The Human

Person as an
Embodied
Spirit
One of the dominant themes in the course
Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human
Person is the idea that the human person is
an embodied spirit. But first of all, we need to
define terms here because, as it appears,
the meaning of the concept “embodied spirit”
is not directly clear to students who do not
have a strong background and orientation in
philosophy. So, what do we exactly mean by
“embodied spirit”?
The most direct connotation that comes to
mind when we say something is “embodied”
is that it is being materialized or incarnated.
Hence, when we say “embodied spirit”, we
normally thought of a spirit being incarnated.
However, the idea of the human person as
an “embodied spirit” does not necessarily
refer to the incarnation or materialization of
spirit as an immaterial entity. The
embodiment of the spirit in the context of
Christian philosophy (as is well known, the
concept of the embodied spirit is specific to
Christian philosophy) specifically refers to
the inseparable union of body and soul.
Thus, when we say “embodied spirit” we
mean that the body is not separate from the
soul, just as the soul is not separate from the
body.
So, when we say that the human person is
an embodied spirit, we specifically mean that
the human person is the point of
convergence between the material and
spiritual entities, that is, between the body
and soul. We cannot talk, therefore, of the
human person without the union of body and
soul, just as we cannot talk of anything
without the union of (as Aristotle would have
us believe) matter and form.
Now, to understand the specificity of the
human person as an embodied spirit is
important because aside from the fact that it
enables us to know our potentialities and
limitations, it also exposes us to a thorough
and deeper understanding of ourselves as a
unique creature united by body and soul.
With this caveat in mind, let us now proceed
to an engagement with one of the