Contemporary philosophy and the humanities are dominated by reductionist paradigms of corporeality that interpret the body either as a mechanistic object (the Cartesian-biomedical tradition) or as a passive surface text for the inscription of power (post-structuralism). Despite their differences, both approaches view the body as an isolated object, ignoring its constitutive relational nature. This leads to a theoretical impasse in the face of modern crises of identity, alienation, and the loss of connection, exacerbated by the dynamics of globalized and digital culture, which give rise to the phenomenon of the “capsular human”. This study aims to propose and substantiate an alternative, non-reductionist model of “spherical corporeality” based on Peter Sloterdijk's philosophy of spheres, capable of filling the existing research gap. The research results include a systematic reconstruction of the evolution of corporeality in the “Spheres” trilogy. As a result, a holistic theoretical model was developed, demonstrating the transformation of the body from a “hybrid vessel” in the microsphere, through a “target of media” in the macrosphere, to an “isolated capsule” in the foam of postmodernity. The model proves that the body is fundamentally a relational phenomenon, constituted within shared spaces of being. The findings and the proposed model provide the academic community with a new conceptual apparatus to overcome the limitations of individualistic paradigms. They allow for describing the unity of intimate experience and global processes within a single evolutionary framework, creating a foundation for interdisciplinary research in philosophy, sociology, and cultural studies. The article is intended for specialists in these fields.
This study examines N. A. Nekrasov's final poem Who Lives Happily in Russia, with a focus on the key imagery and motifs related to the theme of the body. Decoding these elements reveals new meanings within this folk epic and sheds light on the author’s artistic thinking. Several patterns in depicting characters’ appearance emerge: the link between physique and personality, and the correlation between descriptive detail and narrative significance. The most frequent portrait parameters are listed. Diligence and endurance become measures of a character’s appeal, giving artistic form to motif of folk heroism (bogatyrstvo). Alimentary imagery is examined by character status. The connection between social class and alcohol consumption is traced. Examples of the aestheticization of drinking are provided, along with its plot-forming function. The author emphasizes characters’ physical and mental reactions to alcohol, depicting the consequences of excess. Attention to vestimentary details and hygienic comfort is noted. Nekrasov also explores intimate relations, presenting a spectrum from mutual affection to exploitation and violence. The motif of physical suffering is analyzed through overwork, corporal punishment, illness, and other forms of duress. An overarching semantic dominant emerges: the experience of dying. The poem’s plot centers on death—a theme deeply personal to Nekrasov, who battled terminal illness. The poetics of corporeality in Who Lives Happily in Russia? is thus shaped by the paradoxical combination of Russian national heroism with the leitmotif of suffering flesh.
Рrimitive people tried to find a meaning for natural events through causal relations with their limited knowledge. One example is mythological monsters, which are actually the different aspects of nature in forms. All these monsters are products of the Mother Goddess as a woman, and they are visualized versions of uncanny and dangerous side of nature. One of these monsters, with a lion ahead, a goat body, and a snake tail in Greek Mythology, is called Chimera. Later, these multi-identity monster, whose parts also mean something on their own, became a symbol and a source of reference for different fields such as biology, psychology and art. Chimerism, i.e. the coexistence of different identities in one body, has gained a scientific basis, especially in biology through the advancement of gene technology. Finding different gene codes in the same body has proven that there are real chimeras, including humans, in nature. The fact that human, animal and plant genes can exist in one body has led to many ethical debates. Art opens a discussion space for the redefinition of such ethical boundaries today. In this study, the counterparts of creatures called Chimera in the history of contemporary art will be discussed.
This article explores how humans are developing the digital environment by representing wildlife, and animals in particular, within its space. It explores contemporary environmental discourse, which is acquiring a virtual dimension, and projects aimed at integrating nature and technology. The text analyzes approaches to the problem of animal representation, presented in the works of contemporary authors, philosophers and natural researchers, such as John Berger, Tatyana Goricheva, Oksana Timofeeva, Alexander Pshera and others. The phenomenon of “animal extinction”, their marginalization and exploitation in the context of contemporary culture is explored, and possible ways to overcome this crisis are outlined. The author analyzes the trend associated with the development of contemplative, imaginative practices in the context of digital ecology and determines their role in the formation of an ethical approach to animals. The main hypothesis of the article is that by representing the animal's corporeality in the modern digital space, humans strive to create and develop not only a digital, but primarily a living environment. At the same time, the formation of a digital image of an animal can also influence its own corporeality, blurring and changing its previous boundaries of life and ways of existence; this tendency contains existential risks. Taking this into account, it becomes clear that environmental ethics in its modern invariants becomes possible and is developed in those projects and practices in which the existential status of the animal is preserved.
How can people learn to move in a unified, powerful manner, as in Bruce Lee’s famous one-inch punch demonstration? How can adult Westerners learn and embody principles of holistic movement from Asian mind-body disciplines? Many martial arts emphasize body unity and connectedness through distinctive training methods and pedagogies, and these systems can help elucidate the concept of biotensegrity, a notion originating in biomechanics, a laboratory-based science. This article is the first to offer a reflective, first-person, and intersubjective perspective on the theoretical principles of biotensegrity by delving into the examples of unified movement in the foundational taijutsu training of ninjutsu and in an internal approach to wing chun kung fu. As two Western white male martial arts scholar-practitioners relearning how to move in our respective Japanese and Chinese styles, we draw on our respective autoethnographic and ethnographic studies to unpack three key qualities of biotensegrity: energy efficiency, maximizing force transference, and dynamic stability. We show how these three qualities work together to enable the authors and their fellow learners to connect the more familiar movement of limbs, hands, and feet with the movement of the deeper inner body regions of the torso, hips, and spine through the myofascial system to create powerful techniques tested against resisting opponents. By situating biotensegrity within lived martial arts practice, this work extends its application from biomechanics into embodied learning and physical cultures, offering new insights for coaching, pedagogy, and movement science.
