Body of Wisdom

This book investigates how embodied experience constitutes the self, informs social cognition, and guides practical wisdom in daily life.

This book examines how bodily experience shapes the self, social interaction, and practical knowledge in daily life. Spanning philosophy and cognitive science, it offers insights for researchers and students interested in embodiment, social understanding, and the wisdom of lived experience. The text is also available Open Access on Cambridge Core.What does it mean to know, act, and be in the world? This book explores the embodied nature of human knowledge. Drawing on phenomenology and cognitive science, it shows how bodily experience shapes the self, social understanding, and practical knowledge. Philosopher and psychologist Shogo Tanaka examines motor learning, body schema, and lived experience to shed light on this subject with chapters exploring intercorporeal sociality, social cognition, narrative identity, and cultural meaning. By reflecting on the methods and limits of studying embodied knowledge, the text reveals how habits, skilled action, and even contemplative practices disclose the body as a medium of insight. This book is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.