Uniqueness of "us" created by physical education

Abstract

The concept of intercorporeality refers to a fundamental function of an individual’s body that enables them to be or feel interconnected with other human beings. Researchers at the Department of Sport and Health Science, Tokai Gakuen University, Japan, led by Professor Kenji Ishigaki are exploring whether intercorporeality can help inform the physical education, play and sports included in the school curriculum. They hope that by encouraging ‘corporeal feeling’ towards others, children can gain a better sense of morality and belonging. This, in turn, can improve mental health and engagement with physical education. Ishigaki believes that the intercorporeal approach will reveal what kind of exercise play will contribute to the development of children’s morality or what kind of ‘corporeal feeling’ is important for the children’s body. The expectation is that philosophical analysis of these ‘corporeal feelings’ will shed light on the types of exercise, play and sports that should be arranged and incorporated into the Japanese school curriculum. An important idea for Ishigaki and the team is that when we think in the same way as others do about a particular thing, an intersubjective ‘we’ is established but in practising physical education and exercise in sports, a different kind of ‘we’ is established. This is the the intercorporeal ‘we’ as corporeal feeling that is unknowingly generated in the dimension of the human body,’