Philosophical Anthropology Assignment

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1 Philosophical Anthropology Assignment Bryce Beach School of Behavioral Sciences, Liberty University PSYC 420-D08: Psychology and Christianity Professor Samuel Landa April 10, 2023

2 Philosophical Anthropology Assignment Philosophy is often described in science as the root of all knowledge. It helps us to understand the nature of things in every manner imaginable. To make it more understandable, philosophy has seven main branches that stream from it, one of which is anthropology. My family is used to referring to anthropology as the store my mother and sister like to frequent often; however, in this case, it means something much different. Philosophical anthropology is defined in our book as a discipline within philosophy that investigates and asks questions about the formation of human behavior in the context of past, present, and future societies and cultures and how these all contribute to the inner development of humans in terms of one’s values (Entwistle, 2015). Although, we can find differences between how psychologists and theologists understand the topic. From a psychological standpoint, philosophical anthropology investigates how a person’s cognitions and emotions are formed according to the culture or specific environment a person behaves. In broader terms, it relates more to the behavioral aspect of humans which is then studied objectively by psychologists and is used to generalize a people group. An example of this would be saying that English people only drink tea and not coffee. On the other side, in theological terms, this form of anthropology deals with how the relationship between a person and a higher power is formed and continuously influences the individual’s life. The matters of faith become highly subjective, leaving almost no capability for it to be generalized. An example of this would be my individual relationship with the Father, the Son, and the holy spirit as a Christian. Entwistle compares the two beautifully in the text by saying that this boils down to sinful human beings sinfully thinking about sinful human beings and it applies equally to both psychologists and theologians who are concerned with the topic (Entwistle, 2015).

3 There are several distinct contributions offered by these fields that are absent from Christian theology and psychology. Some contributions that we see from psychology that are absent from theology include technology, moral philosophy, and psychiatry. Technology helps psychologists to be able to compile data to draw said generalizations from individuals and compare their data with others from that group. From this data, we can define what is factual. We are not able to see that as much in theology as our prayer with Christ serves as our data input to understand what is factual for only an individual. Psychiatry also was able to help society overcome the idea that psychological disorders and mental illnesses are not caused by evil spirits or being possessed by a demon but instead by social, chemical, and neurological imbalances that are curable (Entwistle, 2015). Now, some contributions offered by theology that are absent from psychology are the concepts of humans as finite creatures, imago dei, and fallen beings. We do not see it much in scripture but ignore the conceptualization of humans as finite creatures that cannot be done. Our bodies are made of dust and from that are creatures of nature. This idea then drives the idea that as creatures of nature, we are compelled by our necessities, driven by impulses, and only live for a certain amount of time varied by our organic forms, from this, we have our unique places but are finite in our time and experience. While we are creatures of nature, we were also designed in God’s image as we are his children connecting all of humans in that way. Finally, we are fallen beings, made from the earth as all creation is, made in our Father’s image, and sinful in the end. Theology insists that all three of these statements coincide with one another and contribute to how we live out our lives, but all are connected to our Father, the freedom he lets us have to make choices, and the nature we are made from (Entwistle, 2015). In reading this chapter, as well as the prompt, the question of the opposition between psychological and theological perspectives on philosophical anthropology is one that will leave

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