Thinking with Robert Sokolowski about phenomenology and personalism
Lyudmila S. Chikileva – Elena L. Avdeeva – Rimma G. Gorbatenko – Vladimir N. Drozdov – Oxana A. Zorina
DOI: 10.18355/XL.2021.14.03.02
Abstract
Robert Sokolowski wishes to provide what he calls “glimpses” that provide essential philosophical clarifications regarding the nature of the human person, whom the author also calls “the agent of truth.” He claims that our rationality constitutes us as human persons and wishes to explain such rationality in action to reveal its existing manifestations. He calls for epistemic modesty, pointing out our inability to fully understand the mystery of human personhood. Our article reflects on the way Sokolowski approaches the study of what constitutes the human person, underlining his preference for basing his ideas on dissecting distinct human activities, which helps us identify how human rationality and personhood manifest themselves. We further reflect on what Sokolowski means by emphasizing that human rationality is “essentially a disclosure of things” as opposed to the ability to note, describe, evaluate and/or infer ideas in your brains. Finally, we argue that to understand what constitutes the human person, we must take into account the human essential relationality and openness to the other/Other.
Key words: Personalism, the meaning of life, Robert Sokolowski, Phenomenology of the person
Pages: 19-28
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