Art and linguistic bodies: a transformative view
Ståle Finke, Thomas Netland, Mattias Solli
Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences April 1, 2026 DOI: 10.1007/s11097-023-09948-5 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Art experience Linguistic bodies Enactivism Hermeneutics Gadamer |
| Citations | 2 |
| Key points | Proposes that art transforms everyday experience through symbolic transformation, conceived as a linguistic phenomenon enabling original communication. |
Abstract
This article takes its point of departure from the second (embodied) linguistic turn represented by the enactivist notion of humans as linguistic bodies, using resources from Hans Georg Gadamer in order to propose a view of the relation between art and everyday experience as one of symbolic transformation. Conceiving art as a form of linguistic phenomenon wherein one can engage in original situations of communication, this view rejects both autonomist and direct continuity views of the art-everyday relation. We start by situating the idea of linguistic bodies within the enactive approach, spelling out relevant aspects concerning the significance of language for human life and perception (Sect. 2). Then we embark on a discussion of aspects of Shaun Gallagher’s and Alva Noë’s enactivist perspectives on art experience, highlighting places where their views align with and depart from ours (Sect. 3). The last two sections aim to lay out the transformative view in more detail, proposing a pluralistic understanding of art media and a view of art and art experience as modes of ideational, embodied thought (Sects. 4 and 5).
Comparable studies
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| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
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| Psychosis as a state of aberrant salience: a framework linking biology, phenomenology, and pharmacology in schizophrenia. | 2003 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From dopamine to salience to psychosis--linking biology, pharmacology and phenomenology of psychosis. | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How do the brain's time and space mediate consciousness and its different dimensions? Temporo-spatial theory of consciousness (TTC). | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The phenomenology of deep brain stimulation-induced changes in OCD: an enactive affordance-based model. | 2013 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Looking for the Self: Phenomenology, Neurophysiology and Philosophical Significance of Drug-induced Ego Dissolution | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cites 6
- Active inference, enactivism and the hermeneutics of social cognition. Synthese 2018
- The Enactive Conception of Life The Oxford Handbook of 4E Cognition October 9, 2018
- 4E Cognition and the Spectrum of Aesthetic Experience JoLMA December 9, 2020
- Enacting affectivity The Oxford Handbook of 4E Cognition October 9, 2018
- Radical embodiment: neural dynamics and consciousness. Trends in Cognitive Sciences October 1, 2001
and 1 more in the library