The Suffering Body

Abstract

Our conceptions of suffering and of pain are vitiated by dualistic ways of thinking. For example, Eric Cassell’s definition of suffering implies that it is a psychological accompaniment to pain. This article challenges this approach by positing an Aristotelian conception of the human person and defining suffering as the frustration of the internal tendencies of all aspects of the person. In this way suffering can be seen as an objective condition irrespective of the mental states of the victim. Further, on this conception, suffering can be attributed to animals and other organisms.