The paper attempts to interpret meanings of body and expression in dancing art through Spinoza’'s body-mind monism. Dance art hasn’'t been a major topic in discussions of philosophy of art and general aesthetics for a long time due to men’'s body identity. Further, at the bottom of this criticism, there is mind-body dualism that divided men’'s mind and body in dichotomy.
Hence, the paper poses a question on the notion that dancing art through men’'s body hasn’'t been justifiably credited of its artistic value due to these criteria based on mind-body dualism. Further, as a refutation, the paper based philosophical progression of Spinoza’'s body-mind monism, and through this, the paper discussed how meanings of body and expression in dancing art are produced and how they’'re to be interpreted.
One can divide characteristics of the Spinoza’'s body that the paper examined into largely three parts. First, Spinoza’'s body has equivalence to mind. This becomes apparent in the system of his body-mind monism that develops the notion that world is composed of various aspects that express the essence of an entity. Moreover, this existential equivalence of body and mind shows that they possess epistemological isonomie as well. On this, second, Spinoza’'s body and mind are situated in equivalent position and each of their expressions combine to form and express ideation about the entity. Lastly, third, men’'s body, through transfiguration and relationship with the other, can reach voluntary manifestation of conatus that sustains the essence of the existence, and this implies the possibility of enhancing and developing the ability of existence.
As can be known also from Hegel’'s criticism, Spinoza’'s philosophy is a philosophy of affirmation, which doesn’'t embody negativity. Further, within this atmosphere of affirmation, men’'s cogitation and body can each be credited of its equivalence and interchanged. With this background, the place men’'s body can develop their existential ability is the state of beatitude and dominion of the genuine freedom that men can enjoy, where Spinoza wanted to reach. The author hopes that the paper based on Spinoza’'s philosophical thought can be something for the dance art to stand on for its pursuit of beatitude and freedom.