Abstract
Summary: This article pursues the goal of explaining the differences and similarities between the concepts of “man” and “person”. Differences are explored at first from a historical perspective, within a framework which gives special attention to the Church Fathers, Thomas Aquinas, Descartes, Locke, Kant, Scheler and Spaemann. Then, using Frege’s distinction between meaning (sense) and reference, the points of similarity are identified in the reference which is common to both concepts, whereas the study of their meaning brings out the differences between them. Finally, before offering a synthesis of the meaning of the two concepts, their ontological foundation is specified and hence the impossibility of reducing persons to non-personal objects is established.
Key Words: Person; man; nature; sense (meaning); Spaemann; Scheler; Locke; Kant.
Parole chiave: Persona; uomo; natura; senso; Spaemann; Scheler; Locke; Kant.