I want to mention the topic and the reason for the choice of this.

What we've noticed from our campus chapters over the last year, especially,

is that neuroscience in the soul, for whatever reason, is the most popularly acclaimed title.

Every campus, it seems, wants to have a talk on neuroscience and the soul.

And this was sort of surprising to us, why the interest in this. And so I've had the chance

to be in a number of these talks. And I see the Q&A go a particular direction each time.

And it inevitably arises that there are questions about the afterlife and questions that

really can be answered best

by appealing to theology, by the fullness of revelation.

And so that's why I wanted to design a retreat in a series of topics where we have not only

a philosophical consideration of the human person, but also a theological one.

And so the first

three talks in particular will be more philosophical. And then with Father Brian, the last two talks

will really get into more what we know about the life after death through Revelation.

So my talk really is meant to be introductory to kind of set the stage for the particular talks that follow,

and to give a general account of Aquinas' philosophical anthropology,

his introduction to an introduction to human nature, according to Aquinas.

So if you're already familiar with Aquinas'

anthropology, my approach might be, I should say the content here will be familiar, but my approach

will be a little bit unique. This partly rises from my own interest in the Neoplatonic

elements of Aquinas' thought. So I'll be situating this introduction into Aquinas on human

nature within, let's say, an understanding of the hierarchy of being. People are confused

...