Exploring the Concept of Personhood: From Individual to Person

Religious Concepts of Death

Death, a mystery that has puzzled humanity, has prompted various religious interpretations to explain its meaning and its connection to life and human experience.

Scientific Perspectives

Science offers precise yet fragmented insights into the nature of reality, limited by its observational approach.

Plato’s Body and Soul

Plato believed the soul, an immortal entity from the world of ideas, is trapped in the mortal body. Life becomes a punishment, and death a release, with the body serving as a tool for seeking truth.

Hylemorphism (Aristotle)

Aristotle’s hylemorphism posits that every material being, including humans, consists of matter and form. Matter cannot exist without form, and vice versa.

Thomas Aquinas’s View

Aquinas viewed humans as a unified being of body and soul, a concept rooted in Christian tradition.

Cartesian Dualism

This philosophy argues for the separate existence of body and soul, acknowledging their strong mutual influence.

Popper’s Three Worlds

Popper’s framework explains the mind-body relationship through three worlds: the physical (World 1), the mental (World 2), and human creations (World 3).

Behaviorism

Behaviorism focuses on observable behavior, rejecting concepts like soul and mind.

Functionalism

Functionalism defines the mind by its functions, not its physical structure.

Materialist Monism

This perspective, championed by Mario Bunge, asserts that only matter exists, evolving into different systems with varying properties.

Brain Structures (Lain Entralgo)

Lain Entralgo’s work highlights the structural and neuronal levels of the brain, linking different parts to physiological and sensory functions.

Defining the Individual

An individual is a distinct, anatomically isolated being.

MarĂ­a Zambrano’s Concept of Person

Zambrano views a person as more than an individual, possessing self-awareness and understanding themselves as a supreme value.

Other Perspectives on Personhood

  • Saint Augustine: Focused on the inner self and the experience of intimacy.
  • Kant: Defined a person as free and independent from the mechanisms of nature.

Personalism

Personalism emphasizes the dignity of the individual, challenging the notion of humans as mere nature devoid of moral sense.

Individual vs. Person

The person transcends the individual by connecting with others.

Personalistic Philosophy

This philosophy advocates for a society that recognizes individual rights and nature.