Corporales

Corporales is a term used especially in philosophical, theological, and anthropological discourse to refer to corporeal beings or physical bodies. It emphasizes the material, tangible dimension of organisms and their embodiment, as distinct from non-material or spiritual aspects. In discussions about embodiment, corporales can denote the set or form of physical bodies that realize life across species, including humans.

Etymology and usage: The word derives from Latin corpus, corporalis, and appears in various languages as either a plural noun or an adjective. It is not a standard term in everyday English-language science texts, but it appears in historical and comparative writings to stress bodily nature and embodiment. The plural form signals the collective or cross-species dimension of physical bodies.

Contexts: In philosophy of mind and phenomenology, corporales are invoked to examine how bodies are experienced from the first-person perspective, how sensory-motor systems shape cognition, and how identity relates to physical form. In anthropology and sociology, the term can be used to discuss bodily norms, health, sexuality, aging, and mortality as they relate to social life. In theological contexts, corporeal or corporal language often appears in discussions of the incarnation, Eucharistic presence, or liturgical materiality, though corporales as a plural might be less common.

See also: corporeal, corporeality, body, soma, materialism. Notes: The term corporales is relatively uncommon in modern scientific discourse, where more precise terms like body, bodily, or corporeal are typically used. When it appears, it usually signals a comparative, historical, or phenomenological emphasis on material embodiment.