Are We Our Bodies?
We often take for granted the intimate relationship between our sense of self and our physical form, until illness, injury, or aging forces us to reconsider this connection. When our bodies change in unexpected ways, do we remain the same person? This session explores how physical experience shapes identity and whether the self can exist independently of bodily limitations or transformations.
The question becomes urgent when we or those we love face significant physical challenges, from sudden disability to chronic illness to the natural changes of aging. Some find that physical constraints reveal inner strengths and reshape priorities in meaningful ways, while others struggle with the feeling that their "real self" is trapped by bodily limitations. How do we understand the relationship between who we are and the flesh we inhabit?
Our conversation will explore:
Can the mind and self remain intact when the body changes dramatically?
How much of our identity is shaped by how others perceive our physical selves?
What does it mean to live fully in a body that limits us?
Are We Our Bodies?
We often take for granted the intimate relationship between our sense of self and our physical form, until illness, injury, or aging forces us to reconsider this connection. When our bodies change in unexpected ways, do we remain the same person? This session explores how physical experience shapes identity and whether the self can exist independently of bodily limitations or transformations.
The question becomes urgent when we or those we love face significant physical challenges, from sudden disability to chronic illness to the natural changes of aging. Some find that physical constraints reveal inner strengths and reshape priorities in meaningful ways, while others struggle with the feeling that their "real self" is trapped by bodily limitations. How do we understand the relationship between who we are and the flesh we inhabit?
Our conversation will explore:
Can the mind and self remain intact when the body changes dramatically?
How much of our identity is shaped by how others perceive our physical selves?
What does it mean to live fully in a body that limits us?
We often take for granted the intimate relationship between our sense of self and our physical form, until illness, injury, or aging forces us to reconsider this connection. When our bodies change in unexpected ways, do we remain the same person? This session explores how physical experience shapes identity and whether the self can exist independently of bodily limitations or transformations.
The question becomes urgent when we or those we love face significant physical challenges, from sudden disability to chronic illness to the natural changes of aging. Some find that physical constraints reveal inner strengths and reshape priorities in meaningful ways, while others struggle with the feeling that their "real self" is trapped by bodily limitations. How do we understand the relationship between who we are and the flesh we inhabit?
Our conversation will explore:
Can the mind and self remain intact when the body changes dramatically?
How much of our identity is shaped by how others perceive our physical selves?
What does it mean to live fully in a body that limits us?
Conversation Catalysts
At Premise, a Conversation Catalyst is a short story, essay, film, or poem that sparks reflection and connection. It’s the shared reference point that grounds each session and opens the door to meaningful and deep conversation.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, directed by Julian Schnabel
"The Evening and the Morning and the Night" by Octavia Butler
Preparation: < 3 hours
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We consider what happens to our sense of self when our bodies no longer work as expected.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, directed by Julian Schnabel
Based on Jean-Dominique Bauby's memoir, this film follows a magazine editor who suffers a massive stroke, leaving him with locked-in syndrome—fully conscious but able to move only one eyelid. Through this single movement, Bauby learns to communicate and eventually dictates his story, revealing how consciousness and creativity can persist even when the body becomes a prison.
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The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, directed by Julian Schnabel
"The Evening and the Morning and the Night" by Octavia Butler
Preparation: < 3 hours
We consider what happens to our sense of self when our bodies no longer work as expected.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, directed by Julian Schnabel
Based on Jean-Dominique Bauby's memoir, this film follows a magazine editor who suffers a massive stroke, leaving him with locked-in syndrome—fully conscious but able to move only one eyelid. Through this single movement, Bauby learns to communicate and eventually dictates his story, revealing how consciousness and creativity can persist even when the body becomes a prison.
Conversation Catalysts
At Premise, a Conversation Catalyst is a short story, essay, film, or poem that sparks reflection and connection. It’s the shared reference point that grounds each session and opens the door to meaningful and deep conversation.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, directed by Julian Schnabel
"The Evening and the Morning and the Night" by Octavia Butler
Text Set A
Preparation: < 3 hours
Session Description
We consider what happens to our sense of self when our bodies no longer work as expected.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, directed by Julian Schnabel
Based on Jean-Dominique Bauby's memoir, this film follows a magazine editor who suffers a massive stroke, leaving him with locked-in syndrome—fully conscious but able to move only one eyelid. Through this single movement, Bauby learns to communicate and eventually dictates his story, revealing how consciousness and creativity can persist even when the body becomes a prison.
