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an embodied subject
date @October 11, 2021

lesson m2: l2

status complete

EXISTENTIALISM
is a form of philosophical inquiry that studies the nature of existence focusing
on the experience of the human subject— not merely as a rational one, but the
acting, feeling, living human individual

a philosophical theory or approach which emphasizes the existence of the individual

person as a free and responsible agent determining their own development
through acts of will

💡 the philosophical belief that we are each responsible for creating

purpose or meaning in our own lives

related to the movie "contact"

— seeking the truth. curious on "bakit ganun?"

school of thought

a form of inquiring things

has something to do with human beings

why is existentialism important when it comes to humans?

we are the ones capable of rationalizing things. animals, plants, etc. cannot
rationalize things

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 we are the ones able to feel, act, and live with rationalizing

embodied - body; embodied in flesh; human form

subject - soul; has something to do with the mind; able to feel, act, think

💡 we are basically just spirits within bodies

GABRIEL MARCEL
(1889-1973) was a philosopher

a french existentialist

he considers 2 ways of reflection.

— a reflection is something that shows the effect, existence, or character of

something else

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 marcel's idea of embodiment, there is a certain relation between the body and the
soul

he used the idea of ownership with that of a dog. for him, owning a dog requires
specific set of relations that exhibits this ownership

2 WAYS OF REFLECTION

1. PRIMARY REFLECTION

focuses on the object

removes involvement of subject matter

examines its object by abstraction, analytically breaking it down into its constituent
parts

concerned with definitions, essences and technical solutions to problems

reflection where we think, stop, pause to analyze things abstractly

method:

this is a way of existential break that shakes and forces us to pause and think

raising of questions that can lead to an explanation of what happened

it occurs when we inquire about things in a distant and objective manner

this proceeds with an investigation of the problem at hand that will not involve
the subject making the inquiry

thus, the inquirer sets apart from the object of his study

example:

nasa klase ka ni sir mikko pero in reality ur nakatulala and zoning out. lumilipad ang
utak mo habang klase

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 nawala phone niya. focuses on object not subject (person0. primary reflection is
asking q's directly without involvement of subject

2. SECONDARY REFLECTION

includes the inquirer

unifies rather than divides

it links the inquirer to the subject of his inquiry

method:

on contrary, this cannot occur without involving the inquirer into his inquiry

involves yourself to the question of reflection

example:

being annoyed to a friend who used to be late oftentimes but in the same
circumstances you did the same thing with another friend

— both primary and secondary reflections stem out of an existential break. a

disturbance in our daily routine. both reflections are important and they are not about
petty things for the inquirer. a reflection is exercised because it is worthwhile for the
inquirer. the difference is that primary reflection has the character development in terms
of the inquiring subject in relation to the object of inquiry, while secondary reflection
cannot proceed without involving the inquirer in the inquiry.

GABRIEL MARCEL'S EMBODIMENT

for marcel, one cannot discard the "body" as what other philosophers did

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 there are certain features wherein the body is distinct from other things (such as
animals, plants, and other material things)

the question "who am i"

in inquiring this question, it should start with an existential fact that we have a body

we are identified by faces

however, not everything that we are is our body, there are certain operations
beyond the body like emotions

the body is important because without our body we wouldn't be able to

experience things in the material world

example:

getting angry not at the body but at the person

— you can't get angry at the person's body when a person does something wrong. you
get angry at the person and the actions that person did

UNDERSTANDING THE BODY AND THE SOUL

having a body implies ownership like someone owning a dog, there must be a
specific set of relations that exhibit this ownership

the idea of ownership with a dog. for him, owning a dog requires specific set of
relations that exhibits this ownership

POSITIVE WAY

i can say that this dog is really my dog if it is living with me; if i am responsible for its
well-being; and if the dog recognizes and obeys me

NEGATIVE WAY

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 i can say that this dog is really my dog if nobody makes a claim

CONCLUSION:

nobody can claim my body other than myself— "body as mine'

as an embodied being, one cannot separate the body in the inquiry concerning who
i am

the body should be the starting point. therefore, the embodied subject necessarily
faces his own self, through his body, whenever he inquires about what being human
means

💡 for marcel body is really important. we cannot know about our self
without our body

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 MARTIN HEIDEIGGER
a german philosopher

he calls human beings = dasein

DASEIN
german word which means "being there"

this tells that our very being is to be there, to be in the world— being-in-the-world

to be in the world means that our experiences are always situated in our
world

to be in the world means that we live with things, other people, and within a
particular place and time

the external factors surrounding us affect our identity as we continuously interact

BEING-IN-THE-WORLD
to be with things

has certain relation with things

means that we are situated in place and time. we are immersed in a particular
culture, language, and social structures

💡 when we say being in the world, with our experiences that we become
something. everything around us dictate what we are right now

example:

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 the television

— used for entertainment; television allows me to watch my favorite shows; rarely look
at as an object that has to be analyzed, unless when it malfunctions

water

— water for each one is different because it depends on the perception of person based
on how they live their lives

bible

— this may be considered as a mere collection of writings for someone who likes to
read. but for christians, the bible is more than just a book, it is a source of wisdom,
hope, faith, and love

CONSLUSION

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 even relationships hold links to our self as a person. for example we have different
treatment with our friends compared to strangers. our relationships shape who we
are

being-in-the-world means that we are situated in place and time

we are immersed in a particular culture, language, and social structure

no one can detach himself from culture, language, and social structures

ganito tayo dahil sa paligid natin

💡 things shape the way we look at the world. we prescribe different

meanings to do things around us; different perceptions

heidegger's concept of being in the world informs us of the very nature of

who we are that we are shaped by everything around us. who we are is not a
product of a distant reflection and theorizing

an embodied subject is someone who is intimately connected with the world and not
some detached inquirer. our experiences tell us that we are related to the world as
participating subjects that deal with things and people everyday. and whether we
like it or not, this encounter with things and other people every day contribute to
who we are

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