I have to admit that I had to read Mark Johnson's excerpt about body-based meaning more than once. It seemed too obvious at first. Of course there is no separation between mind and body. I could not function without my brain and body working together.
Without reading Johnson's entire book or article, I suspect what he is referring to is the absence of God or some other supreme being that would give human beings meaning that they could not otherwise receive on their own. I have to say that this is a brave first reading to assign a class of 30 students in an elective class. I wonder if students expected such an existential first reading! As to whether I agree or disagree with Johnson, I would have to read more. What is the title of this book or article?
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Hi Rashana,
ReplyDeleteEven though I will probably not be able to keep read your yoga journal blog very often beyond the "turn in" dates, I just took a quick glance at it and wanted to reply to this. I wasn't sure if I had ever put the name of Johnson's book in print for you. It is "The Meaning of the Body: Aesthetics of Human Understanding." The excerpt was from the introduction. I hope you have time some day to read more of his book; it is excellent.
Hope that helps!
-M