COGITO (ET MOLIOR) ERGO SUM: BETWEEN EMBODIED COGNITION AND THE PERFORMING ARTS

Neuroscientific discoveries since the second half of the last century have revealed the mechanisms underlying mind-body functioning, going beyond Cartesian dualism and highlighting a relationship of interdependence between the two elements in a complex stimulus-response system. The results obtained restored to the body dimension a role of primary importance in the elaboration of experience, which is first and foremost of a sensory-perceptual nature. The assumption on which this dialogue hinges is that the mind, which is thus embodied, cannot be separated from the body in the mechanisms of knowledge acquisition; therefore, the aim of this paper is to investigate the ways in which the performing arts can be configured as innovative embodied didactic methodologies, starting with an epistemological excursus that recovers, with a historical slant, psychological and neuroscientific theories on emotions and perceptions in educational practice, continuing with the description of some concrete examples to be adopted in formal educational contexts.