Richard Shusterman's Somaesthetics

Document Type : Original Article

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Suez University - Faculty of Arts - Department of Philosophy

Abstract

In the late twentieth century, some American analytic philosophers became more aware of American pragmatism and the limits of analytic science. This led them to discover pragmatic ideas in the fields of aesthetics, ethics, and other philosophical areas, and to apply them to these domains. Richard Shusterman is considered one of the representatives of this trend.
      This paper examines what this philosopher sees as the centrality of the body and explores the possibility of establishing a global philosophical dimension based on this perspective, in opposition to the repression of the body that occurs when thought and consciousness are prioritized. Shusterman argues that Western thought focuses on the body merely in terms of its function and performance. It fails to explain our experiences except through the lens of conscious thought, a point Shusterman critiques. He contends that philosophy, in general, and aesthetics, in particular, can serve as arts of living, or at the very least, as attempts to change reality through an awareness of what one feels physically and emotionally. Thus, the problem discussed here lies in his critique of the spiritual and metaphysical excesses of Western culture, contrasted with what he defines as the "living body" (soma).

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