persoonia

Persoonia is a theoretical term used in philosophy, cognitive science, and information ethics to describe the cluster of attributes that constitute a person within a given social or digital context. The coinage appears in some discussions as a way to analyze how identity, agency, and moral status are recognized and negotiated across different environments. There is no universally accepted definition, and meanings vary by author.

Core components typically associated with persoonia include identity continuity over time, subjective self-awareness, capacity for intentional agency, and social rights or recognitions granted by communities or institutions. In practical terms, persoonia can be viewed as the intersection of self-narrative, autonomy, role expectations, and the ethical status attributed to an agent in a given setting.

The term is often discussed in relation to debates on digital personhood, avatars and virtual agents, or artificial intelligence, where questions arise about whether non-biological entities can possess comparable status or rights. Persoonia is distinct from personality, which concerns stable patterns of thought and behavior, and from legal personhood, which concerns rights conferred by law. It may be contrasted with more rigid concepts of identity that emphasize either continuity or surface attributes.

Critics argue that the concept risks vagueness, cultural bias, or instrumental use in governance. Proponents suggest that specifying persoonia can aid in evaluating ethical considerations, rights, and responsibilities across physical and digital domains. Related concepts include personhood, identity, digital identity, and avatar.