Five Bodies: The Human Shape of Modern Society

Renowned social critic John O'Neill takes the human body as the focal point of his inquiry into the complex relation of individuals, nature and social institutions. The body once served as the foundation for thinking about politics, society, and the world, O'Neill asserts, but this human proportion has been lost in the modern world. Carefully delineating the course and the consequences of this loss in many realms of modern life, O'Neill demonstrates that we are dominated by concepts of life, family, thought, health and sanity that barely allow us to maintain a sense of our individuality and humanity. O'Neill proposes a renewed and radical anthropomorphism, one that will restore the overwhelming modern world to comprehensible dimensions. ISBN 0-8014-1727-9: $17.50.