Who Speaks for the Human Today?

This essay attempts to approach the contemporary question of the ”human” by exploring the role of the Humanities in a historical context. It goes back to Greek mythology, Biblical theology, and Renaissance humanism in order to elucidate the emergence of the modern European notions of ”human nature,” the ”Great Chain of Being” and, based on these, the ”Mighty Man syndrome.” The latter, a dominant Enlightenment viewpoint which began to be critiqued by 19th century thinkers, sees ”man” as being capable of fully realizing his infinite possibilities. The author argues for what he calls ”hominization”-a more open form of philosophical anthropology, one that can enable the further deconstruction of the Mighty Man perspective. His reflection on hominization inevitably takes the form of suggestions with regard to the directions that future research on the question or problem of the ”human” might take.