A phenomenological reading of pain: intersections between Descartes and Merleau-Ponty
Keywords:
phenomenology, neuroscience, pain, corporality, DescartesAbstract
This work explains the pillars of criticism of the Cartesian conception of mechanistic physiology present in the philosophy of Maurice Merleau-Ponty. Especially the way in which the proposal of a body phenomenology present in the work of the French philosopher questions the most important features of the modern conception of the subject. In Phenomenology of Perception Merleau-Ponty proposes a redefinition of the subject and elaborates a non-intellectualist theory of perception, which he places in opposition to Cartesian thought. In this work the phenomenon of physical pain is taken as a nodal point of intersection between these two positions of perception, so pain is an excellent opportunity for research for contemporary phenomenology. Neuropathic pain is addressed, especially the neurological phenomenon known as phantom limb syndrome, which was studied by both Descartes and Merleau-Ponty. It is intended to demonstrate from this case the extent to which the modern medical gaze is heir to the Cartesian conception of the body. In addition, the present research includes contributions from contemporary scientific studies on neuropathic pain to rethink the possible contributions that in this field can provide the phenomenological conception of the body.
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