On the Philosophical Possibilities of a Constructive Theology of Self

I shall be arguing that the most appropriate way to conceive of the self within a constructive theology is as a material spirit. The force of the argument depends on establishing the necessity of a number of interrelated conditions, e.g., psychological, sociological, linguistic, biological and historical, for the dual arising of self and soul. The argument is essentially divided into four parts, bordered by a prologue and an epilogue. After brief allusions to both modernity and postmodernity conceptions of self, the prologue moves on to definitions and caveats. The first two parts are concerned with the self-hermeneutics of modernity and post-modernity including a postmodern critique of modernity. The third proposes a way beyond these two hermeneutics without sacrificing the virtues of either, through what I call a “Subsumtive” Philosophy. Finally, in the fourth part a meditation demonstrates how raw self provides a mind and body interactive context for the emergence of metaphor, the arising of self as material spirit, and further development of both self and soul. The epilogue clarifies additional philosophical possibilities of this constructive theology of self by critically focusing on the soul, conceptual clarity, along with ontogenetic, ontological, and epistemological issues.