Sui Dominium, the Metaphysical Act Constitutive of the Person. An Aristotelian-Thomist Metaphysics Update

Classical metaphysics satisfied the interests of philosophers until the late Middle Ages, but modern thinkers have raised new concerns. Could metaphysics be updated to address contemporary needs? This paper proposes a new notion for adjusting the metaphysical edifice: an ontological act of sui dominium that constitutes the person. This proposal emerges from a metaphysical perspective and aims to establish a framework for characterizing the self as understood in modern philosophies with particular attention to phenomenology. We will explore how the ontological act of sui dominium creates the foundation for freedom, aims towards self-donation, and relates to ethics. Finally, we will briefly examine how it fits into the metaphysical structure and how it sheds light on original theological problems.