Re: Rethinking Human Nature

At 10:57 AM 4/23/2006, jack syme wrote:
>A friend of mine (dont hold that against him), is just releasing a book:
>
>http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0801027802/qid=1145803709/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-8441517-4002322?s=books&v=glance&n=283155
>
>Kevin is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Calvin College. He
>previously was the editor for a book titled: Soul Body and Survival,
>Essays on the Metaphysics of Human Persons, which contains essays
>from himself, John Cooper, Charles Taliaferro, William Hasker, and
>others. Kevin is a monist and a Christian. I recently forwarded
>some of our recent email discussion regarding the resurrection and
>he said that the topic of the book is relevant to that discussion.
>
>I should be getting a copy soon, and will let you know if there is
>any worthwhile contribution to this discussion.

@ Here are some comments about the book made at the end of March:by
various people. I wouldn't agree with his position if the comments
below accurately reflect what he believes.

Thursday, March 30, 2006
http://in-fraction.blogspot.com/

Intrigued by the Constitutional View

Kevin J. Corcoran. Rethinking Human Nature: A Christian Materialist
Alternative to the Soul. Baker Academic, 2006. 160pp.

Description: What is human nature? is a question of perennial
interest, one with which artists, philosophers, theologians, and
social scientists continue to wrestle. Augustine and Descartes are
classic examples of proponents of body-soul dualism; they contend
that human persons are immaterial souls. Today, however, the dominant
position among philosophers and scientists views human persons as
identical with human animals, that is, humans are nothing more than
"biological computers."

As an alternative to dualism or a reductionistic version of
materialism, Kevin Corcoran proposes a position known as the
Constitution View, which suggests humans are constituted by their
bodies without being identical to the bodies that constitute them.
Although this view can be traced back to Aristotle, it wasn't applied
to persons and bodies until the twentieth century. Corcoran situates
the Constitution View theologically and philosophically, arguing for
the view's moral relevance by developing an ethic of compassion and
care--exemplified in discussion of implications for genetic and
reproductive technologies--and demonstrating the theological
superiority of the Constitution View over dualism by showing its
connection to the Christian doctrine of the resurrection.

This book will be useful for provoking class discussion in a fresh
way, especially in theological anthropology, philosophy of religion,
and ethics courses.

Kevin J. Corcoran (Ph.D., Purdue University) is associate professor
of philosophy at Calvin College, specializing in philosophy of mind,
metaphysics, and philosophy of religion. He is the author of many
journal articles and the editor of Soul, Body, and Survival.

Endorsements: "Perhaps the most outstanding qualities of this book
are its clarity and its generosity. Corcoran is able to present
often-complex arguments in ways that folks who are not intimate with
these discussions should nonetheless be able to follow. He treats his
conversation partners with genuine respect. The humility with which
he presents and argues for his own case is exemplary."--Joel B.
Green, Asbury Theological Seminary; editor, In Search of the Soul

"Rethinking Human Nature is an excellent exploration of the nature of
human persons. Corcoran defends a Constitution View of persons in
which we are wholly made up of our bodies, yet we are not identical
to them. While I do not, in the end, agree, the position he defends
and the arguments he employs are extremely important for anyone
thinking about the nature of human persons. One particular strength
of his book is that he connects his position to critical issues in
traditional theology and contemporary ethics. Corcoran's book will
spark a lively debate for years to come."--Gregory E. Ganssle, Yale
University, Rivendell Institute

"Kevin Corcoran is a Christian. He is also a materialist. Both those
who welcome this combination and those who suspect that it is
impossible should read his challenging and well-written book."-- R.
William Hasker, emeritus professor of philosophy, Huntington University ~

Here's another book that might be of interest if you haven't seen it yet:

"Between Heaven and Hell" Peter
Kreeft
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0877843899/tektonministries/104-2003831-4261530

A review of Peter Kreeft's "Between Heaven and Hell" by J. P. Holding
http://www.tektonics.org/books/kreeftbetrvw.html

"By accident of history -- or was it divine providence? -- Christian
apologist C. S. Lewis, major mystic Aldous Huxley, and President John
Fitzgerald Kennedy all died on the same date: November 22, 1963.
Lewis, as most of us know, was a premier apologist for the Christian
faith. This little book envisions these three men engaging in dialog
in a place just beyond death, as Lewis defends first against the
optimistic humanism of Kennedy and then the mystical monism of Huxley.

The format may come as a surprise to those who do not know Kreeft, a
professor of philosophy with some not-particularly-obvious Catholic
leanings, from previous works: He is most at home in the dialog
format, and spares little for the sake of narrative. This makes the
book of relatively quick read, and for some, it may be more enjoyable.

The virtue of Kreeft's work, however, lies in this very sort of
simplicity. It is an ideal text for a beginning apologist to get
their feet wet in discovering the core issues that separate
Christianity, secular humanism, and Eastern mysticism. This, in spite
of the fact that the characters themselves are not particularly
colorful or true-to-life: The point is the views they represent, not
the persons themselves. Kreeft could have done the same sort of
dialog starring Sam Wilberforce, Bertrand Russell and Bhagwan
Rajneesh; it just so happens that the common death-dates of the
chosen characters makes for a seemingly providential scenario.

For a few paltry dollars, this is a comfortable and overall enjoyable
introduction to some basic issues in apologetics." ~ J P Holding

~ Janice
Received on Sun Apr 23 23:48:36 2006