The Dignity of the Particular: Haecceitas , Disability, and the Renewal of Theological Anthropology

This article explores the ways that a theological anthropology rooted in the philosophical vision of John Duns Scotus avoids some of the problematics of other popular medieval approaches, like that of Thomas Aquinas, within the context of disability. In particular, the author argues that Scotus’s distinctive principle of individuation known as haecceitas circumvents what Thomas Reynolds calls the “cult of normalcy,” which arises in theological anthropologies that prioritize the universal over the particular when reflecting on God’s creative action. This renewed theological anthropology grounded in Scotus’s approach advances what the author calls the dignity of the particular while also supporting differences and social models of disability.