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The article presents a phenomenological examination of the sensory experiences of sight and touch, drawing insights from Hans Jonas. It starts by establishing four key assumptions: 1) Historically, most Western philosophers have had limited engagement with the experiences of children. 2) Western philosophical discourse has predominantly adopted an adult-centric viewpoint. 3) While touch holds greater significance for children, sight has a more prominent role in adult experiences. 4) Sight has traditionally, within Western philosophical discourse, been considered as superior to other senses. Subsequently, the article conducts a phenomenological exploration of sight and touch, elucidating their philosophical ramifications. It posits that a deeper consideration of children's experiences could have prompted Western philosophers to engage more profoundly with the significance of touch and its philosophical implications, potentially counterbalancing the prevalent visual bias. Concluding with a speculative suggestion, the article contemplates the hypothetical philosophical consequences of such a tactile turn, suggesting a possible reorientation away from substance dualism, ontological atomism, and epistemological idealism towards process ontology and epistemological realism.
Authors
- Sigurd Hverven (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8657-1696)
Institutions
- Film Independent (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Speki Nordic Philosophy and Education Review
- Published
- 2025-02-28
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.5617/speki.11544
- Primary Topic
- Counseling, Therapy, and Family Dynamics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00