| Abstract [eng] |
The Relation between a Human Person and Political Reality. A Comparative Analysis of P. Singer and R. Spaemann A modern philosopher P. Singer claims that political reality could ensure a good life for a human person and permanent increase of the welfare, if only the fundamental principal of the political order was preference utilitarianism. P. Singer considers himself to be a practical philosopher that conforms to the practical reality. Therefore, he explains the foundation of the human being through the lenses of evolutionary anthropology. The human person is understood in the process of the manifestation of the main attributes of the personhood. In contrast to the human being, the human person is defined as having his dignity. Unique dignity is justified through the aims and interests that a person has recognised as his own and can be implemented in the reality. This helps to explain a P. Singer’s viewpoint that interior personal experience – moral experience, self-expression, self-realisation – is important and grounded only if it is expressed in physical, empirical reality. Because of this perspective, political reality is understood as seeking to objectify a person as an object of scientifically based and empirical reality, thus ignoring personal experience, ideas, and self-understanding. This marks the tension of the relation between a person and political reality and implies the main problem of the Thesis – scientifically interpreted political reality is indifferent and denies inner self-perception of the person, his/her inner subjectivity. In other words, the dissatisfaction experienced by the members of the political community results from the fact that they do not think of themselves in the same way as politicians perceive them. In relation to the main issue of the Thesis, a German philosopher R. Spaemann suggests another option to understand the human person and his/her relation to the political reality. This philosopher emphasizes that a person is a metaphysical fact about human being, consequently – a concept of the person’s dignity can be justified only metaphysically – because every person is a representative of the Absolut. The conscience is the foundation of the dignity as well as key to notice the importance of inner personal reality, that is the place for personal self-objectivization in front of moral decision, self-realization seeking good for another person. In light of P. Singer’s proclamation of scientifically perceived concepts of personhood, ethics, political order, and R. Spaemann’s metaphysical perspective of personality and morality, the main aim of the Thesis is to determine how different concepts of the personhood affect the understanding of the politics, more specifically – the concept of personal dignity. The main thesis is that the functional understanding of the person that consolidates in a political consideration denies the importance of a person’s inner reality, and ignores his subjective personality. The comparative analysis of P. Singer and R. Spaemann revealed that P. Singer’s explanation of the personhood and its dignity emphasizes that dignity is the consequence of the realisation of the individual interests and preferences in the political reality. Morality is an instrument for self-improvement and a functional tool for taking appropriate political decisions that bring more benefits for the members of the community. However, the ontological foundation of the person and the dignity claims that the person is a subject and an object at the same time, therefore, the person can be never fully objectified in the political reality and his/her certain subjectivity of personality is not reduced to the scientific objectivization. Thus, personal dignity cannot be fully realised and completed through the political decisions. As a result, the total or all-encompassing, at the same time good life guaranteeing politics are not possible. |
