Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Exploring Human Experience

Soanes, Edward (2008)
Archaeology
Abstract
This essay argues that since human experience consists inseparably of mind, body and the material world, and that if were are to better understand the lives of people in the past we need to recognize that we cannot separate material culture, social process and life-tasks from the experiences of the people who carried them out. Personal experience of a thing can never produce an understanding of that thing that another might have without first discussing who this ?other? is and what their motivations are for being there. The constitution of experience, as an inseparable mix of mind, body and the world prevents the identification, in the present, of ?prehistoric? experiences in the present. An understanding of the theory of human experience... (More)
This essay argues that since human experience consists inseparably of mind, body and the material world, and that if were are to better understand the lives of people in the past we need to recognize that we cannot separate material culture, social process and life-tasks from the experiences of the people who carried them out. Personal experience of a thing can never produce an understanding of that thing that another might have without first discussing who this ?other? is and what their motivations are for being there. The constitution of experience, as an inseparable mix of mind, body and the world prevents the identification, in the present, of ?prehistoric? experiences in the present. An understanding of the theory of human experience can, however, demonstrate that change and the appropriation or alteration of activities and beliefs for new ends can easily be motivated by the power that certain experiences have on us. Thus understanding human experience helps us make new interpretations of the past. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Soanes, Edward
supervisor
organization
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Experience, Phenomenology, Järrestad, long house, Archaeology, Arkeologi
language
English
id
1320622
date added to LUP
2008-03-17 00:00:00
date last changed
2008-03-17 00:00:00
@misc{1320622,
  abstract     = {{This essay argues that since human experience consists inseparably of mind, body and the material world, and that if were are to better understand the lives of people in the past we need to recognize that we cannot separate material culture, social process and life-tasks from the experiences of the people who carried them out. Personal experience of a thing can never produce an understanding of that thing that another might have without first discussing who this ?other? is and what their motivations are for being there. The constitution of experience, as an inseparable mix of mind, body and the world prevents the identification, in the present, of ?prehistoric? experiences in the present. An understanding of the theory of human experience can, however, demonstrate that change and the appropriation or alteration of activities and beliefs for new ends can easily be motivated by the power that certain experiences have on us. Thus understanding human experience helps us make new interpretations of the past.}},
  author       = {{Soanes, Edward}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Exploring Human Experience}},
  year         = {{2008}},
}