The Body in Two Scopes

When I think of the human body, the first subject, thought, theory, however you see it, that comes into my mind is science. Moran, however, uses Kristeva to offer a new perspective and  to further show that the human body can take on many different outlooks; ranging from the scientific sense to the cultural sense. After reading the excerpt in this part of Interdisciplinary, I have to say, I have never been more pleasantly confused. You would think that the scientific and culture senses surrounding the idea of the human body would balance each other out right? Or at the very least build upon or bounce off of each other. And see, that’s where the confusion set in. Kristeva notes that the scientific perspective capitalizes on the theory that the body acts as a material, and the life choices one makes can devalue the material in which the body is comprised of. Okay, so that makes sense; if I get a piercing, or a tattoo, or plastic surgery, it’s going to obviously be seen in a negative light towards some people (it shouldn’t though, it’s my body, my rules, but that’s besides the point), especially because so many people judge women solely based on their bodies. Now the cultural aspect, that’s where things become a little more difficult. The scientific aspect is understandable to a degree, however the cultural outlook can vary. Regarding the human body, the cultural aspect doesn’t focus on the women’s body as a sole entity, but rather hones in on the relationship between a woman and her baby. At first the baby is completely and utterly reliant upon her, however slowly this baby detaches itself, till it becomes it’s own functioning human being. Kristeva then shows the tie between the cultural and scientific perspective, but on completely different levels. Kristeva brings to light the biological perspective, which emphasizes that body as a changeable and adaptable material, and then further attempts to suppress the cultural perspective, in which she argues that the negative aspects of the body, such as a menstrual cycle and the concept of pregnancy, should not be discusses. These differing ends of the spectrum regarding the same topic, prove a sensitive case which two seemingly different topics relate to the same cause.