The Human Being as ‘Compound’: Aquinas versus Descartes on Human Nature
The intuitively right answer to the question ‘What am I?’ is not ‘an incorporeal spirit’, but ‘a human being’. Aquinas reflects this common-sense view when he says that ‘the human is no mere soul, but a compound of soul and body.’ And Descartes, despite his notorious dualistic thesis that I am a su...
| Published in: | Filozofia |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | Czech |
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Institute of Philosophy SAS, v.v.i.
2024-11-01
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.savba.sk/index.php/filozofia/article/view/3396 |
| _version_ | 1850307414788669440 |
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| author | John Cottingham |
| author_facet | John Cottingham |
| author_sort | John Cottingham |
| collection | DOAJ |
| container_title | Filozofia |
| description |
The intuitively right answer to the question ‘What am I?’ is not ‘an incorporeal spirit’, but ‘a human being’. Aquinas reflects this common-sense view when he says that ‘the human is no mere soul, but a compound of soul and body.’ And Descartes, despite his notorious dualistic thesis that I am a substance that does not need anything material in order to exist, insists nevertheless that the human mind-body compound is a genuine unity in its own right, not a mere soul making using of a body. This paper argues for the enduring philosophical importance of this notion of our ‘compound’ nature as human beings, and explores its significance across three principal dimensions – the psychological, the phenomenological, and the moral.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-05973f8074fe454f8d45d5cd724ae856 |
| institution | Directory of Open Access Journals |
| issn | 0046-385X 2585-7061 |
| language | ces |
| publishDate | 2024-11-01 |
| publisher | Institute of Philosophy SAS, v.v.i. |
| record_format | Article |
| spelling | doaj-art-05973f8074fe454f8d45d5cd724ae8562025-08-19T23:28:42ZcesInstitute of Philosophy SAS, v.v.i.Filozofia0046-385X2585-70612024-11-0179910.31577/filozofia.2024.79.9.1The Human Being as ‘Compound’: Aquinas versus Descartes on Human NatureJohn Cottingham The intuitively right answer to the question ‘What am I?’ is not ‘an incorporeal spirit’, but ‘a human being’. Aquinas reflects this common-sense view when he says that ‘the human is no mere soul, but a compound of soul and body.’ And Descartes, despite his notorious dualistic thesis that I am a substance that does not need anything material in order to exist, insists nevertheless that the human mind-body compound is a genuine unity in its own right, not a mere soul making using of a body. This paper argues for the enduring philosophical importance of this notion of our ‘compound’ nature as human beings, and explores its significance across three principal dimensions – the psychological, the phenomenological, and the moral. https://journals.savba.sk/index.php/filozofia/article/view/3396AcquinasDescarteshuman beingsoulbodyAristotle |
| spellingShingle | John Cottingham The Human Being as ‘Compound’: Aquinas versus Descartes on Human Nature Acquinas Descartes human being soul body Aristotle |
| title | The Human Being as ‘Compound’: Aquinas versus Descartes on Human Nature |
| title_full | The Human Being as ‘Compound’: Aquinas versus Descartes on Human Nature |
| title_fullStr | The Human Being as ‘Compound’: Aquinas versus Descartes on Human Nature |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Human Being as ‘Compound’: Aquinas versus Descartes on Human Nature |
| title_short | The Human Being as ‘Compound’: Aquinas versus Descartes on Human Nature |
| title_sort | human being as compound aquinas versus descartes on human nature |
| topic | Acquinas Descartes human being soul body Aristotle |
| url | https://journals.savba.sk/index.php/filozofia/article/view/3396 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT johncottingham thehumanbeingascompoundaquinasversusdescartesonhumannature AT johncottingham humanbeingascompoundaquinasversusdescartesonhumannature |