The Human Person in Science and Theology

by Niels Henrik Gregersen (Editor), Ulf Gorman (Editor), Willem B. Drees (Editor)

The concept of personhood is an issue of central importance for both science and theology. This new volume written by leading American and European scholars—Dennis Bielfeldt, Niels Henrik Gregersen, Philip Hefner, Hugo Lagerkrantz, Mary Midgley, John A. Teske, Fraser Watts, and Michael Welker—explores personhood from scientific and theological perspectives and introduces a new biocultural paradigm for understanding the person as a relational being.

Genres: Theology

230 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Joseph Sverker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good and interesting read and more or less exactly relevant for my research on the interchange between biology and and theology on the question of human personhood. Gregersen's introductory chapter might be the most relevant where he succeeds in covering much ground about both biology and social sciences and shows the relevance of a theological input in the discussion about the human being.

There is much discussion about emergence and what that means for causation. Is it possible to account for downward causation within an emergence discourse? Some argue that it is, some argue that it is not, or if it is only with some great qualifications of what type of emergence one is talking about.

I will certainly have good use of this book even if it was published quite a few years ago. The writings about emergence have increased quite a lot, but this still have many insights that one should heed and relate to also today.

[Jonathan]

None