Chapter 2: Historical Perspectives on the Human Person

The Evolving Concept of the Human Person in Medicine

This briefing document summarizes key themes and arguments from "The Evolving Concept of the Human Person in Medicine," focusing on how different conceptualizations of the human person have shaped and continue to influence healthcare. The central argument is that a historical "anthropological shift" has led to a "crisis in healthcare," characterized by a reductionist and mechanistic view of the human person, and that a recovery of integrated classical and Christian understandings is essential for rehumanizing medicine.