Personalism: Historical Roots and Geographical Dispersion

Abstract

This paper examines the historical origins and geographical dispersion of personalism. The roots of personalistic philosophy can be traced back to antiquity, although the usual assumption is that the concept of the person developed through the collision between Greek philosophy and a new, Christian way of thinking. In Europe, personalism is commonly associated with three schools: the French school originating in Paris, the German stemming from Göttingen and Freiburg and the Polish from Lublin. In France personalism was not only a philosophical direction, but it had numerous followers in various personalistic movements. The reverberations of personalism were also felt in other European countries. The authors point out that personalism developed strongly on the American continent as well, and there is evidence of the same in many other parts of the world. The deep historical roots and extensive dispersion of personalism are perceived by the authors to be the key features affecting the receptivity of and predetermining the widespread acceptance of personalistic ideas after World War II, especially in the context of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the post–war unification of Europe.