CULTUROLOGICAL ASPECTS OF THE PHENOMENON OF CORPOREALITY IN THE OPTICS OF ANTIQUITY AND THE MIDDLE AGES

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to analyze the phenomenon of corporeality in the classical period through the prism of how the problem was dynamically conceptualized in the philosophical constructs of Antiquity and the Middle Ages, which holds theoretical and practical significance for modern science.
The methodological foundation of the research is based on the application of proven methods from both classical and contemporary science, which enable the achievement of objective results in the analysis of the problem of corporeality. The author employed the following methods: the comparative method, which allows for an examination of the phenomenon of corporeality in a comparative aspect over a specific period; and the system analysis method, which facilitates an investigation of corporeality within the context of profound social and cultural interconnections.
The scientific novelty of the research lies in its interpretation of corporeality within the philosophical works of Antiquity and the Middle Ages, which allows one to trace the depiction of the human body not in an everyday sense, but primarily as a specific philosophical-aesthetic model of human existence in the world.
The results of research. As the experience of theoretical research on the problem of corporeality in contemporary philosophy and cultural studies shows, through the prism of understanding the human body one can discern a person’s attitude toward oneself and one’s place in the world. The example of Antiquity reveals how the problem of corporeality acquired particular depth: the body was regarded not only as a biological reality but also as a harmonious, cosmically ordered image. In the medieval era, ancient cosmocentrism was replaced by theocentrism – all reality came to be interpreted through God as the absolute beginning and end of being. Accordingly, the attitude toward corporeality changed. Antiquity presented the body as a natural part of cosmic harmony, whereas medieval philosophical thought interpreted it as a symbol of sinfulness, decay, and temptation.