Personhood

[tama]

person:
early 13c., from O.Fr. persone "human being" (12c., Fr. personne), from L. persona "human being," originally "character in a drama, mask," possibly borrowed from Etruscan phersu "mask."

As an outside observer I must confess that the linguistic and cultural phenomenon of English and especially American English speakers referring to themselves and their peers as ´persons´ strikes me odd. Common expressions like "I'm a person" (e.g. http://www.iamaperson.com/page/page/1831216.htm with the "I'm a person" song!!!), "I (want to) have a personality", "My personal boundaries" (that are so easily violated) etc., what do they tell about? Why identify as a person instead of as a human?

The etymology of the word gives a lot's of hints and so does the even more odd notion of corporate personhood. Main issue, but not the only issue seems to be social (and legal) status, even though being 'a drama mask' is a very limited case of being a human, in the imperial Roman and Anglo-Saxon social drama humans and humanity have no equal value to persons of the imperial gameplay, persons whose personhood is defined in terms of the gameplay. Being a mere social mask instead of being a whole human of flesh and blood and spirit speaks to this listener of deep sense of insecurity and alianation, of being divided and conquered by the imperial game play, a clog in the machine.

In the Avatar movie the expression "I see you" does not mean the person mask but... recognizing another being in this web of life. When we look in the eyes and see another being, human or some other animal, without feeling of threat and need to compete, but with trust and compassion, we recognize and accept some deep sense of responsibility.

[Jim__]

1. 'from L. persona "human being," originally "character in a drama'

I don't take the same connotation from "person" that you do. I take person to mean more of an individual, an individual with my own set of individual (personal) traits. "Human" has a more abstract connotation as a member of a species. Even in your definition, character in a mask appears to be the old latin meaning of persona, with the latter meaning being a human being.

[tama]

2. More etymological connotations

Individual comes also from Latin, meaning 'undivided', same meaning as Greek a-tomos. This atomistic connotation of individuality can make it difficult to see one's "personal traits' as products of cultural and linguistic conditioning, layers and layers of. Also with individualistic self-image it's good to remember that a map is not the landscape. :)

US Republic with Capitol Hill, Senate etc. and emphasis on personhood, gladiator games style entertainment and global empire is of course in many ways continuation of the Roman Empire and imperial mindset. ;)

And as for character: "from L. character, from Gk. kharakter "engraved mark," from kharassein "to engrave," from kharax "pointed stake." Meaning extended by metaphor to "a defining quality."" It's noteworthy that in English all these words - person, individual and character - are of (Greco-)Latin origin. Very civilized words indeed, reminding also that the word civilization comes from Latin 'civis', ie. citizen of Rome.

[RagAss]

3. There are no doers...just doings.

[westerebus]

4. Waiting for the heathens to show up...

:popcorn: