The meaning of the body : aesthetics of human understanding /

Johnson (Univ. of Oregon) has a history of arguing against dualism, representational realism, Platonic idealism, and other views that separate conscious awareness of the world from the physically embodied person. His arguments challenge those of such diverse writers as Norton Nelkin (Consciousness and the Origins of Thought, CH, Sep'97, 35-0214) and David Chalmers (The Conscious Mind, CH, Dec'96, 34-2091). They are convergent with those of thinkers such as George Lakoff, coauthor with Johnson of Philosophy in the Flesh (CH, Sep'99, 37-0239); Jose Luis Bermudez in Thinking without Words (CH, Mar'04, 41-3974); and Lawrence Shapiro in The Mind Incarnate (CH, Jan'05, 42-2739). This book continues a lively and interesting debate about the nature of human beings and their awareness of themselves and the world around them. Johnson believes that this has much to do with creativity, and with consciousness that is integrated with one's sensory nature (including an integration of emotion and reason in making ethical judgments involving individual freedom and responsibility, a theme developed in Johnson's Moral Imagination, CH, Dec'93, 31-2048), and aligned with a pragmatic ability to successfully evolve over time. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-level undergraduates and above; general readers. J. Gough Red Deer College