Corporeity and own movement: dialogues with Merleau-Ponty and Buytendijk

Abstract

This philosophical essay discusses education as an experience of the body in movement, via a dialogue between Maurice Merleau-Ponty and Frederik Buytendijk. Education is conceived as a continuous and experiential process, expressed by the body and movement, based on the concepts of “own body” and “own movement.” Play is approached as a privileged space where movement is integrated with imagination and learning, functioning as a form of non-verbal thought. In this sense, movement goes beyond mere physical action, becoming a language of the body that reveals our relationship with the world. This perspective is crucial for the expression of identity, creativity, and sensitivity in educational and recreational contexts.

Keywords
Buytendijk; own movement; Merleau-Ponty; corporeity; phenomenology