Isikulisest

Isikulisest is an Estonian term used in academic discourse to denote a stance or orientation that centers the individual, personal experience, and personhood in analysis, judgment, or policy. The term is derived from isik (person) with the noun-forming suffix -lus (indicating a quality or state) and the elative suffix -est to express perspective or origin, yielding “from a personalistic standpoint.” The concept aligns with philosophical personalism, which emphasizes human dignity, autonomy, and the intrinsic value of each person.

In usage, the term isikulisest is used to describe approaches or arguments that foreground subjective experience, identity, and moral agency over impersonal structures, large-scale systems, or collectivist schemas. It appears in philosophical essays, ethical debates, and social-science methodologies that aim to incorporate first-person narratives, lived realities, or individual rights into analysis and decision-making. It is not a formal school with strict tenets, but a literary-analytic stance.

Translations vary; common rendering is “from a personalist perspective” or “from a personalist standpoint.” While it can enrich understanding of lived experience, critics argue that an exclusive isikulisest approach may underplay systemic or structural factors such as inequality, power, and institutions.

See also: personalism, individualism, ethics of care, subjectivity.