ABSTRACT
In the introduction we presented philosophical theology as the practice of philosophy from both the inside and outside of theological traditions. Philosophical theology may be compared to interpersonal relationships. In getting to know another person it would be odd to limit our attention to the person’s external behavior and anatomy; unless our focus is medical (in some very narrow sense), presumably we want to learn of another person’s thinking, emotions, experiences, memories, sensations, values, motives, the reasons for the decisions they make, and so on. In the terms that some philosophers use today, in getting to know another person we want to know what it’s like to be that individual. Learning about ourselves and others involves using a philosophy of some kind insofar as we believe that some facts about people are more important than others. Unless we are podiatrists, shoe retailers, or runners, we rarely begin to get to know someone by deciphering the size of their feet and this is due to our philosophy of persons. If we philosophically believed that the most fundamental aspect of persons is their economic activity, or their ethnicity, or the experience of the first five years of their life, then we would centre our attention on such activities, backgrounds, or early experiences of ourselves and others.
