S E N S E S A S I N S T R U M E N T
S E N S E S A S I N S T R U M E N T
O F C O M M U N I C A T I O N
O F C O M M U N I C A T I O N
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INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
Our senses are the instruments of communication that facilitate our relationship with the environment. They convey information and contribute to our appropriation of the environment by means of sensory impressions and experience: we can perceive, experience, recognize, evaluate, and design the environment and ourselves. Each sensory organ has a specific structure that enables it to respond to a specific sensory stimulation. Current sensory physiology and phenomenology describes the human-environment relationship as being based on twelve senses. These refer to three spatial categories: action, impression, and meaning.
THE ACTIVITY & MEANING OF THE INDIVIDUAL SENSES
THE ACTIVITY & MEANING OF THE INDIVIDUAL SENSES
The four physically oriented senses – the sense of touch, the sense of life/comfort, the sense of movement, and the sense of balance – are characterized by will and action.
THE SENSE OF TOUCH
THE SENSE OF TOUCH
Touch is the most elementary of the senses: it is physically the most direct means of contact with the environment, with other living things, and object matter. Touch enables us to experience borders and divisions between our own bodies and the external world. This experience is fundamental to an aware-ness of and certainty in our existence.
THE SENSE OF LIFE/COMFORT
THE SENSE OF LIFE/COMFORT
This sense informs us about our existential orientation and the quality of our lives. It is activated when the organism senses discomfort. An active sense of life allows people to directly perceive what is good and what is not good for their well-being.
THE SENSE OF MOVEMENT
THE SENSE OF MOVEMENT
The sense of movement allows us to feel our body’s motion. It also functions as an organ of control for our movements and motion sequences as well as for every type, form, and process of movement in the environment. It activates the will, which originates from a motivation, to set a goal and to achieve this by using the appropriate motion dynamics.
THE SENSE OF BALANCED
THE SENSE OF BALANCED
The sense of balance allows humans to stand and move in an erect position.
It makes it possible to find an independent, individual position in space.
It is fundamental to our spatial orientation and strives for balance and structural order.
THE FOUR MENTALLY ORIENTED SENSES
THE FOUR MENTALLY ORIENTED SENSES
the sense of smell, the sense of taste, the sense of sight, and the sense of warmth – are empathy- and impression-oriented.
THE SENSE OF SMELL
THE SENSE OF SMELL
The sense of smell conveys information about substances in the environment and the presence of matter. It informs us about the finest nuances and qualities of ingredients. Smells directly affect the atmosphere. Humans respond to this spon-taneously with ease or unease, pleasure or aversion.
THE SENSE OF TASTE/QUALITY
THE SENSE OF TASTE/QUALITY
These senses are closely related. The sense of taste informs us about the chemical make-up and composition of flavor nuances as well as about the quality of the food that we eat. It activates our perception for the real and natural or the unreal and artificial. In a broader sense, it activates our perception for aesthetics, quality, and adequacy.
THE SENSE OF SIGHT
THE SENSE OF SIGHT
The sense of sight is our most comprehensive perceptive fa-culty. It supports and complements the other senses. The sense of sight allows us to perceive everything visual, to visu-ally comprehend forms and movements, to visually feel forms and materials, and to visually structure. The sense of sight is our access to the world of light and color’s finest nuances, as well as to the diversity of visible environmental qualities. The sense of comfort/life, which is linked to the sense of sight, al-lows us to perceive visible beauty, pleasantness, harmony, or the ugly, uncomfortable, and discordant.
THE SENSE OF WARMTH
THE SENSE OF WARMTH
This sense allows us to perceive the temperature of our bodies and that of the external world. The sense of warmth is closely associated with physical and mental experiences – pleasure and aversion, ease and unease. Human well-being re-quires a certain degree of warmth. This refers to temperature, spatial quality, and even social relationships. Warmth is close-ness, cold is distance.
THE FOUR SPIRITUALLY ORIENTED SENSES
THE FOUR SPIRITUALLY ORIENTED SENSES
The sense of hearing, the sense of speech, the sense of thought, and the sense of self – are recognition-oriented.
THE SENSE OF HEARING/PROPORTION
THE SENSE OF HEARING/PROPORTION
The sense of hearing comprises all discernable noises and sounds. It can convey what the eye cannot. Sometimes the tone and sound of the human voice provide better information about one’s condition and psychological state than physical appearance. Even the internal qualities of objects and the tex-ture of materials are audibly discernable. According to Hans Jürgen Scheurle, sensing sound can be equated with sensing proportion, which is related to sensing harmony.
THE SENSE OF SPEECH
THE SENSE OF SPEECH
The sense of hearing perceives the acoustic and musical el-ements of speech. It conveys the perception of the presence of speech, its form of expression and design, its clarity and conciseness. Every language has its own architecture and tonal color. Sound quality lets our state of mind and mood res-onate and comprehend by the sense of language. Even non-verbal forms of expression – gestures and facial expressions – and elements of body language are attributed to the percep-tive faculties of the sense of language.
THE SENSE OF THOUGHT
THE SENSE OF THOUGHT
This sense is related to perceiving conceptual language con-tent, to the deeper meaning of the spoken word, even to perceiving secondary or hidden conceptual intentions and messages. Sensing thoughts requires sensitivity and intuition. Thoughts can be heard non-verbally – via body language, gesture, and facial expression. We look to feel out internal truths with the sense of thought.
THE SENSE OF SELF
THE SENSE OF SELF
The sense of self allows us to detect the self of others, their individuality, their core-being. Its activity demands an astute distance from oneself, to free oneself from judgment, sympathy, and antipathy. The sense of self is the instrument for interpersonal relations and is extremely important to social dealings. An active sense of self in dialog with others can overcome misunderstandings and alienation and build under-standing.
THE FLOURISHING & CARE OF THE SENSES IS FUNDAMENTAL TO:
THE FLOURISHING & CARE OF THE SENSES IS FUNDAMENTAL TO:
Discovering the new
Stimulating emotional life
Deepening the ability to experience
Reinforcing the ability to make judgments
Reinforcing the power to decide
Thinking, feeling, and acting consciously.
THE FLOURISHING & CARE OF THE SENSES IS FUNDAMENTAL TO:
THE FLOURISHING & CARE OF THE SENSES IS FUNDAMENTAL TO:
The development of creativity
A creative, meaningful design of the living environment
The formation of our personality
Our interpersonal relations
The design of our world.
ACTIVITY: Let's give a try!
ACTIVITY: Let's give a try!
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