DAOISTIČKO TELO – ZABELEŠKA O KULTURNIM RAZLIKAMA U RAZUMEVANJU TELA
DAOIST BODY – A NOTE ON THE CULTURAL DIFFERENCES IN UNDERSTANDING OF BODY

Summary/Abstract: Comparison of the differences in the coprehension of human body in different cultures gives us an insight into the web of much broader meanings and cultural differences concerning the understanding of human’s position in the world, in the universe, in thelife of the community, in thedesirable way of cultivating and socializing people, as wellas the in the possibilities of transmutation of matter, achievement of immortality, life after death, or simply the improvement of man’s nature. The body situatedin culture is never just a material substance, and it is never merely a sign and a symbol, but an authentic place for the manifestation of human life. In this paper, starting from this framework,the comparison was madebetween traditional Daoistphilosophy and health practice andPlato’s interpretation of the origin and structure of the human body. The life of the mostfamous mythical Daoist teacher, Lao Tze (Lǎozǐ, 老子) coincides with the period of constitution of ancient Greek philosophy (6th century BC), and the comparison of these twoapproaches points to the basic civilizational differences between the East and the West.

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