Exploring Personhood: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Human Nature

by Joseph Torchia and Joseph Torchia O.P.

Book Overview

This book explores the metaphysical underpinnings of theories of human nature, personhood, and the self. The coverage of the work is broad in scope, moving from the Pre-Socratics to Postmodernism, critically assessing what transpired during the intervening 2500 year period, with a special focus on the contributions of the Aristotelian/Thomistic tradition of inquiry. The work is designed to meet the needs of a wide range of readers, from beginners...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0742548384
• ISBN13: 9780742548381
• Release Date: October 2007
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
• Length: 312 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.5" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

A Commendable Introduction to the Philosophy of Human Nature

Regarding Torchia's text, here is what I would say: 1) In terms of scholarly integrity, I do not believe there is any question about the integrity of Torchia. He seems to handle the data in a fair manner and offers comments that appear to represent satisfactorily the proposed object of his philosophical inquiry. I would also say that Torchia's approach generally is objective although he makes clear his theoretical perspective from the outset (see his Preface). A large portion of the book is primarily historical. 2) There are a number of insights that Torchia's work contains. Particular insights can be found in the concluding portion of his chapter on postmodernism where he examines the role that incommensurability plays in postmodernist dialogue. After discussing Thomas Kuhn and Alasdair MacIntyre (inter alios), Torchia offers an assessment of MacIntyre's Thomism which entails lauding the success of his approach while simultaneously criticizing certain aspects of MacIntyre's thought. The chapter on postmodernism also contains information pertaining to debates on what constitutes a person or the possibility of there being "non-human persons" or "human non-persons." 3) Torchia's work is broad in scope. He writes: This work is broad in scope, covering the Pre-Socratics to postmodernism, with an assessment of what transpired during the intervening 2,500 years. This volume is by no means an exhaustive history of the philosophical understanding of human nature, personhood, and the self. Rather, it uses the history of Western philosophy as the framework in which to explore critical problems pertinent to these three topics" (Preface, xiii). 4) Torchia arranges the chapters of his work as follows: The Pre-Socratics, Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, Rene Descartes, David Hume, Postmodernism, Our Interpersonal Journey, Epilogue. Each chapter includes a subtitle which provides a focus for the reader and there are discussion questions as well as endnotes at the end of each chapter. Torchia quotes a number of primary texts and he offers full explanations of what he thinks the primary literature from a particular philosopher is saying. Furthermore, Torchia provides sufficient historical background information in the chapters that accentuates the thought of each philosopher respecting human nature or personhood. For example, he supplies an adequate historical account that helps to explain Hume's moral psychology or his concept of the self as a "bundle of perceptions." The conceptual nexus between Sir Isaac Newton and David Hume is sufficiently outlined. If I had any reservations about this work, it might be the somewhat "dull" manner in which certain parts of the material are written. Furthermore, the book is composed in an abstract manner: it is not explained in a popular fashion. There is no doubt in my mind about the value of the material; the chapter on postmodernism especially appeared to strike a chord with students in terms of its