mind–body dualism. On the other hand, philosophical posthumanism seeks to overcome this dichotomy. The former proposal construes human transformation as an artifactualization derived from techno-scientific enhancements. The latter position proposes an integrative posthumanism, capable not only to include edusemiotic theory but also to rethink the concept of learning as mutual to that of human.

Roots of the Western Self: Dualist and Monist Philosophies of Personal Identity

Personal identity has recently appeared in the agenda of social sciences and humanities in a variety of ways. There is a huge and expanding body of literature on identity, and "identity studies" has gained significant importance in the social sciences and humanities across the globe. This article aims to trace back the history of theories on Western personal identity from an interdisciplinary angle. Defining identity raises many questions and invites different disciplines ranging from hermeneutics, philosophy, sociology, psychology, psychoanalysis, linguistics, anthropology, and many more. Answering questions about the nature of the self and the relationship between a person and her body led this article to trace back two lines of thought: a dualist view that sees identity in terms of soul and body dichotomy, and a monist view that focuses on the body as a defining element of identity. The enormous philosophical interest in the idea of personal identity is due to concerns with the nature of personal identity throughout time and the relationship, if any, between personal identity and bodily identity.

Placemaking Eichstätt: Perspectives and Intersections

This is a short essay on the conference “Taking Place and Making Place: Celebrating 25 Years of Space and Culture” at the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt (June 23–25, 2022). Based on a handful of notes and personal impressions, this is an unqualified research note and a descriptive overview of this conference from the perspective of a literary scholar. This perspective includes some brief reflections on Nietzsche’s perspectivism and Genevieve Lloyd’s reading of Spinoza as an alternative epistemology to Cartesian mind–body dualism, which approach critical engagement through a set of perspectives arising from the intersections between different fields.

Cyborg farmers: Embodied understandings of precision agriculture

AbstractPrecision agriculture is often seen as disembodied and placeless, promised to either bring about a fourth agricultural revolution or as the start of dystopian rural futures, where farmers and their knowledge will be replaced by machines. A growing body of literature shows more nuanced ways of working with precision agriculture. This illustrates the need to investigate how, and under which conditions, precision agriculture is integrated and internalised by farmers. Based on 25 in‐depth interviews with male Dutch crop farmers, contractors, researchers, and ag‐tech developers, we develop the concept of the cyborg farmer, who embodies the use of precision technology while maintaining an intimate relationship with agro‐ecological context. This approach challenges the mind–body dichotomy in that the cognitive is not understood as primary, as emotions and the materiality of the body are taken seriously. This perspective emphasises the importance of embodied knowledge in how farmers interpret precision agriculture data. Our findings highlight the productive tension between data‐driven elements of precision agriculture and the embodied and intuitive understanding of agro‐ecological context. This productive tension consists of the successful integration of different forms of knowledge by the cyborg farmer, where embodied sense‐making and precision agriculture data are integrated into the formation of useable knowledge. The cyborg farmer maintains farmer agency and resists the dominance of algorithmic rationality over other forms of knowledge .

Introduction to Psychodermatology

Abstract Psychodermatology is an emerging newer subspecialty of dermatology, which comprises dermatology, psychiatry, and psychology. Eventhough the concept is old this dictum has acquired tremendous importance in recent decades. The mind and body are considered as a single unit instead of mind versus body dualism, and this stresses the need for holistic approach of disease management. Formerly, the biomedical concept of disease was very prevalent, which compared the human body to a machine and the doctor was like a technician doing the repair work of human machine, where the mind was completely neglected. But in this recent concept the mind has very important role in health, disease causation and healing. Skin is a part of neuro-immuno-cutaneous-endocrine system. So any disease affecting skin can affect the mind and vise versa. The psycho physiological conditions are highly stress related and secondary psychiatric comorbidities are very common in dermatological conditions especially on visible part of our.

Graham crackers and good girls: a historical and theoretical case for expanding the conceptual reach of purity culture’s control of bodies assigned female at birth

ABSTRACT In this work, we make a historical and theoretical case for expanding the conceptual reach of purity culture’s control of bodies assigned female at birth to include body shape and size. Purity culture is a sub-cultural phenomenon primarily recognized as a Protestant Evangelical abstinence movement, though recently seeing further attention in the academic literature. We utilize the visceral, embodied language of an original poetic work from Rebekah Vickery, one of the authors, to weave experiential knowledge into our analysis. We utilize the theories of biopower and stigma, as well as the materiality of the female body, to understand purity culture’s control and discipline of the female body in and through three mechanisms: mind–body dualism, white supremacist patriarchy, and appetite control. We contextualize these mechanisms by tracing their historical roots leading up to the purity culture movement, and then utilize theoretical frameworks to understand the impacts of this history in purity culture.

