T&T Clark Embodied Souls, Ensouled Bodies: An Exercise in Christological Anthropology and Its Significance for the Mind/body Debate (T.&T. Clark Studies in Systematic Theology): 1

The book explores the relationship between Christology and theological anthropology through the lens provided by the theology of Karl Barth and the mind/body discussion in contemporary philosophy of mind. It thus comprises two major sections. The first develops an understanding of Karl Barth's theological anthropology focusing on three major facets: (1) the centrality of Jesus Christ for any real understanding of human persons; (2) the resources that such a christologically determined view of human nature has for engaging in interdisciplinary discourse; and (3) the ontological implications of this approach for understanding the mind/body relationship. The second part draws on this theological foundation to consider the implications that Christological anthropology has for analyzing and assessing several prominent ways of explaining the mind/body relationship. Specifically, it interacts with two broad categories of theories: nonreductive' forms of physicalism and holistic' forms of dualism. After providing a basic summary of each, the book applies the insights gained from Barth's anthropology to ascertain the extent to which the two approaches may be considered christologically adequate. Review Mention Book News, February 2009Mention --Book News, February 2009'This is a very competent, well-constructed work which offers an extended engagement with the theological anthropology of Karl Barth, as set out in "Church Dogmatics" III and a wide selection of contemporary literature on the relation between the mind and the body. In clarity and tightness of argument, thoroughness, conceptual skill and theological sensitivity, it is a superior book which takes debate about Barth's anthropology in a significant fresh direction.' John Webster, University of Aberdeen, UK."An excellent entryway into philosophical debates regarding mind and body for the uninitiated...Cortez has done a great service."-Michael Allen, ThemeliosMention -Book News, February 2009 About the Author Marc Cortez (PhD, University of St. Andrews) is Assistant Professor of Theology at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon, USA.