The development of the concept of personality: from individuality to autonomy

The article analyzes the process of development of the concept of personality in the history of philosophy. Attention is paid to a brief examination of the ideas about the essence of man peculiar to ancient philosophers (using the example of the iconic thinkers of the classical period – Plato and Aristotle). It is argued that during the dogmatic design of the Christian worldview, a concept of personality close to the modern one was developed, which was reflected in the philosophical works of medieval authors. The philosophers of the Renaissance and Modern times brought their novelty to the understanding of personality, focusing primarily on its autonomous character. The relevance of the analysis is determined by the fact that the evolution of the concept of personality traced in it is not complete, in modern philosophy there are many different approaches to understanding this concept, however, according to the author, such a direction of philosophical thought as personalism inherits the historical and philosophical tradition, continuing to develop our ideas about personality, enriching them with new aspects arising as a result of the strengthening of the technological component of social life. The philosophical and methodological basis of the research is a comparative analysis of the ideas of specific philosophers about the essence of man, which contributed to the formation of the modern concept of personality. The results of the comparative analysis carried out by the author have elements of scientific novelty, confirming the development of the concept of personality in the history of philosophy, corresponding to the worldview evolution from cosmocentrism through theocentrism to anthropocentrism. It is noted that in cosmocentric representations of the human essence, the search for mechanisms for the formation of individuality, included in the world order and experiencing constant influence from both their inner motives and other people, society, prevailed. Medieval theocentric concepts of personality focused on Divine providence, at the same time elevating man as the image and likeness of God above the created world around him. Subsequently, philosophical thought, while preserving mainly the previously developed ideas about personality, added to them an essentially new understanding of the human personality as an autonomous principle.

personality, individuality, autonomy, persona, hypostasis, theosis, synergy, cosmocentrism, theocentrism, anthropocentrism