Embodiment, Dependence, and God

This Element shows how human embodiment shapes our thinking about stigmatization, dependence, vulnerability, and our obligations.

This Element explores the importance of reflection on bodies for philosophy and theology. It begins with a consideration of why certain forms of idealization are problematic. Careful reflection raises questions related to community and interdependence. It shows the diversity of human embodiment and the nature of human dependence.The significance of our physical bodies is an important topic in contemporary philosophy and theology. Reflection on the body often assumes, even if only implicitly, idealizations that obscure important facts about what it means for humans to be 'enfleshed.' This Element explores a number of ways that reflection on bodies in their concrete particularities is important. It begins with a consideration of why certain forms of idealization are philosophically problematic. It then explores how a number of features of bodies can reveal important truths about human nature, embodiment, and dependence. Careful reflection on the body raises important questions related to community and interdependence. The Element concludes by exploring the ethical demands we face given human embodiment. Among other results, this Element exposes the reader to the wide diversity of human embodiment and the nature of human dependence, encouraging meaningful theological reflection on aspects of the human condition.