Yochai Ataria, a professor at Tel-Hai College in Israel, specializes in trauma and consciousness, particularly in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He discusses how consciousness is deeply intertwined with our bodies and shared experiences. The dialogue explores the psychological impacts of conflict on children's identities and the isolation faced by prisoners. Yochai advocates for empathy and understanding to transcend historical traumas, emphasizing the need for open conversations to bridge divides amid ongoing violence.
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insights INSIGHT
Western Thought and the Cave Analogy
Western thought, starting with Plato, posits humans as detached observers in a cave, watching shadows of reality.
This idea evolved through Descartes and became a core tenet of cognitive science, viewing consciousness as separate from the world.
insights INSIGHT
Embodied Existence and Disconnection
Merleau-Ponty argues we are not brains in vats, but embodied beings in the world.
Disconnection from the world, as seen in prisoners of war, leads to rapid psychological breakdown.
insights INSIGHT
The 'I' vs. Being-in-the-World
Descartes centers on the 'I,' the thinking self, while Merleau-Ponty emphasizes being in the world.
Our evolutionary history prioritizes cooperation and shared experience, not individual isolation.
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Body Disownership in Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Body Disownership in Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
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Yochai Ataria
No description available.
Primo Levi vs. Katsetnik
Primo Levi vs. Katsetnik
Unknown
Yochai Ataria
No description available.
The Structural Trauma of Western Culture
Yochai Ataria
No description available.
Genes, Technology, and Apocalypse
Genes, Technology, and Apocalypse
Yochai Ataria
No description available.
Consciousness in Flesh
Yochai Ataria
No description available.
Not in Our Brain
Consciousness, Body, World
Yochai Ataria
Yochai Ataria's "Not in Our Brain" challenges the traditional Western philosophical view of consciousness as separate from the body. The book argues that our embodied experience is fundamental to our understanding of the world and ourselves. Ataria uses diverse case studies, including prisoners of war and meditation practitioners, to illustrate how our bodies shape our consciousness. He explores the implications of this perspective for understanding trauma and conflict, particularly in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The book offers a revolutionary perspective on the relationship between consciousness, embodied experience, and our understanding of reality.
Yochai's book, Not in Our Brain: Consciousness, Body, World (Magnes Press, 2019), examines the meaning of psychology and life based on the premise (following Merleau-Ponty's theory) that we are present in the world through our bodies. We are not merely rational beings or machines, but our existence in the world is through the body. While the book examines Merleau-Ponty's theory through stories of prisoners and people dedicated to meditation, our conversation took a different and fascinating direction. We examined the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza through the lens of Merleau-Ponty and the question of trauma.
Yochai Ataria is a professor at Tel-Hai College, Israel. He completed his PhD at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and conducted post-doctoral research in the Neurobiology Department at the Weizmann Institute of Science. His notable works include The Structural Trauma of Western Culture (2017), Body Disownership in Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (2018), The Mathematics of Trauma [in Hebrew] (2014), Not in Our Brain [in Hebrew] (2019), Levi versus Ka-Tsetnik (2022), Consciousness in Flesh (2022), and Genes, Technology, and Apocalypse (2024).
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