Philosophies of Touch: from Aristotle to Phenomenology

Abstract This essay explores Aristotle's discovery of touch as the most universal and philosophical of the senses. It analyses his central insight in the De Anima that tactile flesh is a "medium not an organ," unpacking both its metaphysical and ethical implications. The essay conclud...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Research in phenomenology 2020-10, Vol.50 (3), p.300-316
Main Author: Kearney, Richard
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Abstract This essay explores Aristotle's discovery of touch as the most universal and philosophical of the senses. It analyses his central insight in the De Anima that tactile flesh is a "medium not an organ," unpacking both its metaphysical and ethical implications. The essay concludes with a discussion of how contemporary phenomenology-from Husserl to Merleau-Ponty and Irigaray-re-describes Aristotle's seminal intuition regarding the model of "double reversible sensation."
ISSN:0085-5553
1569-1640
DOI:10.1163/15691640-12341453