The concept of “person” in the light of the philosofical antropology of fr. Battista Mondin

Abstract

 The present scholarly study explores the problem of the “person” in the light of the philosophical anthropology of the renowned twentieth-century philosopher and theologian Fr. Battista Mondin. His works, particularly those of an anthropological character, occupy an important place in contemporary philosophical and theological discourse. The concept of the person that is proposed by the Italian thinker, combines both a profound metaphysical analysis with phenomenological and transcendental methods, by which it is possible to understand the human being not merely as a biological or social entity, but as a spiritual, free, and therefore personal being. Such a being is capable, on the level of personhood, of opening itself to the highest uncreated and perfect Personal Being – the Triune God. At the center of Mondin’s philosophy lies the desire to understand who the human being is in the fullness of his or her existence, and what it truly means to be a person. On the one hand, Fr. Battista develops his concept of the person in the light of, classical metaphysics, and on the other, in terms of modern phenomenology, thereby allowing one to describe the experience of human existence “from within”. The transcendental approach applied by the thinker aims to uncover those structures that make human self-conscious existence possible, while the phenomenological approach focuses on describing the ways in which the person manifests itself in the world of culture, freedom, spirit, and religion. Thus, the person appears not as a static being, but as a dynamic one – a being that reveals itself through the various dimensions of human life. Accordingly, Fr. Battista Mondin distinguishes six definitions of the concept of “person”, each of which highlights a particular aspect of human existence. Together they form an integral anthropological system that unites the natural, cultural, moral, and theological understandings of the human being.