The Mind-Body Revisited

Abstract

Abstract Western civilization has a philosophical tradition based upon dualisms and dichotomies. Among these dichotomies is one that separates the mind and the body. In an area of study and practice such as physical education, this separation of the human into two parts has implications for our teaching, research, curricula, and even the way we work with people. The purpose of this article is to review the philosophic history of the mind and body with reference to the implications this dualism has had in our profession. This is followed by a discussion of a nondualistic, embodied view of humans and how that nondualistic view might call for (a) changes in the way we work with people, and (b) integrative study and analysis in order to lead to a more complete understanding of human movement.