The Human Person in Teresa Benedicta of The Cross (Edith Stein)
Date
2007
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Tangaza University College
Abstract
Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) has been acclaimed as one of the
most significant German women of the twentieth century, Her exploits in
phenomenology and her eventual venture into Thomistic thought make the brilliance of
her spirit stand out in the world. It is, however, her contribution to the debate about the
human person that is of invaluable benefit to humanity in search of its true identity
amidst the twists and turns of life in our world today. This work aims at tracing the
development of the philosophy of person in Stein from its beginning to its culmination
in the last half of her life. Special interest will be given to those issues that motivated
her to pose the anthropological question anew.
The development of the history of philosophy runs concurrently with the
development of man's search for self-identity, the search to know why he is unique. It
was however, with the humanist approach of the Sophists, and then more particularly
with Socrates, symbolised by his call on man to know himself,' that Western
philosophy decisively turned its attention to the human person.
Even though this work is based on my personal study, it treats of topics that
contemporary men and women in their everydayness cannot ignore. We live at a time when the human person and human dignity are under assault from almost every angle.
Be it from the desire for scientific and technological advancement or from the political
greed to dominate or from sheer hedonistic tendencies or even from untold suffering
caused by incurable diseases, humanity is not yet free from one form of enslavement or
another. If this study can therefore as much as only re-awaken in readers the desire to
pose more questions about themselves, questions concerning their origin, end, dignity
and value, it will have more than served the purpose. Such was the desire of Stein, that
by bringing people to consciousness about themselves, they could be empowered to
seek enlightened solutions to their problems, solutions that are in the service of
humanity and promote the nobility of the human person.
The work is divided into three chapters. Chapter one will give a general
historical background. We will deal with notion of person, the etymology of the term
"person" and person in ancient thought. Chapter two will present Stein's biography. In
chapter three, the person in the late Stein will be looked at and some sections will deal
with different aspects of her anthropology. Lastly, the general conclusion will follow as
a summary of what has been presented throughout the long essay.
Description
Keywords
Human Person, Teresa Benedicta, Cross, Edith Stein