Beyond the Bodily View and Psychological View of Human Beings: Human
Beings are Rational Animals
Abstract
We are… So, to reframe the inquiry: who are we on a metaphysical
level? Which aspects of ourselves are the most universally
representative of who we are? How do we fare in the face of the passage
of time? For decades, philosophers have debated the concept of
diachronic personal identity, which focuses on the question of what
keeps us alive. An intricate debate has developed between those who hold
the body view (animalism) and those who hold the psychological view
(memory) on the question of who we are. The two groups will eventually
become so firmly set in their views that they will be unable to
compromise. Hylomorphic animalism, or the view that humans are rational
animals, living bodies made of prime matter and a rational soul, is an
alternative answer to this divisive question that I propose in this
study, following in the footsteps of Aristotle and Aquinas. We only
survive if matter and rational souls do.