THE PHILOSOPHICAL CONCEPT OF MAN The problem of human being in the history of philosophy 2. Man as a biosocial being. 3. Man as a Personality.

In ancient philosophy man was thought of as a "small world" in the general composition of the universe, as a reflection and symbol of the universe understood as a spiritualized organism.

Aristotle, for example, understood man as a social animal endowed with a "reasoning soul".

In the theory of the transmigration of souls evolved by Indian philosophers the borderline between living creatures (plants, animals, man and gods) is mobile. Man tries to break out of the fetters of empirical existence with its law of karma, or what we should call "fate".

In Christianity the biblical notion of man as the "image and likeness of God", internally divided owing to the Fall, is combined with the theory of the unity of the divine and human natures in the personality of Christ and the consequent possibility of every individual's inner attaindivine ment of divine "grace".

Islam teaches that human beings are a unique life form that was created by Allah in a special way, with unique gifts and abilities unlike any other: a soul and conscience, knowledge, and free will. Muslims do not believe that human beings randomly evolved from apes. The life of human beings began with the creation of two people, a male and a female named Adam and Hawwa (Eve).

The Age of the Renaissance (14-17 centuries) is totally inspired by the idea of human autonomy, of man's boundless creative abilities.

Descartes (17 century) regarded the reason as the specific feature of man. Soul and body were understood dualistically. The body being regarded as a machine, similar to that of the animals, while the soul was identified with consciousness.

Kant (18 century) man is a being belonging to two different worlds: 1 Kant (18 century) man is a being belonging to two different worlds: 1. the world of natural necessity 2.the world of moral freedom.

Kant physiological anthropology should study what nature makes of man; pragmatic anthropology is concerned with what man, as a freely acting being, does, can or should make of himself.

Feuerbach (19 century) achieved an anthropological reorientation of philosophy centering it on man.

According to Nietzsche (19 century), man is determined by the play of vital forces and attractions and not by the reason.

Existentialism and personalism Individuality is a part of the natural and social whole. Personality is a unique spiritual self-determination (existence).

Marxism Human being is the product and subject of labour activity Marxism Human being is the product and subject of labour activity. The essence of man is the ensemble of the social relations.

Anthroposociogenesis is the simultaneous and interconnected process of the appearance of man and society.

Human organism has many features in common with the higher animals. Man got ahead of the mammals thanks to the intensive development and differentiation of the cerebral cortex. The characteristic anatomical and physiological features of the human being are erect posture, free upper extremities, adapted for using and making tools, and advanced development of the means of communication.

At a certain level of anthropogenesis, under the influence of labour activity and communication, biological development became what is, in effect, the historical development of social systems. Human hand is simultaneously a reason and a result of the development of the human brain

Birth gives man existence as a natural individual Birth gives man existence as a natural individual. Although he/she comes into the world with insufficiently formed anatomical and physiological systems, they are genetically programmed as uniquely human.

The newborn child is not a "tabula rasa" (clean slate) on which the environment draws its fanciful spiritual patterns. Heredity equips the child not only with instincts. He/she is from the very beginning the possessor of a special ability, the ability to imitate adults, their actions, the noises they make. He/she has an inherent curiosity, an ability to enjoy bright objects. He/she is capable of being upset, disappointed, experiencing fear and joy.

The essence of man comprises both the spiritual sphere, the sphere of the mind, and his bodily organization, but it is not confined to this. Man becomes aware of himself as a part of the social whole.

A human being is a biosocial being and represents the highest level of development of all living organisms on earth, the subject of labour, of the social forms of life, communication and consciousness.

For various cognitive or practical purposes we may stress man's biological or social aspects, but we must always remember their essential unity.

Biological vulgarization is an exaggeration of the role of the biological aspects of human life. For example, psychoanalysis, Feuerbach’s anthropological materialism, racism, sociobiology.

Sociological vulgarization is an exaggeration of the role of the social aspects of human life. Vulgar sociologism ignores the significance of the biological principle in man. For example, behaviorism, Marxism as a concept of homo-economicus.

The concept "personality" is connected mainly with human social and psychological aspects, such as his/her sense of dignity, his/her self-appraisal, his/her value orientations, beliefs, the principles by which he/she lives, his/her moral, aesthetic, socio-political and other social positions.

It is connected also with his/her convictions and ideals, and also the character, the special features of his/her intellect, the style and independence of his/her thinking, the specific nature of emotional make-up, his/her willpower, cast of mind and feelings, and his/her social status.

Personality is the sum-total of everything that a person may call his own. How does a person describe him/herself as a personality? He does this by relating him/herself to what he does or has done, by telling us with whom he/she is associated. Hence the principle: "Tell me who your friends are and I will tell you what you are."

The fullness of the personality is expressed in its individuality, in its uniqueness, its unrepeatability.

Personality in general is an abstraction, which is concretized in real individuals, in separate, single rational beings with all the distinctive properties of their mentality and physique, the colour of their skin, hair, eyes, and so on.

The human being as a personality is a self-appraising being The human being as a personality is a self-appraising being. Without this ability it would be very difficult or even impossible for anyone to assert his/her identity in life. A correct appraisal leads to inner harmony, ensuring a reasonable self-confidence, an incorrect one, to constant conflict.