Abstract. This article is a response to the 1994 Star Island conference on the “Decade of the Brain” from a Jewish perspective. After a brief introduction about the logical function of models and maps, I compare and contrast three models of the human: Ezekiel's vision of the chariot in the Hebrew Scriptures, Franz Rosenzweig's geometry of the human face in Der Stern der Erlosung (the Star of Redemption), and a standard anatomical picture of the human brain. Whereas Rosenzweigs face is seen to be compatible with Ezekiel's chariot, both are seen to be radically distinct from the implicit conception of what a human being is in modern medical science. I conclude with a suggestion that the differences are to be understood in terms of their different intended functions and express my hope for some new kind of model that will incorporate the functional advantages of both.
God, element, ontology, Darwinist, midrash, Ezekiel, vector, map, person, human being, chariot vision, redemption, course, Hermann Cohen, Terrence Deacon, model, Hebrew Scriptures, Duane Rumbaugh, neuron, Star of Redemption, soul, face, brain, Franz Rosenzweig
Samuelson, N., (1996) “THREE COMPARATIVE MAPS OF THE HUMAN”, Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science 31(4), 695–710. doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9744.1996.tb00957.x
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Rosenzweig, Franz. 1976. Der Stern der Erlosung. The Hague : Martinus Nijhoff.
Samuelson, Norbert M.1989. An Introduction to Modem Jewish Philosophy. Albany : State Univ. of New York Press.
Samuelson, Norbert M.. 1992. The First Seven Days: A Philosophical Commentary on the Creation of Genesis. Atlanta : Univ. of South Florida Press.
Samuelson, Norbert M.. 1994. Judaism and the Doctrine of Creation. Cambridge : Cambridge Univ. Press.
| Pages | 695–710 |
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| Published | 1996-12-01 |
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