Persons and the Metaphysics of Socialization

This book offers an explanation on how the process of socialization constitutes a new entity—a person— and what the ontological status of the new entity that comes into existence through socialization is. This title is unique in explaining the process of socialization ontologically. The author argues that acquiring personhood is only possible through socialization in society. Therefore, being a person is not an intrinsic property of an organism. A person is an entity that is constituted by the interaction between a body and a society. Persons and their bodies are, the author argues, of different ontological kinds. He defends the notion of the constitution as one which is compatible with the idea that persons are distinct entities from their bodies. This book appeals to students and researchers and offers a suggestion to solve the problem of personal identity over time. The author puts forth the idea that persons are constituted events in contrast to the standard approach which places them in the category of objects. Discussing personhood leads naturally to a consideration of wildlife and the question of whether any non-human animal can be a person.