Answer
Personalism, a philosophical and theological perspective that places the concept of the person at the center of its inquiry, emerged in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Personalism was a response to various forms of impersonalism, such as materialism, collectivism, and naturalism. The sharp contrast between personalism and impersonalism highlights the significance of personalism in the philosophical and theological landscape.
Personalism insists that personhood is the fundamental reality and is more important than matter, society, or abstract ideas. The core concern of personalism is the dignity, value, and relational nature of human and divine persons.
Personalism asserts that to be a person is to possess a unique, unrepeatable identity marked by intrinsic worth. Persons are not mere individuals in the sense of being isolated, self-contained units. Instead, their very nature is relational; their identity and existence are defined in and through their relationships with others. Relationality extends beyond human interactions, including a relationship with God, the ultimate Person. Personalism thus poses a radical challenge to any worldview that reduces persons to objects, tools, or mere functions within a system. Personalism insists on the sacredness of personhood.
In human terms, personalism holds that each person is a subject with an inner life of consciousness, free will, and the capacity for moral and spiritual development. Subjectivity is not merely a psychological phenomenon but is grounded in what it means to be human. Personalism emphasizes that each person is an end in himself and possesses a dignity that commands respect and ethical consideration. This inherent dignity is not conferred by external factors such as social status, achievements, or utility to others; it is an intrinsic aspect of personhood. Consequently, personalism has often been linked to movements advocating for human rights, social justice, and the protection of individual freedoms.
A distinctive feature of personalism is its emphasis on the relational aspect of personhood. People are fundamentally interconnected, with their identities shaped by their relationships with others. This view counters any notion of radical individualism or any form of collectivism that would subsume the individual into a faceless mass of humanity. Personalism argues that authentic personhood is realized in communion with others, where each person recognizes and respects the personhood of others. This communal dimension of personalism is often reflected in its ethical and social teachings, which stress the importance of solidarity, mutual respect, and the common good.
Personalism offers a profound understanding of divine personhood. In personalist thought, God is not an abstract principle or an impersonal force governing the universe. Instead, God is the ultimate Person, the source and ground of all other beings. His divine personhood means He desires personal relationships with human beings. In this view, God’s interactions with humanity are not arbitrary or distant but are marked by love, intimacy, and fellowship.
Personalism also asserts that human beings, created in the image of God, share in a reflection of divine personhood (see Genesis 1:27). This does not imply that humans are divine but possess qualities that mirror God’s personhood, such as rationality, moral agency, and the capacity for love and communion. Personalism thus sees the relationship between God and humans as fundamental to understanding human existence. The fullest expression of human personhood is found in communion with God, where the relational nature of human beings finds its ultimate fulfillment (see John 10:10).
Personalism, in exploring the implications of divine personhood for understanding the nature of reality, presents a comprehensive view. Since God is the ultimate Person, reality is viewed as personal and relational. The universe is more than a collection of impersonal forces or processes. It is created and sustained by a personal God who imbues it with meaning and purpose. This view has profound implications for how personalists approach issues of morality, ethics, and the meaning of life, as these are rooted in the personal nature of God and the relational nature of persons.
