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to mystic institute.org. To take up this topic of spirit, soul, and body, according to Thomas

Aquinas. It's an unusual topic, I think, by contemporary standards, so let's jump

into it. In philosophical anthropology, it is standard to distinguish between bipartite and

tripartite accounts of human beings. Bipartite accounts explain human beings in terms of two

principles, soul and body. Tripartite accounts explain human beings in terms of two principles, soul and body.

Tripartite accounts explain human beings in terms of three principles,

usually spirit, soul, and body, but the terms may vary.

Max Schaler, Edith Stein, Carol Voitia, and Victor Frankel are only a few examples from the last century

of thinkers who proposed tripartite accounts of human beings. But scholars tell us that tripartite

accounts were common among the fathers of the church. Aquinas knew well how the fathers commonly thought in tripartite terms, but Aquinas

also knew how tripartite schemes can go wrong. So he offers a nuanced and unique tripartite

scheme of his own, and the purpose of my paper today is to outline his scheme.

And I'm going to show some of its explanatory power.

First, I'm going to consider an objection to Aquinas' anthropology and offer a brief reply.

Really, the whole paper is kind of a reply.

Then I will offer a sketch of his tripartite account, and then I'll show how it accounts for our experience of ourselves as subjects.

So, first, an objection and a brief reply to, an objection to Aquinas' account and a brief reply.

The Spanish personalist philosopher, Juan Burgos raises the following objection to

...