How to improve attitudes towards dementia? Reframing as a tool to overcome the stigma around Alzheimer’s disease

ObjectiveThis article aims to determine how Alzheimer’s disease (AD) framing impacts on attitudes and self-reported emotions towards the disease. MethodsWe designed posters with framed messages based on the person with AD: Dualism of body and mind, Unity of body and mind, and control (Study 1, N = 261) and based on the relationship person with AD-family: No reciprocation, Good Mother, and control (Study 2, N = 240). To analyse the effect of the different frames, attitudes towards AD were measured twice (before and after the posters display). Emotions emerging from this exposure were also recorded. ResultsData analysis yielded four significant findings regarding communication on AD: (1) deproblematizing frames (i.e., Unity of body and mind and Good Mother) lead to a positive attitude change; (2) Non reciprocation frame reduces positive attitudes; (3) problematizing frames (i.e., Dualism body and mind and Non reciprocation) trigger negative emotions; (4) deproblematizing frames induce higher positive feelings, which increase positive attitudes. ConclusionsNegative representations about AD reinforce the negative attitudes towards it. Reframing AD is essential to achieve a positive attitudinal change. Practice implicationsThe use of deproblematizing frames (i.e., Unity of body and mind or Good Mother) should be considered when developing and implementing policies targeted at communication and awareness of AD to reduce the stigma associated with this disease.

Beyond Mind– Body Dualism: Pluralistic Concepts of the Soul in Mongolian Shamanistic Traditions

Soul belief is a universal of human culture and belief in multiple souls is common, especially in pre-modern traditions. This essay illustrates how a three-folded structure appears in the soul concepts of Mongolian shamanistic traditions. The reported accounts of the three souls among various Mongolian ethnic groups are somewhat divergent — especially in their consciousness-related attributes — which may reflect the cultural bias of data collectors, inconsistencies between data providers, and the evolution of these concepts due to historical events, socio-economic changes, and external cultural influences. Despite these confounding effects, the soul concept of Mongolian shamanism is similar in its pluralism to the beliefs of many other cultures. Mongolian Indigenous concepts and their descriptions reveal key elements of consciousness. Although these soul concepts evoke spiritual interpretations, they nevertheless reflect aspects of an innately-disposed mindset which extends conceptualizations of consciousness beyond mind-body dualism.

The artificial dichotomy of body and brain

The artificial dichotomy of body and brain

Konsep Jiwa Perspektif Ibnu Sina

The purpose of this essay is to clarify Ibn Sina's views on the spirit and its connection to the body. A qualitative approach is used in this research to conduct a review of the literature. This study's methodology is an investigation into Islamic literacy using both main and secondary data sources. The body and the soul are different entities or made up of diverse materials, according to Ibn Sina. The soul is not gone when the body is destroyed. The soul lasts forever. Even though the body and the soul are made up of distinct substances, they are both interdependent. It is impossible to separate the soul from the body. The tendency of western philosophical thought toward dualism of soul and body is overcome by Ibn Sina's idea. The relationship between both the body and the spirit demands.

Philosophy of Posthuman Art, by Stefan Lorenz Sorgner

<i>Philosophy of Posthuman Art</i>, by Stefan Lorenz Sorgner

The facilitating effect of physiological self‐tracking on organ donation

AbstractEncouraging people to donate their organs is not an easy endeavor. Globally, the percentage of organ donors is low. Prior research shows that one of the major impediments to organ donation is the perception that donating an organ is equivalent to giving up part of the self. Such a perception may be mitigated by physiological self‐tracking though. Findings from three studies reveal that physiological self‐tracking facilitates greater acceptance of and encourages organ donation. This happens because a focus on one's physiological data, as part of the self‐tracking process, leads consumers to view their body as distinct from their self (i.e., self–body dualism). Consequently, people are less likely to equate donating organs with losing a part of themselves. The findings suggest that encouraging greater use of self‐trackers may help people overcome their organ donation inhibitions.

Can Algorithms be Embodied? A Phenomenological Perspective on the Relationship Between Algorithimic Thinking and the Life-World

This article investigates the possibility to question the difference between artificial and human intelligence by assuming that the latter can incorporate artificial, external components just as artificial intelligence can simulate human responses, and by exploring human embodiment in its technically and digitally augmented dimension. The idea that digital processes do not merely imply a detachment from the body, a dematerialization or disembodiment, is supported by many researchers, starting already from those who—back in the 1980s—reacted to cyberpunk narratives and their tendency to posit a new mind–body dualism. Yet, here I would like to frame this thesis not within the post-human context but in a phenomenological perspective, and in doing so I will employ specific conceptual tools. I will particularly (1) rely on Katherine Hayles’ distinction between incorporating and inscribing practices; (2) refer to Maturana and Varela’s notion of structural coupling; (3) analyze algorithmic thinking and its temporal structure.