“But the living body is constituted in a two-fold manner as a sensed (bodily perceived) living body and as an outwardly physical body of the outer world. And in this doubled givenness it is experienced as the same. Therefore, it has a location in outer space and fills up a portion of this space. (p.43)”
Bodily perception is analogous to outer perception. Both are pure acts of consciousness. And both give us the body as physical, thus part of the world.
But these acts differ in their correlates. Outer perception gives the outer world as its correlate. In other words, it is an act that perceives the physical aspects of the objects of the world. Thus, with outer perception, we can see our body as just one object among many. Bodily perception, on the other hand, gives us the body as a living body. With it, we can see that our body is not merely a thing that occupies space, but it is living, that is, it has sensation (which is the “bridge” between the “I” and the body). Bodily perception, thus, perceives this unity of the “I” and the body, making us see the body as a living body.
*All of the above is based on Edith Stein’s On the Problem of Empathy.
The individual, for Edith Stein, is a psycho-physical individual. It is composed of the psychic, which is the unifying principle, making the individual a separate being. And it is also composed of the physical. In the individual, both are intrinsically tied to each other. Stein says, “[T]he soul is always necessarily a soul in a body (p. 41).”
Stein here differentiates the phenomenon of expression from a mere physical accompaniment coming from a feeling. Physical accompaniment happens due to the psycho-physical causality (i.e., the soul causally affecting the body). As to expression, she explains, “[A]s I live through the feeling, I feel it terminate in an expression or release expression out of itself. Feeling in its pure essence is not something complete in itself. As it were, it is loaded with an energy which must be unloaded (p. 51).” In other words, an expression is a feeling externalized or actualized. It is a feeling fulfilled.
Stein gives examples of how this “unloading” works. The first is about volition and actions. For Stein, feelings motivate an individual to decide or take action. Because of a feeling, the individual may decide something or act in a certain way. The second case would be when an individual imagines certain scenarios, which he or she cannot do in real life due to moral grounds. But even in this restraint, the feeling is unloaded in the act of imagination. The third case is when there is a reflection about a feeling, that is, making the feeling objective. When an individual feels, sometimes it motivates him or her to reflect his or her feeling (i.e., be conscious of the feeling). The last case would be about bodily expression. A smile, for example, might be an expression of joy. In all these cases, a feeling is fulfilled by this unloading, making an expression, for a “feeling by its nature demands expression (p. 53).”
What is also crucial is Stein’s observation that expressions reveal the individual’s feelings. She says, “Since phenomena of expression appear as the outpouring of feelings, they are simultaneously the expression of the psychic characteristics they announce. For example, the furious glance reveals a vehement state of mind (p. 54).” I think this is so because expressions are simply feelings that are externalized. And therefore, if there is an expression, there is a feeling behind it. Of course, Stein acknowledges that not all physical manifestations are expressions. Some are just simulated action (e.g., a genuine smile vs. stretching of the lips). But the point is that feelings manifest through expressions.
*All of the above is based on Edith Stein’s On the Problem of Empathy.
The individual, for Edith Stein, is a psycho-physical individual. It is composed of the psychic, which is the unifying principle, making the individual a separate being. And it is also composed of the physical. In the individual, both are intrinsically tied to each other. Stein says, “[T]he soul is always necessarily a soul in a body (p. 41).”
The first part of the series tackled the givenness of the living body. This post will tackle the living body and feelings, the second part of the series.
The Living Body and Feelings
Stein here delineates three types of feelings due to the causal relationship between the soul and the living body. The three types are (1) sensual feelings, (2) general feelings, and (3) moods.
Sensual feelings are feelings that come from sense experience. Stein would have this to say, “[S]ensual feelings are inseparable from their founding sensations. The pleasantness of a savory dish, the agony of a sensual pain, the comfort of a soft garment are noticed where the food is tasted, where the pain pierces, where the garment clings to the body’s surface (p.48).” In other words, sensual feelings are those what the individual feels when experiencing certain sensations. The individual, for example, may stare at a painting, astonished with its beauty. These feelings, thus, are specific to the senses.
General feelings are feelings “coming from the living body with an accelerating or hindering influence on the course of experience (p. 49).” These feelings come from and permeate the whole body. They are the vitality or sluggishness the individual feels in certain moments. One may be joyful over a story, but may at the same time feel sluggish due to sickness. One may also still feel lively (maybe after a sumptuous meal) even when one has a painful wound on the leg. General feelings, thus, are somatic (bodily) in nature.
