Persons and Personality: A Contemporary Inquiry

The definition of a person, whether in a legal, moral, philosophical or even biological sense, is now at the heart of medical, religious and ethical debates. The book brings together contributions from leading figures in key disciplines to provide expert comment on the problems involved. Are we simply biological organisms that can be identified by the appearance of certain functions or are we both body and "soul"? Is our notion of a person something constructed by society and not natural at all? How have theologians, psychoanalysts and artists treated and defined persons? These are some of the issues addressed.