Kontakt 2008, 10(1):62-67 | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2008.008

Concept of person in philosophical anthropologyHealth and Social Sciences

Josef Dolista
Jihočeská univerzita v Českých Budějovicích, Zdravotně sociální fakulta, katedra filozofie a etiky v pomáhajících profesích

The author of the article starts from the historical aspect of the concept of person in philosophy. He analyzes works of the authors quoted in the text and indicates the fact that the philosophical concept of person leads human lives to the society, whereas strong emphasizing of the individualism leads to an atomized way of living. Over recent years, people intensively search for the value and meaning of the life. Only humans present these questions concerning their own existence and search for themselves as objects of observation and investigation. The cognition of people concerning themselves leads to the question "who I am"? Man intends to know oneself as a being between others and answers the given question among other people where he lives, but also dies. It is impossible to offer a complete and exhaustive definition of man, since man presents an impenetrable secret. The current philosophy does not intend to offer a clear definition of the human and it rather considers the human phenomenological description. This description includes concepts of communication, dialogue and sharing. The author of the article indicates problematic change in definitions by Boethius and Tomáš Akvinský and furthermore considers differences in attempts to present a definition of man by M. Scheler, G. Marcel, J. Maritain, M. Buber, E. Lévinas and further philosophers. A special brief chapter is aimed at the concept of man from the viewpoint of Jan Sokol, the contemporary Prague philosopher. The conclusion of the work quotes the contemporary pope Benedikt XVI., who demonstrated the importance of the brotherhood of all the people throughout the world.

Keywords: concept of person in philosophy; individualism; society of persons; importance of philosophy for ethic

Received: February 11, 2008; Accepted: April 28, 2007; Prepublished online: June 27, 2008; Published: July 27, 2008  Show citation

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Dolista J. Concept of person in philosophical anthropology. Kontakt. 2008;10(1):62-67. doi: 10.32725/kont.2008.008.
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    References

    1. BOETHIUS. Liber de persona et duabus naturis contra Eutychen et Nestorium. In: PL 64, 1343 D.
    2. BUBER, M.: Der Mensch als Person. Heidelberg 1948, s. 165-170.
    3. BUBER, M.: Já a ty. Praha" MF 1969, s. 56-56.
    4. LÉVINAS, E.: Být pro druhého. Praha, 1997.
    5. LORENZINI, M.: L'uomo in quanto persona. L'antropologia di J. Maritain, Bologna, 1990.
    6. MARCEL, G.: Positions et approches concrètes du mystère ontologique. Lovaň a Paříž, 1949. 60 s.
    7. SCHELER, M.: Der Formalismus in der Ethik und die materiale Wertethik. In: Gesammelte Werke, Bd. 2, Bern 1954, s. 397 ff; srov. tentýž, Die Stellung des Menschen im Kosmos, in: Gesammlete Werke, Bd. 9, Bern 1976, 31 s.
    8. SOKOL, J.: Filosofická antropologie Člověk jako osoba. Praha, 2002.

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