embodied knowledge

We discover what we know in our embodied being.

There has been increased attention given to the phenomenon of embodiment in human action. From a phenomenological point of view it can even be argued that the whole body itself is pathic. Thus "the body knows" how to do things. And if we wanted to gain intellectual control of this "knowledge", we might in fact hamper our ability to do the things we are doing as embodied beings. These activites include routines, habits, conventions, rules, etc. Merleau-Ponty described the body's knowledge in terms of the access it provides to our world.

© Max van Manen, 2002
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