The Body’s Journey

How movement reveals who we are

Core Idea

We become ourselves by moving through a social landscape — aware that others can trace our path.

• The body isn’t just a tool; it’s also how we appear to ourselves through others’ eyes.

• Self-awareness emerges from this dance of perspectives (like a trail visible only when walked).

My philosophical Path

1. PhD on Embodied Selfhood
   Under Prof. Arnold Burms (HIW, K.U.Leuven), who greatly inspired me and demonstrated how bodies anchor our identity.

2. Books for a General Audience

   • Ik, mezelf en wij: Translating dense theory into an accessible and engaging book on identity (in Dutch).

   • Into the White: Kafka and his Metamorphoses: Uniquely linking my fascination with Kafka’s work to my own insights on embodiment and self-awareness.

3. Teaching and Research

   • Over the past fifteen years, this theme of self-consciousness has deeply informed my courses at various colleges, from philosophy and ethics to media theory and the ‘ethics of artificial intelligence’.

   • I view self-awareness as dynamic—shaped by media and technology—and have a fairly unique perspective on whether AI can develop self-awareness.

4. Ongoing Interests

   • I remain deeply interested in neuroscience, as reflected in my correspondence with David Eagleman (see below).