The film forces viewers to reconsider assumptions about quality of life and the relationship between physical capability and human dignity. It asks: How do we maintain our sense of self when our bodies can no longer express our inner lives? What constitutes a meaningful existence when physical agency is severely limited?
"The Evening and the Morning and the Night" by Octavia Butler
Butler's speculative story imagines a near future where people with a genetic condition called Duryea-Gode Disease face inevitable self-destructive behavior and early death. The protagonist, Lynn, discovers a community where those with the condition have found ways to channel their compulsions productively, creating art and meaning despite their biological destiny.
The story examines how genetic predisposition and bodily difference shape social identity and personal choice. Butler asks: How does knowing our biological fate affect how we live? Can we transcend physical limitations through community and purpose, or are we ultimately prisoners of our genetic inheritance?
Text Set A
Preparation: < 3 hours
Session Description
We consider what happens to our sense of self when our bodies no longer work as expected.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, directed by Julian Schnabel
Based on Jean-Dominique Bauby's memoir, this film follows a magazine editor who suffers a massive stroke, leaving him with locked-in syndrome—fully conscious but able to move only one eyelid. Through this single movement, Bauby learns to communicate and eventually dictates his story, revealing how consciousness and creativity can persist even when the body becomes a prison.
The film forces viewers to reconsider assumptions about quality of life and the relationship between physical capability and human dignity. It asks: How do we maintain our sense of self when our bodies can no longer express our inner lives? What constitutes a meaningful existence when physical agency is severely limited?
"The Evening and the Morning and the Night" by Octavia Butler
Butler's speculative story imagines a near future where people with a genetic condition called Duryea-Gode Disease face inevitable self-destructive behavior and early death. The protagonist, Lynn, discovers a community where those with the condition have found ways to channel their compulsions productively, creating art and meaning despite their biological destiny.
The story examines how genetic predisposition and bodily difference shape social identity and personal choice. Butler asks: How does knowing our biological fate affect how we live? Can we transcend physical limitations through community and purpose, or are we ultimately prisoners of our genetic inheritance?
Conversation Catalysts
At Premise, a Conversation Catalyst is a short story, essay, film, or poem that sparks reflection and connection. It’s the shared reference point that grounds each session and opens the door to meaningful and deep conversation.
Illness as Metaphor by Susan Sontag (selected chapters)
Text Set B
Preparation: < 3 hours
Session Description
At Premise, we’re always growing. Our sessions are shaped not only by the enduring questions we ask but also by the ideas and contributions of our participants and Chapter Leaders. We are a constructivist learning community, which means we build our learning experiences together.
More text sets for this question are on the way. Each one will follow our approach: short enough to prepare in under three hours, substantial and thought-provoking enough to spark deep discussion, and accessible to a wide audience.
In the meantime, we’d love to hear from you. If you have a suggestion for a story, essay, film, or poem that belongs here, please share it in the section below.
Text Set A
Preparation: < 3 hours
Session Description
We consider what happens to our sense of self when our bodies no longer work as expected.
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, directed by Julian Schnabel
Based on Jean-Dominique Bauby's memoir, this film follows a magazine editor who suffers a massive stroke, leaving him with locked-in syndrome—fully conscious but able to move only one eyelid. Through this single movement, Bauby learns to communicate and eventually dictates his story, revealing how consciousness and creativity can persist even when the body becomes a prison.
The film forces viewers to reconsider assumptions about quality of life and the relationship between physical capability and human dignity. It asks: How do we maintain our sense of self when our bodies can no longer express our inner lives? What constitutes a meaningful existence when physical agency is severely limited?
"The Evening and the Morning and the Night" by Octavia Butler
Butler's speculative story imagines a near future where people with a genetic condition called Duryea-Gode Disease face inevitable self-destructive behavior and early death. The protagonist, Lynn, discovers a community where those with the condition have found ways to channel their compulsions productively, creating art and meaning despite their biological destiny.
The story examines how genetic predisposition and bodily difference shape social identity and personal choice. Butler asks: How does knowing our biological fate affect how we live? Can we transcend physical limitations through community and purpose, or are we ultimately prisoners of our genetic inheritance?