On Knowing Humanity: Integrating Theological with Scientific Anthropology

Anthropology, the study of people, has been an entirely secular project. The human condition, which is anthropology's primary object of study, is understood exclusively through the use of secular assumptions and critical tools. Theologians study the human condition with a different set of assumptions, most significantly, ones that allow for the real existence of the Divine and the human spirit. Because of this, theological anthropology can provide richer answers to humanity's deepest questions and solutions to its most serious problems. The goal is to put anthropologists and theologians into conversation with one another toward the end of enriching anthropology with religiously-based thought. A working group of scholars will identify points of common interest between the two disciplines, and present papers to a national conference, that will thereafter be published in an edited volume. In addition, an associated master's degree in Theological and Cultural Anthropology will be launched at Eastern University in the Philadelphia area. The project will provide a venue for ongoing discussions between anthropology and theology with regard to the study of people and cultures.