The Nature of Human Persons

Jason T. Eberl

Description

Is there a shared nature common to all human beings? What essential qualities might define this nature? These questions are among the most widely discussed topics in the history of philosophy and remain subjects of perennial interest and controversy. The Nature of Human Persons offers a metaphysical investigation of the composition of the human essence. For a human being to exist, does it require an immaterial mind, a physical body, a functioning brain, a soul? Jason Eberl also considers the criterion of identity for a developing human being—that is, what is required for a human being to continue existing as a person despite undergoing physical and psychological changes over time? Eberl's investigation presents and defends a theoretical perspective from the thirteenth-century philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas. Advancing beyond descriptive historical analysis, this book places Aquinas’s account of human nature into direct comparison with several prominent contemporary theories: substance dualism, emergentism, animalism, constitutionalism, four-dimensionalism, and embodied mind theory. These theories inform various conclusions regarding when human beings first come into existence—at conception, during gestation, or after birth—and how we ought to define death for human beings. Finally, each of these viewpoints offers a distinctive rationale as to whether, and if so how, human beings may survive death. Ultimately, Eberl argues that the Thomistic account of human nature addresses the matters of human nature and survival in a much more holistic and desirable way than the other theories and offers a cohesive portrait of one’s continued existence from conception through life to death and beyond.

Sujets

• Philosophie
• Métaphysique
• Éthique et morale
• Moral Philosophy
• PHILOSOPHY
• Philosophie et théologie
• Thomas Aquinas
• Metaphysics
• Ethics
• Aristotle
• Thomas d'Aquin

Informations

• Publié par: University of Notre Dame Press
• Date de parution: 25 juin 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780268107758
• Langue: English

Extrait

The Nature of Human Persons
NOTRE DAME STUDIES IN MEDICAL ETHICS AND BIOETHICS
O. Carter Snead, series editor

The purpose of the Notre Dame Studies in Medical Ethics and Bioethics series, sponsored by the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, is to publish works that explore the ethical, cultural, and public questions arising from advances in biomedical technology, the practice of medicine, and the biosciences.
THE NATURE OF HUMAN PERSONS

