Reading Response 4: The Body, Its Senses, Its Performances
The paper articulates how various body parts work collectively to perform several functions. It highlights the techniques of the body that enables it to run the entire system. The purpose of the body is likened to an economic system in a society. This is done by comparing various economic factors to body sense that operates the human system as a whole. I think that the author creates a comparison of the two to show how essential and useful the body parts are when in coordination. One of the senses of the body is the eyes, which provides people with the ability to see and focus. In the paper, the eye forms one of the most vital parts of the entire human system (Mauss, 1973). In the simplest terms, all the senses of the body such as the eyes, nose, tongue, ear, and the skin. In all the five, one cannot function appropriately and efficiently if others are not well. In this manner, the author alludes that every system has its small components that are dependent on each other.
It is noted that the failure of one system results in the complete disorganization of the others. Similarly, in every system, be it economic, social, or political system, all the functional units that are involved have to work in unity to produce valid and concrete results. I agree with the author’s ideas of incomplete knowledge of the dependence of functional units, mainly in the body. The body has techniques that run the entire activities, and if that process is interfered with at any level, then the system malfunctions. The body requires all its sense in operation to function as a unit.
References
Mauss, Marcel (1973). Techniques of the body. Economy and Society 2(1): 70–88.