Body and Soul

Embodiment, or the fact that we live "in," "through," or "as" bodies, has profound implications for our experience of existence. The course builds on the assumption that this human body is meaningful, symbolic, and questionable; it is therefore important and worthy of reflection and study. We look first at the philosophical roots of Western mind-body dualism, reading Plato and Descartes, and explore Susan Bordo's analysis of the effects such a perspective may have on our lives (Unbearable Weight: Feminism, Western Culture, and the Body). We then pursue some alternative understandings, both non-Western and Western, including the Dao De Ching and Shunryu Suzuki's Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind.