Introducción al personalismo (Biblioteca Palabra nº 41)

1. Personalism emerged as a vital response to 20th-century crises.

Probably the most adequate and definitive word to express the general sentiment that originated the personalist awakening is “crisis”: the existence of a very profound social, moral, and intellectual crisis which demanded an adequate response.

A century of turmoil. The first half of the twentieth century in Europe was a crucible of profound crises, from the devastation of World War I to the ideological clashes that led to World War II. This era saw a widespread crisis of values, a growing de-Christianization, and the rise of competing, often dehumanizing, ideologies. Personalism arose as a collective intellectual and spiritual awakening to address these challenges.

Ideological vacuum. The decline of traditional values and the perceived failure of "modern" civilization created a vacuum. This allowed for the ascendancy of:

• Positivism and Scientism: Denying the truth-value of non-experimental affirmations, reducing man to mere evolved matter.
• Individualism: Promoting utilitarian ethics, unchecked capitalism, and a self-centered pursuit of welfare.
• Collectivisms: Marxism, Fascism, and Nazism, which crushed individual dignity under the weight of the collective (class, state, race).

Catholic renewal. Within Catholicism, there was a recognized need to critically engage with modernity, moving beyond outdated Thomistic revivals. Many personalists, often converts, sought to articulate a philosophy that could speak to the deepest aspirations of the modern world while remaining rooted in Christian revelation. This intellectual ferment, coupled with the urgent social problems, spurred the search for a new anthropology centered on the person.

2. It offers a "third way" between the extremes of individualism and collectivism.

The genuine third alternative, when it is found, will point the way.

Beyond the pincers. Personalism positioned itself as the "excluded alternative" to the dominant, yet antithetical, forces of individualism and collectivism. These two movements, despite their opposition, converged in their hostility to the full dignity of the person, either by reducing individuals to self-interested atoms or by subsuming them into an all-powerful collective. Personalism sought a balanced path.

Critique of extremes:

• Individualism: Emmanuel Mounier, in particular, implacably criticized bourgeois individualism for its utilitarian ethics, its exclusive preoccupation with self-welfare, and its savage capitalism that exploited workers and disregarded the poor.
• Collectivism: Marxism, Fascism, and Nazism were rejected for subordinating persons to the ultimate goal of class, state, or race, justifying instrumental ethics and leading to immense injustices and crimes.

A balanced approach. Personalism aimed to synthesize the best aspects of both:

• From individualism: The defense of the subject's rights and autonomy.
• From collectivism: The ethical tension towards a common project and commitment to society.
  This synthesis was grounded in the dignity of the person, who possesses absolute value and inalienable rights, but also has an obligation to serve the community.

3. Personalism integrates classical realism with modern insights into the person.

Only a slow and arduous labor of integration of modern philosophy could give philosophy inspired by Christianity not only the philosophical legitimacy to take its place in the contemporary debate of ideas, but also adequate height and depth.

Bridging the divide. Personalism recognized that simply rejecting modern philosophy or clinging to outdated scholasticism was insufficient. It sought to overcome the historical fracture between culture and Christianity by selectively integrating valid contributions from modern thought while remaining rooted in philosophical realism. This involved a "judgment of ambiguity," discerning valuable elements amidst errors.

Key philosophical influences:

• Kant: Provided the philosophical formulation of the dignity of the person and the categorical imperative against instrumentalization, though personalists often built on different anthropological premises.
• Kierkegaard: Vindicated the singular individual against abstract systems, emphasizing the dramatic character of existence and the importance of interpersonality and the God-Person relationship.
• Husserl's Phenomenology: Offered a method for direct, respectful analysis of reality and subjectivity, leading to "realist phenomenology" (Scheler, von Hildebrand, Stein) that avoided Husserl's later idealism.
• Thomism: Provided a foundation in philosophical realism and a rich tradition, but personalists sought to reformulate it to address modern concerns, moving beyond its "cosmological" view of man to a more "personalist" one.

A new synthesis. This integration meant moving beyond a purely objectivist view of reality to incorporate subjectivity, consciousness, and the "I" into a renewed philosophical framework. It was an arduous task, but one deemed essential to forge a philosophy capable of engaging with the contemporary world and its unique challenges.

4. The person is a unique "who," not merely a "what" or an abstract subject.

The last remaining difficulty lies not in thinking about human life—this has been achieved with amazing perfection in our century—but about the person who lives.

Beyond substance. Classical philosophy, influenced by Greek thought, often described man using categories developed for "things" or "animals," such as "substance." While acknowledging man's rational nature, this approach could obscure what is uniquely personal. Personalism, however, makes the concept of "person" the central hinge of its anthropology and ethics, moving from a "what" (nature, substance) to a "who" (the subsistent individual).

The personalist turn. This shift, termed the "personalist turn," recognizes that each human being is an ultimate, irreducible, and unrepeatable "who." This "who" is not an anonymous individual or an abstract subject (like Descartes' cogito or Kant's transcendental ego), but a singular, concrete person. This profound difference from other beings demands its own exclusive categories, rather than merely adapting general concepts.

Identity and continuity. Despite constant change, a person maintains identity and continuity over time. This "I," or subsistent "who," is the foundation for personal identity, allowing us to be the same person we were years ago. Personalism seeks to articulate this permanence without relying on the potentially reductive concept of "substance" as traditionally understood, instead exploring notions like "selfhood" or "substantivity" to capture the unique mode of being of the person.

5. Human existence is fundamentally characterized by a three-dimensional structure.

While not ignoring that these processes, structures, or faculties can be tackled from the classical perspective, it seems better and closer to anthropological experience to distinguish three levels in the person: the somatic, the psychological, and the spiritual.

Beyond dualism. Traditional philosophy often conceived of man as a composite of body and soul, a dualistic structure that, despite intentions for unity, could lead to an operative separation of human qualities. This framework struggled to fully integrate aspects like subconscious processes, emotions, and the richness of subjective experience. Personalism proposes a more nuanced and experientially grounded understanding.

An integral vision. Personalism advocates for a "three-dimensional" structure of the person, comprising:

• Somatic: The bodily dimension, understood not as a mere instrument or biological entity, but as the personalized body, inseparable from the person's being.
• Psychological: Encompassing emotions, imagination, and non-lucid consciousness, providing a crucial intermediate layer between body and spirit.
• Spiritual: The dimension of intellect, will, and the capacity for transcendence, love, and self-determination.

Holistic understanding. This tripartite model avoids operative dualism and offers a more sophisticated framework for analyzing the complex interplay of human experiences. It allows for a richer understanding of how the person unfolds and is structured through these interconnected dimensions, ensuring that no aspect of human reality is left in a "no man's land" or reduced to another.

6. Affectivity and subjectivity are central, spiritual dimensions of the person.

Feeling is neither knowing nor wanting. Feeling is feeling, like seeing is seeing. It is an original anthropological dimension.

Revaluing the heart. Personalism strongly challenges the historical devaluation of affectivity in philosophy, which often relegated emotions to the irrational or non-spiritual. Thinkers like Dietrich von Hildebrand championed the "heart" as a spiritual center, arguing that affectivity is an original and essential dimension of the person, not merely a secondary, destabilizing force.

Subjectivity as objective reality. Affectivity is understood as an "experience of oneself," the unique way a subject is aware of what they experience, know, and live. This personal world, or subjectivity, is an essential feature that makes each human a "who." Personalism insists that subjectivity is an objective reality that any realist philosophy must account for, distinguishing it sharply from mere subjectivism or relativism.

Threefold affectivity. Affectivity permeates all dimensions of the person:

• Bodily affectivity: How we feel our physical being.
• Psychological affectivity: The realm of emotions.
• Spiritual affectivity: Encompassing profound personal experiences, including relations of affection and love, which are central to our deepest personal experiences. This integral view allows for a complete anthropology that recognizes the full richness of human experience.

7. Interpersonality and love are constitutive, not accidental, to the person.

The relationship of the I with the thou is love, by which my person is, in some way, decentralized and lives completely in the other person, being possessed and possessing his love.

Born into relation. Personalism emphasizes that human beings are fundamentally relational. We are born from a relationship, and our identity is profoundly shaped by our interactions with others. The "I" is constituted through the "Thou," meaning that the other person is not a limit but a necessary aid for our own development and self-realization.

The primacy of love. Love is the core of interpersonality, transforming utilitarian or self-interested connections into authentic community. It is a "will of advancement" that unites consciousnesses, enabling self-giving as a paradoxical process of self-construction. In love, the person "decentralizes" and lives in the other, affirming radical otherness while achieving profound union.

