How to Essay the Upright Man

How should we think about the good life? A proper understanding of human flourishing needs an account of human nature in its metaphysical context. This kind of moral anthropology makes possible judgments of moral excellence. Thus, to “what is man,” the Psalmist answers, he whom God made “a little lower than the angels” and “crowned” with “glory and honour.” Man officiates other creatures due to his godlike origins. Here, human purposes evince natural law: “the heavens declare the glory of God” and “the firmament sheweth his handiwork.” Both reflect the “law of the Lord, converting the soul.” Human dignity has this larger context in man mediating heaven and earth under God. This Biblical account finds echoes in pagan sources.