Eine philosophische Überprüfung des Begriffs der „Person“

Abstract

A Philosophical Reconsideration of the Concept of “Person” --- “Person” is a core concept in Western tradition of thought and culture, but it is also one of the most equivocal concepts in the history of thought. In the West, from ancient philosophy, medieval philosophy, via modern empiricism and rationalism, to German classical philosophy, the meanings of “person” have been increasingly enriched at the three fundamental levels of “moral philosophy (ethics)”, “ontology,” and “epistemology.” The three levels were synthesized in Kant and constituted afterwards the most fundamental context for people to understand the concept as such. When “person” was first introduced into Chinese sphere of thought, people were more concerned with its facet of moral philosophy or practical philosophy, which coincided with the main situation of the then Chinese academia, and with the general orientation of Chinese thought tradition, namely the emphasis on the practical dimension. The contemporary version of “renzhe, 仁者 (benevolent people)” is a new attempt to fuse the concept of “person” and traditional Chinese thought. Generally speaking, the study of “person” itself remains a task to be continued within Chinese academia.

Keywords

• persona
• hypostasis
• substantia
• self-consciousness
• phenomenology