Contemplating Personhood

Contemplating Personhood approaches the subject of anthropology by implementing the tools of philosophy, history, science, and theology. The theoretical concepts of Plato, Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Rene Descartes are examined in a systematic way. The author also endeavors to be open-minded, exploratory, and informative.



This book is produced for those just beginning to study philosophical anthropology. It is written on an undergraduate level, and contains numerous pedagogical aids to facilitate learning. There is a glossary, self-exams, critical thinking questions, and chapter summaries.



Have you ever wondered about the nature of personhood? What does it take to be counted as a human person? Why have so many different answers been proposed by some of the world's greatest thinkers? Edgar G. Foster provides a multidisciplinary introduction to the analytical quest for the nature of personhood. Theory is emphasized in the book, and a narrative of philosophical history is told, but with a critical eye toward the great ideas centering around our conception of persons.