What is a human person? Plato famously argued that humans are immaterial souls, trapped inside a body, souls that will persist upon death. Call this a dualist account (dualist because: immaterial soul and material body). By sharp contrast, ancient Epicureans held we are “atoms and void” and nothing else. Call this a materialist account. The history of philosophy has seen a variety of answers–both dualist and materialist–to this fundamental question. This reading group will explore various contemporary dualist and materialist accounts, as well as an influential middle position offered by Aquinas.
Led by Dr. Victor Saenz
Email jprather@houstoninstitute.org, if interested.
