Person and Reason: The Issue of Human Being in Locke and Jacobi

Abstract

This contribution aims to explore the presence of J. Locke in the thought of F.H. Jacobi within the broader context of classical German philosophy. Through the concepts of person and reason, I intend to show how Jacobi’s critique of the Lockean philosophical paradigm highlights a new understanding of the human being. The research will be articulated through two main purposes: first, to show Jacobi’s critique of Locke’s conception of the person and personal identity; second, to examine Jacobi’s overcoming of Locke’s epistemological paradigm. This analysis will engage critically with Jacobi’s thought, focusing on two key aspects: (1) the philosophical foundations and implications of Jacobi’s concept of the person; (2) the idea of a radical redefinition of rationality, in which reason does not simply coincide with the reflective faculty of the subject, but with who the human being – in its theoretical and practical unity – is.