"Magnae dignitati est in rationali natura subsistere". Aquinas' Notion of 'Person' and the Ontology of Spiritual Substances

The essay deals with Aquinas' theory of person, focusing especially on the relevance of this qualification in Saint Thomas' theory of the «spiritual substances», on his rejection of Platonism and on his peculiar use of the Neoplatonic hierarchy of the intellective substances. We especially stress that Aquinas' functionalist theory of person places the concept of «dignity» as the ultimate foundation of rationality, understanding the latter as a specific assignment and a specific responsibility in the order of Creation.