Introduction

There have been four principal influences that have motivated the development of the concept of physical literacy presented in this book. First and most importantly, the philosophical writings of existentialists and phenomenologists which give significant support for the centrality of embodiment in human existence. Arguing from their particular standpoints, these philosophers see embodiment as fundamental to human life as we know it.1 Embodiment, in their terms, affords us interaction with our environment and provides the foundation for the development of a wide range of human capabilities. These views were first expressed in the early twentieth century and, interestingly, there is now, some 75 years later, considerable evidence from different fields of science that endorses this view of the fundamental importance of our embodiment in human existence, not least in respect of development in the early years of life. This book provides an opportunity to share some of these more recent findings.