Ensouled Identity: Deconditioning Philosophy and Unconditioned Theology
Joshua R. Farris
Diacovensia April 15, 2024 DOI: 10.31823/d.31.3.4 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Keywords | Conditioned mode Physicalism Dualism Theology Qualia |
| Key points | Argues that personal identity is accounted for by a soul because of the nature of phenomenal consciousness, and that theological reflection on personal origins and the end of life reveals more about the person as a substance of consciousness than philosophy or science alone. |
Abstract
The nature of personal identity is ultimately theological in nature. Through a survey of some of the recent philosophical evidence for the soul (in the analytic philosophical tradition), the following lays out reasons for why personal identity is accounted for by a soul because of the nature of phenomenal consciousness as essentially descriptive of persons. Yet, this conclusion is buttressed by theological reflection on personal origins and the end of life. Through a guided reflection on the origins of persons and the end of life (through the lens of dementia case studies), further suggested information about the person as a substance of consciousness reveals more than what is uncovered through philosophical or scientific analysis alone. In this way, and building on Priest’s recents work, the following is a sketch of personal identity as ensouled identity that moves beyond what Priest calls the ‘conditioned’ mode to the ‘unconditioned’ mode of theology.
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