The concept of the individual has undergone a significant transformation throughout the history of philosophy and culture, culminating in the world we know today. 17th and 18th Century philosophers like Locke and Kant were instrumental in de-substantialization the notion of the individual, separating it from the concept of person. The primary domain of the individual has shifted to politics, specifically the protection of private life. The individual has become synonymous with the "subject," exercising their own faculties, powers, and rights. This research project deals with the notion of the individual and the different statuses (metaphysical, theological, empirical, psychological, transcendental, legal- political and digital) attributed to it.

Living in a “society of selves”

It is often said that we live in an individualistic society—a "society of selves" and a "culture of narcissism." This suggests that the individual has never been more valued or placed at the center of attention. However, paradoxically, individualism is not truly based on an appreciation of the genuine worth of the individual. Instead, it reflects a depreciation of the individual as it was conceived in centuries-old traditions rooted in Ancient and Medieval thought.

Producing an historical philosophical analysis, highlighting how the dominance of the ideology associated with this misuse of the notion of the individual has led to the loss of a genuine understanding of the individual and their dignity, resulting in social atomization and a flawed conception of the relationship between the self, the body, and the community. The research tries to propose a specific practice of metaphysics, understood not as a mere esoteric and academic discipline, but as a fundamental attitude towards reality. Also we want to promote an interdisciplinary work, for understanding how the notion of individual substance can be considered in different disciplines: medical and biological research, law, theology, digital sciences.

The aim of the research

This project aims to produce an interdisciplinary work that clarifies, among other things, the relationship between the concepts of individual, person, and substance. We believe that such a study is essential to avoid fallacious approaches in scientific research, politics, and the development of new technologies.