During the day different talks were given that explored the links between corporeality and vulnerability from an interdisciplinary point of view.

Based on the notion of empathy, Elodie Boublil (Archives Husserl de París, ENS-CNRS, Marie Curie Actions) talked about the issue of “vicarious traumatisation”, via which the suffering of people who are in situations of vulnerability can be transmitted to and even suffered by their carers. This is a challenge in relation to the ethical demands of our society - such as for example in the case of the refugee crisis- and to the response that needs to come from the various social and political agents who are involved. 

During the seminar artistic representations of the body and emotions during the medieval era were also discussed, as well as the spacial dimension of the suffering body as seen through architecture. The positions taken by various philosophers in relation to the body and the vulnerable condition of humankind, such as Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty and Ricoeur were also analysed.

Throughout the sessions it became evident that “the vulnerable body” expresses both the inherent possibility that everyone has to suffer, as well as the possibility to provide creative responses to this phenomenon based on philosophy, art, and architecture. It was an opportunity to better understand human suffering and to strengthen the social connections that characterise it.