UpcomIng Talks by EPIC Members

19.09.25

6pm - 7pm BST

Title: Radical Bodily Doubt

Abstract: In this talk I traverse the notion I developed in 2013, of bodily doubt, to suggest a new form of such doubt, which I call radical. Bodily doubt is a bodily feeling mirroring intellectual doubt: it is a feeling of hesitation and doubt, revealing that our sense of bodily certainty and trust are not epistemically grounded. Bodily doubt is composed of a i. Loss of trust; ii. loss of continuity; and iii. loss of faith in one's body. Radical bodily doubt is an extreme and rare form of doubt experienced in liminal bodily states, such as end of life or major trauma necessitating intensive hospital care. Primarily, it is not a state in which certainty about a particular bodily function, such as balance, vision, or digestion is lost, but a complete collapse of all certainty, continuity and faith. It is a breakdown not of one or some bodily functions (characterising bodily doubt) but a collapse of all tacit beliefs previously held secure by one's bodily certainty.

Keynote Speaker at Phenomenologies of mental health and well-being

Lehigh University’s College of Health, Pennsylvania

01.11.25

2:30pm - 3:15pm

In this talk I will examine two approaches to death. The first, that of Epicurus, claims that 'death is nothing to us.' The second, opposed view, of Martin Heidegger, sees death as the most significant structuring element of human life. Which account should we favour and why?

After discussing this I will offer an account of human life as characterised by vulnerability, putting death into context. I will suggest that death is significant, but not the only, form of human vulnerability.