Abstract
In their newest edited book, Ataria, Tanaka and Gallagher manage to extensively cover a territory that is most known for its multi-layered, ambiguous and complex scenery. A territory that can be explored from so many different scientific angles, approached and researched with such a variety of methods and discussed both so controversially and concurrently that it leaves one breathless. A landscape so vast in nature, one is tempted to conclude that a proper overview of all its areas is well beyond human reach; were it not for this expansive new traveller's guide called ‘The Body Schema, Body Image and New Directions’. In it, the editors unify renown concepts with topical findings which results in an exhaustive interdisciplinary treatise over the mechanisms that underly human body perception and consciousness. They also address contemporary controversies and do not shy away to point out the lack of satisfying vocabulary or the many outstanding answers this complex topic holds. True to the title's promise, in this scientific ground work they juxtapose views of renown experts and present startling new findings, thereby indeed covering ‘new ground’, that is, explore ‘new directions’ of the body schema and body image.
Between the first and the last page of this traveller's guide, the reader is taken on an exciting field trip into the land we intuitively inhabit, yet find so difficult to describe: our body and our perception of it. The expedition is guided by historical and contemporary experts, who take the reader on a comprehensive excursion into ‘vast terrains’ of their respective scientific expertise. Each chapter feels like a sight-seeing tour that provides its traveller first with a quick snap shot of how we embody and ‘mind’ our body before venturing through deeper grounds, well-explored fields and touching upon unknowns. One particularly exciting example of an area on the verge of discovery is the chapter on the role of interoception in the sense of self; that is, self-awareness: Drysedale and Tsakiris give a splendid introduction with a summary of current knowledge on the internal body processes that influence the sense of self and how we develop a sense of our selves throughout development. At the same time, they point out the blank areas, the unknown of the domain, such as the yet to be understood antagonistic dynamic in processing intero-vs. exteroceptive signals in computing an awareness of oneself. What is the functional importance of this? Does the brain prioritise interoceptive over exteroceptive cues in states of internal discomfort, for example, to alert one's self to take action – such as is suggested with the brain-gut-axis in inflammatory gastrointestinal states? What role do the body's visceral organs actually have in interoception and henceforth self-awareness? What changes do intero- and exteroception undergo during development – for example during puberty that we all remember as increased self-awareness with at the same time heightened focus on the ‘outside’ social world? It is with these unanswered questions that Drysedale and Tsakiris leave one marvelling at the human's nature – body, mind, soul.
And just like this chapter each chapter provides some answers and simultaneously raises new questions. This leaves the reader eager to dive into the next chapter with yet another eminent scientific approach to the multifaceted nature of body perception, embodied cognition and cognitive perception. As such, this book is like a scientific expedition into the fascinating land of the human perception of the body, the mind and everything in between; a trip into philosophy, cognitive science and clinical neurology, developmental psychology as well as the newer fields of artificial intelligence, robotics or ‘mind 4.0’ – all centred on the body.
Any traveller seeking an expansive yet exhaustive guidebook on this topic is well-advised buying Ataria, Tanaka and Gallagher's new book. It is a most precise, clear compendium of knowledge, leaving out to my knowledge only one field: how do the body schema and body image ‘work’ in old age and neurodegenerative conditions such as dementia? Stay attuned for future editions of this book because we can be sure that once any researcher explores this terrain, Ataria, Tanaka and Gallagher will include a chapter in any future edition.
