Introduction

Abstract

An introduction provides an opportunity to explain, albeit just in outline, the elements which – first and foremost from a scientific point of view – made this study possible. Themes linked to philosophical anthropology, above all the principle of the human person and individuality, were the object of research by numerous twentieth-century philosophers, from those associated with neo-Aristotelianism – which was to develop into the hermeneutic currents of existentialism – such as Gadamer and Buber, to those linked to neo-Thomism. The field also includes authors associated with the reassessment of political philosophy, such as Hannah Arendt, who is the author of classics on political philosophy that may be considered just as valid for their contribution to anthropology, since the problem of individual liberty and the primacy of personal space is at the heart of the reflections contained in works such as Vita Activa or The Life of the Mind. It even includes authors that sought to establish the democratic foundations of libertarianism, such as Nozick. Among these authors, reflection on (and thus the centrality of) the human person and individuality is a constant characteristic.