Metaphysics and Bioethics
Jason T. Eberl
Foreword by Christopher Kaczor
University of Notre Dame Press
Notre Dame, Indiana
Copyright © 2020 by the University of Notre Dame
Notre Dame, Indiana 46556
undpress.nd.edu
All Rights Reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020007553
ISBN: 978-0-268-10773-4 (Hardback)
ISBN: 978-0-268-10776-5 (WebPDF)
ISBN: 978-0-268-10775-8 (Epub)
This e-Book was converted from the original source file by a third-party vendor. Readers who notice any formatting, textual, or readability issues are encouraged to contact the publisher at [e-mail]
To Jennifer and August
uxori optimae filiaeque, mulierum optimis
CONTENTS
Foreword by Christopher Kaczor
Preface
Acknowledgments
1. What Am I? Questions of Human Nature and Identity
2. This Is Us: A Hylomorphic View of Human Nature
3. I Think, Therefore . . . : Varieties of Dualism
4. Thou Art Dust: Varieties of Materialism
Summative Excursus. Desiderata for an Account of Human Nature
5. Starting Out: The Beginning of Human Persons
6. End of Line: The Death of Human Persons
7. Is This All That I Am? Postmortem Persons
8. Who Is My Sister or Brother? Treating Persons Ethically
List of Aquinas’s Works and Abbreviations
Notes
Bibliography
Index
FOREWORD
The links between metaphysical questions and ethical questions have been a matter of intense discussion since at least the eighteenth century, when Hume declared in his Treatise on Human Nature that one cannot derive an “ought” from an “is.” At the beginning of the twentieth century, in his Principia Ethica , G. E. Moore wrote of the “naturalistic fallacy,” which some interpreted as making a point similar to Hume’s: ethical truths cannot be derived from metaphysical truths. Recent scholarship, by contrast, has recognized the profound connections between metaphysical and moral questions, and these links are particularly strong when considering questions of personal identity and bioethics.
Jason T. Eberl’s book The Nature of Human Persons: Metaphysics and Bioethics makes an original and significant contribution to this vital field of inquiry. There are innumerable books in bioethics, but none that takes up issues of human anthropology in anything like the depth found here. This is a bit surprising insofar as questions in bioethics, at least as they relate to human beings, almost invariably involve at least implicitly some view of the human person. Most books will present some view of the human person and perhaps critique an alternative or two. What makes Eberl’s contribution so unique is that it surveys and critiques all the major (and many of the minor) alternatives to its own position, including animalism, constitutionalism, four-dimensionalism, substance dualism, and emergent dualism.
A similar point can be made from the perspective of the philosophy of the human person. Numerous books address this topic, but I cannot think of any that also combine the anthropological emphasis with a deep consideration of contemporary issues in bioethics.
I anticipate that The Nature of Human Persons will find a warm reception among scholars for its precision and will be especially useful for students because of its comprehensive nature. Jason Eberl’s splendid book offers an indispensable contribution to understanding the relationship between the nature of human persons and bioethics.
Christopher Kaczor
Professor of Philosophy
Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles
PREFACE
The question of whether there is a shared “nature” common to all human beings and, if so, what essential qualities define this nature is one of the most widely discussed topics in the history of scholarship and remains a subject of perennial interest and controversy. Psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, biologists, theologians, and philosophers adopt diverse approaches to this topic and various subquestions related to each field of inquiry. This volume offers a metaphysical investigation of the composition of the human essence—that is, With what is a human being identical or what types of parts are necessary for a human being to exist: an immaterial mind, a physical body, a functioning brain, a soul?—and the criterion of identity for a human being across time and change—that is, What is required for me to continue existing as me despite physical and psychological changes I undergo over time? This investigation will present and defend a particular theoretical perspective: that of the thirteenth-century philosopher and theologian Thomas Aquinas. Advancing beyond descriptive historical analysis, this volume places Aquinas’s account of human nature into direct comparison with several prominent contemporary theories: substance dualism, emergentism, animalism, constitutionalism, four-dimensionalism, and embodied-mind theory. There are also practical implications of exploring these theories, as they inform various conclusions regarding when human beings first come into existence—at conception, during gestation, or after birth—and how we ought to define death for human beings. Finally, each of these viewpoints offers a distinctive rationale as to whether, and if so how, human beings may survive death. My central argument is that the Thomistic account of human nature includes several desirable features that other theories lack and offers a cohesive portrait of one’s continued existence from conception, through life, to death, and beyond.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Many colleagues have contributed to this volume’s development at various stages and in myriad ways. I began working on Aquinas’s metaphysical account of human nature as a graduate student at Arizona State University, under Prof. Michael White, and then at Saint Louis University, under Prof. Eleonore Stump. Their careful attention to detail and generous giving of their time in reviewing my work were invaluable. Professor White first helped me to see the connection between historical and contemporary analytic approaches to philosophical issues. Professor Stump assisted me greatly in developing this connection in my research and continues to be a mentor to me in the truest and most complete sense of the word. My initial work on this volume as part of my doctoral dissertation owes much as well to Fr. Theodore Vitali, C.P., whose zealous regard for the success of his students is quite evident and infectious. My interest in applying Aquinas’s thought to issues in bioethics was inspired by the late Fr. John Kavanaugh, S.J., who also mentored me through graduate studies and beyond, having been a continual source of wisdom and learning. Fr. Kavanaugh’s inspirational mentorship perfectly exemplified the Jesuit pedagogical virtue of cura personalis —“care of the whole person.”
Research for this volume has been accomplished at several venues throughout my academic career: Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität in Frankfurt am Main, Germany; the Center for Philosophy of Religion at the University of Notre Dame; Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis; the Centre for Ethics, Philosophy, and Public Affairs at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland; Marian University College of Osteopathic Medicine; and the Albert Gnaegi Center for Health Care Ethics at Saint Louis University. I am extremely indebted to various mentors, colleagues, and students at these institutions who read parts of the manuscript or assisted in the development of certain ideas through either feedback at formal presentations or more informal chats over meals, coffee, or the “MacNiven’s Philosophy Roundtable”: Jan Aertsen, Elizabeth Ashford, Derek Ball, Rebecca Ballard, Sarah Broadie, Brandon Brown, Michael Burke, Chad Carmichael, Thomas Cavanaugh, Kelly James Clark, Kevin Corcoran, Fred Crosson, Cornelis de Waal, Kevin Decker, Domenic D’Ettore, Russell DiSilvestro, Thomas Flint, Berys Gaut, Michael Gorman, John Haldane, James Hanink, Katherine Hawley, David Hershenov, Ludger Honnefelder, Al Howsepian, Steven Jensen, Lisa Jones, Gaven Kerr, Jaegwon Kim, James Kruggel, Brian Leftow, John Lizza, Matthias Lutz-Bachmann, Tim Lyons, Hugh McCann, Brian McElwee, Britney McMahan, Eric Meslin, Carrington Moore, Tim Mulgan, Andreas Niederberger, Alvin Plantinga, Michael Rea, Michelle Ruben, Greg Sadler, Roger Scruton, John Skorupski, David Solomon, Marco Stango, John Tilley, Jens Timmerman, Christopher Tollefsen, Patrick Toner, Peter van Inwagen, and Stephanie Vesper. Chapter 7 particularly benefited from participants in the Exploring the Interim State Workshop sponsored by the John Templeton Foundation: Thomas Atkinson, Susan Brower-Toland, Christopher Brown, Ryan Byerly, Caleb Cohoe, Bob Hartman, Luke Henderson, Jason McMartin, Turner Nevitt, Tim Pawl, Mark Spencer, Allison Krile Thornton, Joshua Thurow, and Kevin Timpe.
My gratitude is without measure to Christopher Kaczor, Jeremy Skrzypek, and the anonymous reviewers who offered invaluable feedback on the entire manuscript, to Christopher Ostertag, Marissa Espinoza, and Addison Tenorio for accomplishing the Herculean task of preparing the final manuscript for publication, and to Jeffrey Bishop for bringing me back to SLU and providing the time necessary to complete this project. Of course, my ideas could not have been materially instantiated without the support and assistance of Stephen Wrinn, Stephen Little, and the editorial team at the University of Notre Dame Press. Most importantly, this volume would not have been possible