Abstract
As the boundary between the body and the external world, skin has a transcendental status not possessed by other organs. Considered in this way, touch is the most fundamental sense: sight, hearing, smell, and taste can all be regarded as forms of touch. Increasing sensitivity to touching leads modern societies to intensify sexual harassment laws. Anti-touch legislation is nothing new, as a review of relevant biblical texts demonstrates. Surprisingly, the Gospels’ portrayal of Jesus can serve as a model for modifying touching taboos: when employed responsibly, touch promotes moral/spiritual renewal. Correlating the five senses with five types of love, friendship love corresponds to the central role of touch. Touching becomes an ethical and/or legal concern only when it occurs outside the bounds of friendship.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 104-118 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Aretè: International Journal of Philosophy, Human & Social Sciences |
| Volume | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - Sept 2016 |
User-Defined Keywords
- touch
- boundary-conditions
- sexual harassment
- love
- friendship