ABSTRACT
Philosophy is a distinctively reflective or deliberative discipline whose initial defining quest was aimed at the goal of self-knowledge that could in turn improve both self and society. Most philosophers, however, have rejected the value of explicit body consciousness and somatic reflection. This includes philosophers who do not narrowly identify the self with soul or mind but instead recognize one’s body as part of one’s self. Their arguments for rejecting somatic reflection are instead based on the claim that explicit attention to the body hinders action by destroying the spontaneity that renders our actions more effective. This essay critically examines, from a somaesthetic perspective, the arguments against somatic reflection proposed by both Western and Chinese philosophers; it then shows that while some Daoist thinkers seem to be arguing for the exclusive value of spontaneity, their remarks also helpfully support certain kinds of somatic reflection. In articulating the useful functions of heightened, critical body consciousness or somaesthetic reflection, the essay argues that the different values of spontaneity and reflection should both be recognized but also integrated to work together to improve our perceptual and performative practice.
