Recovering the Soul: Aquinas’s and Spinoza’s Surprising and Helpful Affinity on the Nature of Mind-Body Unity
Ebook
Recovering the Soul explores an area of historical philosophy that few if any others have attempted by critically comparing the metaphysical doctrines of Thomas Aquinas and Baruch Spinoza on the identity of mind and body. The central premise is that the hylomorphism of Aquinas's understanding of soul and body has a surprising affinity with Spinoza's own understanding of how human beings are enabled to exist as a single entity that is both mind and body. In the process of making the case that hylomorphism can apply to Spinoza's philosophy as much as Aquinas's, the book carefully exegetes the work of each philosopher and indicates how each is internally consistent within his own system of thought. The hylomorphic reading of Spinoza helps to address some interpretive challenges that his commentators have noted and struggled to harmonize with other aspects of this monist ontology. Beyond the historical and interpretive interests the book addresses, it also makes the case that hylomorphism as a metaphysical theory of human constitution best harmonizes with contemporary studies in the human genome and provides a more comprehensive starting point for the philosophy of mind than reductionism or substance dualism.
“The relationship of medieval to modern metaphysics is both important and sometimes difficult to discern. . . . This book by G. Stephen Blakemore takes an unusual approach; here he argues that there is more common ground between Thomas Aquinas and Baruch Spinoza than is often recognized. His work does not make things easier, but it does highlight the importance. Theologians and philosophers alike will benefit by grappling with Blakemore's argument.”
—Thomas H. McCall, Asbury Theological Seminary
“Most philosophers, I would wager, are not likely to think of Spinoza when they are interpreting Aquinas, and vice versa. But Blakemore makes an impressive and unexpected case that the two share some remarkable affinities, particularly on the mind-body issue. This is a great example of a surprising project in the history of philosophy that has interesting implications for the contemporary discussion.”
—Jerry L. Walls, Houston Baptist University
- Title: Recovering the Soul: Aquinas’s and Spinoza’s Surprising and Helpful Affinity on the Nature of Mind-Body Unity
- Author: G. Stephen Blakemore
- Publisher: Pickwick Publications
- Print Publication Date: 2023
- Logos Release Date: 2023
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781532698149, 9781532698132, 9781532698125, 1532698143, 1532698135, 1532698127
- Resource ID: LLS:9781532698149
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-03-18T20:32:12Z
G. Stephen Blakemore is the professor of Christian thought at Wesley Biblical Seminary in Ridgeland, Mississippi, where he teaches philosophical theology.