person

person
One of the central problems of metaphysics is what it is to be a person. The answer ought to account for central phenomena of personhood; rationality, command of language, self-consciousness, control or agency, and moral worth or title to respect, are amongst the salient characteristics that have been thought to distinguish persons from other forms of life. In Locke, ‘person’ is a forensic term, applying for moral reasons (‘to agents capable of a law, and happiness and misery’, Essay, ii. 27). A dualistic approach regards a person as an amalgam of an essentially separate mind and body, with the resulting problem of reinventing their unity in the living person (see mind–body problem, occasionalism ). Monistic theories, such as that of Strawson's Individuals (1959), work with a primitive concept of a person, as some one thing logically capable of being described in bodily or mental terms. A popular modern analogy is with the compatible software and hardware descriptions of a computer (see functionalism ).

Philosophy dictionary. . 2011.

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  • person — per·son n 1: natural person 2: the body of a human being; also: the body and clothing of a human being had drugs on his person 3: one (as a human being or corporation) that is recognized by law as the subject of rights and duties see also …   Law dictionary

  • Person — • Discusses (1) the definition of person , especially with reference to the doctrine of the Incarnation; and (2) the use of the word persona and its Greek equivalents in connection with the Trinitarian disputes. Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Person — Per son, n. [OE. persone, persoun, person, parson, OF. persone, F. personne, L. persona a mask (used by actors), a personage, part, a person, fr. personare to sound through; per + sonare to sound. See {Per }, and cf. {Parson}.] 1. A character or… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • person — per‧son [ˈpɜːsn ǁ ˈpɜːr ] also ˌlegal ˈperson noun persons PLURALFORM [countable] LAW a person or group of people who have certain rights and duties: • In Scotland, a firm is a legal person distinct from the partners of the firm. ˌartificial… …   Financial and business terms

  • person — ► NOUN (pl. people or persons) 1) a human being regarded as an individual. 2) an individual s body: concealed on his person. 3) Grammar a category used in the classification of pronouns, verb forms, etc. according to whether they indicate the… …   English terms dictionary

  • Person L — is a band fronted by Kenny Vasoli, formerly of pop punk band The Starting Line (currently on hiatus). Kenny Vasoli is the band s lead singer and guitarist. Person L was formed in the winter of 2006 as an outlet for Vasoli to explore other musical …   Wikipedia

  • Person — Person: Das seit dem 13. Jh. bezeugte Wort (mhd. persōn‹e›) ist entlehnt aus lat. persona »Maske des Schauspielers; Rolle, die durch diese Maske dargestellt wird; Charakterrolle; Charakter; Mensch, Person«, das selbst wohl aus dem Etrusk. stammt …   Das Herkunftswörterbuch

  • person — [pʉr′sən] n. [ME persone < OFr < L persona, lit., actor s face mask, hence a character, person, prob. < Etr phersu, mask] 1. a human being, esp. as distinguished from a thing or lower animal; individual man, woman, or child: now usually… …   English World dictionary

  • Person — (de) Person (langsame) Zömmelöm (der) Person (magere) Rebbegespens (et) Person (raffgierige) Raafalles (der) Person (schwatzhafte) Schnadder (de) Person (vorwitzige) Vürwetznas (de) …   Kölsch Dialekt Lexikon

  • person — Under Title 11 U.S.C. Section 101: (41) The term person includes individual, partnership, and corporation, but does not include governmental unit, except that a governmental unit that (A) acquires an asset from a person (i) as a result of the… …   Glossary of Bankruptcy

  • Person — Sf std. (12. Jh.), mhd. persōn[e] Entlehnung. Entlehnt aus l. persōna (auch: Charakter, Rolle , eigentlich Maske [des Schauspielers] ), dessen Herkunft umstritten ist. Adjektive: personal, personell, persönlich.    Ebenso nndl. persoon, ne.… …   Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen sprache

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