Is the Christian View of the Self Empirically Adequate? The Tradition and the Future

Bibliographic Data

ID3574012
AuthorsWalter Scott Stepanenko (0000-0003-0839-1782, York College of Pennsylvania, corresponding author)
Year2023
Volume14
Issue3
Pages332
Publication date2023-03-02
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel14030332
OpenAlexW4322770787
LanguageEN
References cited32

Many central creedal statements in Christianity presuppose the existence of a substantial self, even though Christian tradition has not always explicitly used this terminology. However, in contemporary philosophy, the traditional Christian view has been charged with empirical inadequacy, an objection often motivated by neuroscientific considerations. In this paper, I examine the empirical adequacy of the traditional Christian view from a phenomenological perspective and from emerging contemporary cognitive scientific perspectives that downplay or de-emphasize the brain's role in cognition. I argue that neither perspective supports fatal objections to the traditional view and I explain how the traditional Christian view of the self can be synthesized with some novel philosophical developments that suggest the continued relevance of the view

Christianity · Cognition · Epistemology · Political science · Sociology · Terminology · Law · Paranormal Experiences and Beliefs · Philosophy · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Theology and Philosophy of Evil

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access