Neurophilosophical Anthropology of Thomas Fuchs in Dialogue with the Theological Image of Man as a Possible Response to Naturalism

Abstract

Classical approaches to theological anthropology—based on the corporeal and spiritual structure of man—link acts of the mind to the soul. In contrast, the rapid development of neuroscience reveals that the mental sphere is anchored in the body, whereas neurophilosophical concepts—as materialistic and reductionist approaches—often ignore the category of the soul and explicitly question human freedom. The purpose of this article is to present the anthropological approach of the neurophilosopher and psychiatrist Thomas Fuchs (born 1958) as a tool that, on the one hand, incorporates the basic achievements of neuroscience, and on the other, proposes an image of man that is consistent with Christian anthropology. While drawing on contemporary enactivism (which aspires to be an alternative to dualistic and materialistic views of man), he uses the categories of Leib and Körper, which allow him to avoid reductionism and incorporate contemporary science. A particular common point between neuroscientific reflection and theological reflection is the manner in which they perceive the issue of human freedom as a process that is “embodied.”