The spatiality of pain
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11420218 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Alain Patrick Olivier (0000-0002-1435-6783, University of Fort Hare, corresponding author), A Olivier |
| Year | 2007 |
| Volume | 25 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Publication date | 2007-02-13 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | South African Journal of Philosophy (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0258-0136 • E-ISSN: 2073-4867 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.4314/sajpem.v25i4.31455 |
| OpenAlex | W2089869671 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 2 |
How far can one ascribe a spatial meaning to pain? When I have a pain, for instance, in my leg, how should one understand the “in” in the “pain in my leg”? I argue (contrary to Noordhof) that pain does have a spatial meaning, but (contrary to Tye) that the spatiality of pain is not to be understood in the standard sense of spatial enclosure. Instead, spatiality has a special meaning with regard to pain. By defining pain in phenomenological terms as a disturbed form of bodily perception, I contend that the “in” in “pain in my body” has a dual spatial meaning: firstly, it signifies my internal perceptual relation to a disturbing part of my body; secondly, it denotes the external perceptual relation to my environment that the disturbance forces me to take. Once the spatiality of pain is understood in terms of such a perceptual relation, it is not restricted to localisable hurts, but pertains to all forms of pain, such as affliction and agony.South African Journal of Philosophy Vol. 25 (4) 2006: pp. 336-349
Epistemology · Perception · Computer Science · Mental Health and Psychiatry · Pain Management and Placebo Effect · Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy · Philosophy · Psychology
| Highly cited | No |
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