Lastly, moods are feelings that are similar to general feelings but are non-somatic (psychical) in nature (p.49). They are feelings that the individual feels regardless of what one feels in the body. Cheerfulness and melancholy are what Stein states here. One example of this kind of feeling is when a person just feels cheerful even after a long day. Another would be when a person feels melancholy after receiving a depressing message from the wife. Moods, thus, color the life of the individual.
Stein gives an illustration as to the reciprocal relationship between general feelings and moods. She says, “[S]uppose I take a trip to recuperate and arrive at a sunny, pleasant spot. While looking at the view, I feel that a cheerful mood wants to take possession of me, but cannot prevail because I feel sluggish and tired. ‘I shall be cheerful here as soon as I have rested up,’ I say to myself (p.49).” The individual’s feelings may, thus, be “influenced” depending on the situation.
One important detail that I would like to take note is Stein’s observation about the psycho-physical relation at play in feelings (p.48-49). The soul and body have an influence on each other, which results in the different feelings of the individual. Stein observes that even though they come from the senses, sensual feelings also come from the “I.” Meaning to say, the “I” is the one expressing the feeling, given that sensation is a constituent of consciousness. A similar “fusion” also happens in general feelings and moods. With general feelings, when the “I” feels sluggish or lively, the whole body feels sluggish or lively too, or vice versa. And with moods, which is non-somatic (psychical), improvement or deterioration of a mood influences, or is influenced by, a general feeling (a somatic feeling). The living body, thus, is dynamic, catering to the reciprocating relationship of the soul and the body.
*All of the above is based on Edith Stein’s On the Problem of Empathy.
Just a brief recap, the individual, for Edith Stein, is a psycho-physical individual. It is composed of the psychic, which is the unifying principle, making the individual a separate being. And it is also composed of the physical. In the individual, both are intrinsically tied to each other. Stein says, “[T]he soul is always necessarily a soul in a body (p. 41).”
I will now attempt to analyze the physical aspect of the individual. Following Stein’s division, it will be sub-divided into five: (1) the givenness of the living body, (2) the living body and feelings, (3) soul and living body, psycho-physical causality, (4) the phenomenon of expression, and (5) will and living body. For this post, I will only analyze the first one, leaving the others to be analyzed in the succeeding posts.
The Givenness of the Living Body
Here, Edith Stein is trying to work out the relationship between the living body and the physical body of the individual. Outwardly perceived, the individual’s body is seen as merely physical. It has particular characteristics, like shape and size. In other words, it occupies space and goes through time. But the individual’s body is peculiarly special because it is also living. It is not just a thing comparable to a table or pen, but it is animated. Indeed, Stein says that the living body is an embodiment, that is, a soul in a body.
The inherent connection between the two lies in sensation. For Stein, “sensations are among the real constituents of consciousness… The sensation of pressure or pain or cold is just as absolutely given as the experience of judging, willing, perceiving, etc. (p. 42)” Meaning to say, it is part of the individual’s substantial unity of experience. But, Stein would point out that sensation is unique because it is localized, unlike the other acts (p. 42). It is localized, in the sense that it is found in the body and not in the “I.”
Because of sensation, the living body would now have various points of orientation. There would, then, be a spatial relationship among the “I,” sensation found in the living body, and the outside world. The distance between sensation and the “I” is close, very close indeed, albeit never in it. Different parts of the body can be said to be relatively near or far from the “I.” It depends on where the raw data enters (e.g., head for vision). Thus, the “I” is non-spatial and is always the zero point of orientation relative to the parts of the body.
But the unity of the “I” and sensation, forming the living body, makes the living body the zero point of orientation relative to objects outside of it. The individual would then be able to show that it is “here,” and the objects are “there.” The distance, then, of foreign objects can be said to be relatively close or far depending on their proximity to the living body of the individual. But Stein notes that sensation will always be the one nearer to the “I” than a foreign object, even if directly sensed (p.43).
Stein says, “For the living body is essentially constituted through sensations, sensations are real constituents of consciousness and, as such, belong to the ‘I.’ Thus how could there be a living body not the body of an ‘I’ (p. 48)!”
P.S. Everything above is based on Edith Stein’s On the Problem of Empathy.
P.P.S. This is not exhaustive. I omitted a lot from what Stein stated in this part of her book.
Empathy 