Indicators of the spiritual dimension in man An Analysis of Man's Singularity

An Analysis of Man's Singularity

Abstract

The philosophical science of man, that is philosophical anthropology, seeks to unveil the essence of man. In principle, this endeavour is very complex since man is also the object of this discipline, that is, man himself who is an extremely complex being. At the core of this complexity is no doubt his spiritual-corporal structure. Classical authors of textbooks on this discipline sought in their methodological approach to point out the singularity of man's nature. They pointed to the spiritual soul and its two basic faculties: reason and will. Some more recent authors have also endeavoured to analyse man's singular features, as for example speech, sociability, politicality, science, culture, art, work and technology, play, entertainment and laughter, ethicality and religiosity. Their analysis in its particular way implied man's «novum» relative to other creatures in the world, and that is his spirit. Speech about singularities has in truth enriched anthropological speech by introducing an added freshness into this philosophical discipline about man and thus has rendered man's nature, if not quite understandable, then interesting in any event.