The Human Person and the Structures of Presence and Absence

This article explores the phenomenology of presence and absence through the philosophy of the person. The human person is central to this dynamic interrelationship of presence and absence, intentionality, and identity, which shapes our understanding of ourselves, others, and God. Presencing is the active and continuous engagement by which a human person unfolds the presence of a phenomenon in a blend of presence and absence through intentionalities such as perceiving, remembering, imagining, and anticipating. Through intentional acts, the person focuses on the unfolding presence and absence of phenomena in their various aspects and capacities. Intentionality allows human persons to transcend the present moment and its limitations through remembering past experiences and anticipating and imagining new possibilities. Absence is not merely a lack of presence but instead frames limitations and provides the foundation for new possibilities of what can be. Presence and absence only exist by an “I”, the person, the foundation of all intentionality. Presence and absence applies not only to human persons but also to God. Godʼs presence is the foundation of all reality, yet God remains hidden from us as absent. While this may seem paradoxical, in fact, it shows his immanence not as in pantheism, where He and creation are identical, but that He, through his love, freely created us in that love, which gives us our dignity, freedom, and personhood. The human person is a transcendent self-ordering free agent who shapes reality through intentions, appropriations, and actions. This freedom underscores our inherent dignity and capacity for self-determination, empowering us to shape our experience and meaningfully impact our world.