Who We Are
Human beings do not have bodies as a plumber has a wrench or a doctor has a probe. Nor are they bodies, simply, reducible to their constituent parts; even a dog is more than the sum of its parts. Human beings are embodied rational souls, and everything they touch they mark with the fire of their spirit, the gift of God. ... But they are not solitary atoms either, rebounding against one another in a chaotic war of all against all. For the human soul is made for love and can attain its end only by communion with other souls. Therefore, long before we meet the State, we find human beings fashioning not artificial but real bodies in turn: families and clans and villages.
This is massively relevant to a discouraging conversation I've been having with an atheist friend.
ReplyDeleteWell, that sounds like an interesting discussion. Hope this helps, but you know .... But then, maybe he/she is the type of atheist that really discusses.
ReplyDeleteAMDG
I really have to watch myself when I read this book to keep myself from highlighting 90% of the text.
ReplyDeleteAMDG
That looks fascinating, and the quote you have posted pertains to everything I've been sorting out lately. Esolen is always so thought-provoking.
ReplyDeleteIt's an excellent book. I can lend the ebook for two weeks after I finish it if you'd like to look at it.
ReplyDeleteAMDG