“The Human Being as Person” was one of several readings written by Hans Urs von Balthasar, a theologian and Catholic priest of the 20th century, where he throughout the short reading mainly addresses the answer to one question: when is a human being considered, person?
Balthasar begins this short reading by saying, “Let us begin with a very simple consideration which prescinds from all history of theology. It will teach us that we can do without the concept "person" much longer than we are accustomed to think.” In this passage, right from the beginning, he makes us think if we, humans, truly comprehend the meaning of person and also what would we do if we did not had a notion of what is a person is supposed to be like. He then, makes his initial point when he explains that on earth all living beings have a way of understanding and making sense of the word that surrounds them but at the same time, that way of understanding, is different for all beings or like Von Balthasar would say it, “that each one always possesses it in a unique and immediate way.” …show more content…
individuals characteristics are not deducible from the species.” To illustrate this, he compares two living beings: humans and animals. A being is identified as an animal regardless of what that being does or behaves like, whereas humans are identified as all spiritual subjects within humanity that have a
Balthasar begins this short reading by saying, “Let us begin with a very simple consideration which prescinds from all history of theology. It will teach us that we can do without the concept "person" much longer than we are accustomed to think.” In this passage, right from the beginning, he makes us think if we, humans, truly comprehend the meaning of person and also what would we do if we did not had a notion of what is a person is supposed to be like. He then, makes his initial point when he explains that on earth all living beings have a way of understanding and making sense of the word that surrounds them but at the same time, that way of understanding, is different for all beings or like Von Balthasar would say it, “that each one always possesses it in a unique and immediate way.” …show more content…
individuals characteristics are not deducible from the species.” To illustrate this, he compares two living beings: humans and animals. A being is identified as an animal regardless of what that being does or behaves like, whereas humans are identified as all spiritual subjects within humanity that have a