The Classical Notion of Person and Its Criticism by Modern Philosophy

Abstract

The paper illustrates the classical notion of person, i. e. the definition of person given by Boethius (fifth to sixth century A.D.) as “an individual substance of a rational nature”, showing the derivation of its elements from the philosophy of Aristotle. Afterwards the paper exposes the criticism to this notion formulated by modern and contemporary philosophers (David Hume, Joseph Butler, Alfred Ayer, Derek Parfit). Finally the text shows the reaction to this criticism and the rediscovery of the classical notion of person, or of its Aristotelian elements, by Saul Kripke, David Wiggins, Paul Ricoeur and Martha C. Nussbaum.