For a recent issue of the German language journal Feldenkrais Forum, Janina Wellmann speaks about the concepts from her book Biological Motion: A History of Life. Click here to learn more about the book. The full article can be found at the button to the left. A translated excerpt appears below:

“In the history of science, surprisingly enough, movement is not a subject of inquiry at all. And, historically, it has not been investigated in the slightest. This is due to the fact that, in the 17th century, physics was the dominant science—and it dominated everything concerning living movement. And physics reduced movement to nothing more than a mere change of location. In physics, “motion” is a physical concept; it signifies movement from point A to point B. Traditionally, the focus here was exclusively on the organs of locomotion—that is, hands, feet, or wings. The central question was this: How are specific organs and means of locomotion adapted to the particular habitats in which animals move? In this context, humans are invariably included as animals themselves. This line of inquiry concerns the physical, mechanical, and functional aspects of movement—addressing questions such as: How has this process been evolutionarily optimized to achieve the highest possible degree of perfection in locomotion within a specific ecological niche? All other forms of movement that have engaged the field of biology fall under the purview of that notoriously complex concept: “behavior.” This involves questions such as: Why does an organism move at all? It concerns matters such as foraging, instinctual drives, and the fulfillment of biological needs. In biology, the concept of “behavior” is defined very broadly—and remains a particularly challenging subject. For one must ask: What, precisely, constitutes behavior? And how can it be investigated experimentally using the methods of modern science? In short: What is the underlying drive behind a specific behavior, and how can we establish a causal link? How—in a verifiable, empirical sense—are a specific physical movement (say, toward a food source) and the corresponding sensory perception or cognitive processing of a particular stimulus actually connected?”