Religion
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Synopsis
Product DescriptionAre humans composed of a body and a nonmaterial mind or soul, or are we purely physical beings? Opinion is sharply divided over this issue. In this clear and concise book, Nancey Murphy argues for a physicalist account, but one that does not diminish traditional views of humans as rational, moral, and capable of relating to God. This position is motivated not only by developments in science and philosophy, but also by biblical studies and Christian theology. The reader is invited to appreciate the ways in which organisms are more than the sum of their parts. That higher human capacities such as morality, free will, and religious awareness emerge from our neurobiological complexity and develop through our relation to others, to our cultural inheritance, and, most importantly, to God. Murphy addresses the questions of human uniqueness, religious experience, and personal identity before and after bodily resurrection.
Review
"When this book turns from dealing with our inward, metaphysical relationship to God and addresses instead God's dealings with us, Murphy offers fsome useful reminders. She suggests that physicalists anthroplogy 'requires Christians to pay adequate attention to incarnation--if humans are purely physical, then there is no getting around the scandal of enfleshment' (25)...These statements ring true for believers who understand teh importance of our Lord's incarnation, our own resurrection to life on the Last Day, and the very tangible means of grace that sustain us between those two great physical events." - Carol Geisler
"Elegantly written volume, her book provides an eloquent and valuable stimulus to further theological research on this topic"
Matthew Levering, Ph.D., The National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly
Book Description
Are humans composed of a body and a nonmaterial mind or soul, or are we purely physical beings? In this clear and concise book, Nancey Murphy argues for a physicalist account, but one that does not diminish traditional views of humans as rational, moral, and capable of relating to God.
About the Author
Nancey Murphy is Professor of Christian Philosophy at Fuller Theological Seminary. She is an internationally known author and speaker in the field of religion and science.
Book Details
Published
June 1, 2012
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
ISBN
9780511802805