Caution against dissolution. While emphasizing the constitutive role of relation, personalism carefully avoids a "mysticism of relation" that could dissolve individual identity. The human person is an individual being who enters into relation, not a subsistent relation itself. This distinction is crucial to prevent collectivist tendencies and to maintain the unique, subsistent "who" at the heart of personalist thought, even as it draws inspiration from the Trinitarian conception of God.

8. Freedom is self-determination, and action is paramount.

Every authentically human ‘I will’ is an act of self-determination; . . . and it presupposes structural self-possession.

Beyond mere choice. Personalism radically redefines freedom, moving beyond the classical understanding of it as merely the power to choose between alternatives. For personalists, freedom is primarily self-determination, the profound capacity of the person to construct their very being through their choices. This is rooted in the person's "self-dominion" and "self-possession."

Action as self-creation. This concept of freedom connects personalism with existentialist insights into human existence as a project. Through each action, a person decides not only what they want to do, but who they want to become. This makes action paramount, as it is the medium through which the person expresses, transforms, and realizes themselves.

Primacy of love and will. Personalism, inspired by Christianity's affirmation that "God is love," upholds the primacy of love and will over intellect. This shifts the philosophical focus from purely epistemological concerns to the practical aspects of human existence. This revaluation of praxis allows personalism to explore diverse fields:

• Work and economics
• Aesthetics and art
• Social philosophy and politics
  This dynamic approach emphasizes that philosophy is not just an academic exercise, but a means to engage with and transform the world.

9. Personalism is a realist philosophy with a metaphysical and transcendent vision.

For personalism, reality has ontological density, and the key elements of its structure can be grasped intellectually.

Beyond empiricism. Personalism asserts an ontological or metaphysical vision of the world, seeking ultimate, foundational knowledge that transcends mere empirical data. It believes that reality possesses an inherent density and structure, the key elements of which can be grasped intellectually, especially those pertaining to human existence.

Objective yet personal knowledge. Personalism embraces a realist epistemology, affirming humanity's capacity to know an objective reality independent of the knower. However, it moves beyond extreme objectivism by acknowledging the subjective dimension of knowledge. Knowing is an action of the whole person, influenced by:

• Individual intellectual capacities and sensibilities.
• Cultural and intellectual traditions.
• The "I" as an integral ingredient of reality itself.
  Thus, knowledge is objective in reaching independent reality, but also personal in its process and the subjective aspects it reveals.

Opening to mystery. Recognizing the limits of the human mind, personalism leaves the door open to mystery and transcendence. The inherent structure of the person, which is not self-given, and the ultimate questions of life's meaning, suffering, and death, point to a superior Being. This Being, because man is a person, must also be a Person—an "eternal Thou"—who creates and relates to human persons, providing the ultimate explanation for existence.

10. Personalism is a dynamic philosophy committed to social transformation.

Every human being is called, by means of his action, to influence and modify the world which surrounds him; and he can achieve this with special efficacy through those instruments whose use he masters particularly well.

Philosophy in action. Unlike philosophies confined to academic ivory towers, personalism views philosophy as a powerful instrument for engaging with and transforming society. Personalist thinkers feel a profound commitment to public affairs, especially where the dignity of the person is at stake. This commitment manifests in various forms, from direct social activism to academic work aimed at cultural and intellectual influence.

Sociopolitical impact. Personalism has had a significant impact on society, particularly after World War II. Its principles inspired leaders and political groups, influencing:

• The drafting of national constitutions (e.g., Germany, Italy, Spain).
• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), with Jacques Maritain playing a notable role.
  It offers a robust framework for a "communitarian personalism" that navigates between liberal individualism and collectivism, advocating for a society that respects individual dignity while fostering solidarity and the common good.

Expanding horizons. Personalism continues to expand its application into new fields:

• Bioethics: Providing a philosophical basis for defending human dignity and analyzing interpersonal relations in healthcare.
• Communitarianism: Bridging interpersonal relations with broader political philosophy.
• Psychology: Developing "integrative personalist psychology" and engaging with humanistic psychology and logotherapy.
• Economics, Education, Jurisprudence: Exploring how personalist principles can inform these disciplines. This ongoing expansion demonstrates personalism's enduring relevance and potential for future contributions.