The three sources I chose are a basis for the way in which we may come to see the body. I though that I would start looking at Descartes because I feel that one cannot truly explore material bodies without exploring the ways in which we come to view our bodies in relation to space. When we see the term bodies, a set of assumptions arises as to what a bodies is and means. What does it mean to have a body and are we in control of the material experience? How does power work through and within bodies?
First Source
Descartes, René, and John Cottingham. Meditations on First Philosophy: with
Selections from the Objections and Replies. Cambridge [Cambridgeshire: Cambridge UP, 1986. Print.
Descartes work is widely used in realm of academic sciences. The goal in the meditation is to lay a firm groundwork upon which scientific objectivity could be laid. Descartes theory was that all knowledge of the senses (body) could be called into doubt. I chose Descartes because I thought that it was importance to provide the framework though which much scientific work is done. The main idea set forth in The Meditations is that the way to come to true "knowledge" is by disregarding a material existence. We have come to find the true objectivity is implausible and yet so much is based upon this notion.
Second Source
Feminist Perspectives on the Body
Lennon, Kathleen, "Feminist Perspectives on the Body", The Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy (Fall 2010 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL =
The article published sheds light on the problems within philosophical frameworks of the body as being a tied to nature and thus separated from the mind. This article takes a detailed look at how feminists approach the body and bring it back into view by deconstructing the Cartesian spit. I choose this article because it not only gives a detailed explanation of feminist relation to the body but the writer uses many sources through with I can further my research. This source provides me with differing ways I can approach the subject of bodies and Materiality. I found this source by using the google term "Material Bodies".
Third Source
Haraway, Donna Jeanne. Modest₋Witness@Second₋Millennium.FemaleMan
₋Meets₋OncoMouse: Feminism and Technoscience. New York: Routledge, 1996. Print.
I Choose Modest Witness because I enjoy the approach Haraway approaches the subject of materiality. Haraway writes, "Biology discursively establishes and performs what will count as human in powerful domains of knowledge and technique". (Haraway, 217). She asserts that it is a fabrication and that the body is a conduit of power, but who's or what power is unknown. These fabrications are rooted in history. This got me thinking about bodily agency and if it is ever possible to be free of the invisible hand as it were. I am reminded that power is always present in the material. What kinds of bodies are we becoming?
Good sources. I like how you start with Descartes. Can you say more about the implications of his claim that true knowledge comes through disregarding material existence? You raise some great questions throughout your post! Sometimes they can be hard to see; I would encourage you to play around with how you visually present your material. You could try putting your questions in bold and/or making them bigger text. You could also put the word QUESTIONS in bold by them. Or you could try embedding an image of a question mark next to them....
I think this is a really interesting topic and the Cartesian split is a great way to go with this. I have a few ideas about it.
I think a great source that interrogates this split and its impacts for feminism is Susan Bordo's Unbearable Weight. She discusses how women are connected with the body and men are connected with the mind. This has interesting connections to criticisms of enlightenment thinkers. She also discusses how she has been personally attacked for her body not being that of a feminist (she lost weight while she looks at why culture forces women to be thin).
I think you could also look to psychoanalysis for interesting thoughts about the body and its impacts on the psyche. Though not sure you want to go there...
I also think your incorporation of Haraway is great. In terms of how the body is constructed, you could also look to Wittig and Anne Fausto-Sterling about how science fails to account for the realities of sex, race, etc. and that these are constructed. Really provocative claims that are fun to read and think about.
Really awesome ideas here that can lead you to some cool places. I look forward to more!