Personalist Papers

In "Personalist Papers, John F. Crosby continues the discussion of Christian personalism begun in his book, "The Selfhood of the Human Person. He explores the unrepeatability of persons, drawing out the unique worth and dignity of each individual. Crosby examines interpersonal relation, giving an original account of how persons can achieve empathic understanding of others. Against Freud, he defends the encounter with God that occurs in conscience when we acknowledge some serious obligation and awaken in our personal existence. Crosby criticizes the dualism of person and body found in much personalist thought. And against Locke and others, he shows that, fundamental as consciousness is for personal existence, there is more to a person than consciousness. Crosby also discusses the solidarity in which all persons are established, the fundamental freedom of persons, giving and receiving personal influence, and the man-woman difference. In these investigations Crosby draws especially on the work of Max Scheler, Dietrich von Hildebrand, John Henry Newman, and Karol Wojtyla.