The Examination of Certain Theories of Human Perfection in Relation to Their Authors’ Valuation of Human Materiality

Publication Type

Thesis

Year of Publication

1997

Author

Khatib, Michael

Publisher

University of Ottawa

Place Published

Ottawa

Work Type

Diss

Language

English

Advisor

Basan, B. Carlos

Keywords

affliction (malheur)
attachment
beauty
'beauty of the world'
body
creation
desire
dualism
Gnosticism
Christianity
grace
'the good'
God
Judaism
morality
necessity
soul
spirituality
suffering
will
work

Annotation

Khatib is interested in the relationship between an author’s ‘theory of human perfection’ and his or her ‘valuation of man’s (sic) material nature’ arguing there is often discrepancies or inconsistencies between the two. Although he looks at a number of philosophical thinkers, he devotes far more attention to Weil than any other author, approaching her from what he terms an ‘anthropological perspective’, elaborating on the use of this methodology in an attached appendix. This means, he says, he is not interested in Weil’s philosophy in general; his focus is on an analysis of her ‘theory of human perfection’ arguing through such an analysis, he can show ‘that in spite of appearances, she was neither an ‘anthropological dualist’ nor a ‘spiritual dualist’ with the concept of the latter, the spiritual dualist, being developed throughout the dissertation.

url

http://www.ruor.uottawa.ca/fr/handle/10393/4467