The universal-historical Meaning of human beings by Wolfhart Pannenberg

Abstract

This thesis tries to explore the universal historical significance of human openness of the world, as claimed by Pannenberg. Since the 20th century, philosophical anthropology has developed into a way to understand human beings not only from the level of self – consciousness, but also from the point of view of action. The world openness that Pannenberg is paying attention to is also a special place for human being to be perceived in human action. Especially between decentralization and self-centeredness, humans understand themselves by relating to the world and form a society in relation to other neighbors, creating their own cultures in them and conveying them to future generations. Based on this human understanding, this paper seeks the universal historical significance of human openness to the world. First, this thesis examines 'self-differentiation' as a transcendent act of human beings realized in the process of returning from self. Human self-identification is a special act that reveals the world's openness and decentralization. Second, this paper attempts to address the problem of human openness in the world that arises from the relationship between subjectivity and society as the basis of Pannenberg 's classification. Third, this paper examines the universal historical significance of the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth as a universal historical event of human openness to the world. In conclusion, it presents interdisciplinary possibilities for communication between natural science and humanities.