Customer Reviews

Neither Beast Nor God: The Dignity of the Human Person

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I was introduced to this book as an Amazon recommendation, which was an unexpected gift. I was familiar with neither the author nor the title, yet the subject captivated me.

Meilaender first articulates the distinction between human dignity and personal dignity and then moves swiftly through several of humanities shared experiences: Birth and Breeding, Childhood, Loyalties, and Death. He reminds us that we are neither disembodied spirits nor soulless physical beings. We are, he insists, "in-between" beings. "Human life is marked by characteristic powers and capacities, but also by characteristic limits and even, weaknesses. We need to honor and uphold that peculiar, in-between character of human life" (5).

This book engages notoriously difficult issues with respect and maturity. Meilaender address anxiety, suffering, purpose, sex, worship, medicating children, and dying well. Though academic, Neither Beast nor God, is highly accessible. His treatment of "Childhood" alone is worth the price of the book and worth the time to read it.

As David H. Smith notes, this book is "insightful, uncompromising, and politically incorrect ... [it is] Meilaender at his best" (back).

I highly recommend it.