The Notions of the Human Person and Human Dignity in Aquinas and Wojtyla

Abstract

t the center of the various transformations and advancements in modern society is man. It is man by whom and for whom these transformations and advancements are made. But one negative factor accompanying these transformations is the violence or the degradation of the human person and his dignity, more alarming is the violence committed by man against his fellow man. Today, there is so much violence in the world, everyday we hear about killings, kidnappings, rapes, abortion, terrorist attacks, hunger, wars and many other acts of violence. It is ironic that, while the human person is the very victim of this violence, it is also the human person who is the perpetrator of such violence, man is simultaneously the victim and the culprit. Man indeed is a paradox, for while he is bestowed with dignity and good nature, he is also capable of doing evil and inflicting harm against others. This violent tendency happens because man fails to acknowledge the very dignity of his nature which is rooted in his fundamental relation with God and extended to his fellow human beings. Man is by nature good, but he is also capable of doing evil things. The Catholic Church through its teachings and writings have always emphasized the value of the person, while at the same time acknowledging the fact that he is as much capable of degrading himself. The Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World, “Gaudium et Spes” acknowledges the many divergent and contradicting opinions of man about himself, one of which “exalts man as the absolute measure of all things and debases himself to the point of despair. The result is doubt and anxiety.”1 But let us focus on the brighter side of man, his dignity as a person. The “Gaudium et Spes,” quoting the Scriptures, stresses that man was created “in the image of God” and that he is capable of knowing and loving his Creator. He was appointed by God to be the master of all earthly creatures; was made little less than the angels and crowned him with glory and honor. 2 Indeed man is in a privileged position among God’s creatures in the world for he alone is gifted with spirit, with intellect and will. 3 He is the only being in this world