The Spiritual Nature of Man
Anselm MullerLumen Christi Institute
“The Spiritual Nature of Man”
Anselm Muller, University of Trier
Cosponsored by the Department of Philosophy
Are human beings essentially spiritual creatures or can human life be explained entirely by material principles? The great twentieth century philosopher, Elizabeth Anscombe, suggests that we are essentially spiritual beings because we are naturally and consciously oriented beyond our material life toward transcendent norms of truth and goodness. This is the ground of our dignity and value over other, non-spiritual animals.
A student of Elizabeth Anscombe and Anthony Kenny at Oxford in the early sixties, Anselm Muller has taught philosophy at Oxford University, Australian National University, University of Trier, University of Luxemborg, and Keimyung University. He has written many books and articles in the areas of ethics, rationality, action theory, philosophy of mind, and the history of philosophy (especially Aristotle and Wittgenstein). Muller holds the title of Visiting Professor in the Department of Philosophy this Spring quarter.
