Caroline Bynum's Fragmentation And Redemption

Caroline Bynum’s “Fragmentation and Redemption” essay argues that the human body is integral to identity and survival in medieval and modern discussions. She aimed to clarify these similarities by drawing parallels onto concepts like teletransportation, body/brain transplants and theories of theologians and philosophers. Although Bynum presents ample evidence when talking about medieval discussions, this critique will argue that she does not however go in depth when she addresses the concepts in modern discussions. As a result, the readers are left with an imbalanced and fragmented analysis. The importance of the body to identity and material continuity was an issue widely discussed in medieval times. Philosophically speaking, that period of time was characterized by Platonic dualism underlining Aristotle’s theory that the person is the soul. This theory substantiates “a biblical view of the person as human rather than spiritual,” (255) which places the body as the heart of identity. The importance of materialism on identity raised bizarre questions like the affects of cannibalism on preserving identity. There was a belief that digested food became “of the substance of human nature,” (244) and philosopher’s like Thomas Aquinas insisted on tracking bits of matter through digestion, assimilation and reproduction. The pious viewed the division of the

Issues like teletransportation and body/brain transplants in modern discussions to Bynum are as weird as examples of eating human embryos and wondering about the material continuity of foreskin and fingernails. It is evident however that the focus on medieval discussions is in the context of theology and eschatology while modern discussions are more relating to scientific issues on