Consent and the experience of touch

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Characteristics	Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed
Keywords	Intersubjectivity Phenomenology philosophy Consciousness Neglect Lived experience Informed consent Perspective graphical Epistemology Process computing Situated Empathy Cognitive science Engineering ethics Illusion
Key points	Argues that touch is a foundational sensory and ethical modality central to consciousness and human interaction, and that consent in professional therapeutic touch is an ongoing, mutually enacted process.

Abstract

Bringing together insights from the philosophical traditions of phenomenology and the methodology of micro-phenomenology, this work explores the embodied, intersubjective, and ethical dimensions of tactile experience.The primary objectives of the thesis are: 1) to examine the philosophical significance of touch, highlighting its role in shaping human consciousness, intersubjectivity and ethical engagement (Husserl, 1964(Husserl, /2019;; Merleau-Ponty, 1945/2014; Levinas, 1969Levinas, /1979)); 2) to investigate the lived experiences of touch through the lens of microphenomenology, providing rich, first-person accounts of tactile interactions (Petitmengin, 2006; Valenzuela-Moguillansky & Va squez-Rosati, 2023); and 3) to explore the complexities of consent in professional therapeutic touch, recognising it as an ongoing, mutually enacted process rather than a one-time event (Manson & O'Neill, 2007;Beauchamp & Childress, 2019).The objectives of this thesis are met through the following chapters.Chapter 1 introduces touch as a foundational aspect of human experience, addressing its historical neglect in favour of vision and hearing.This section frames touch as a sensory and ethical modality central to consciousness in the subjectivity of human interaction.Philosophical insights from thinkers such as

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Abstract

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