On the Possibility of a Universal Human Community in an Age of the Post-Human: Edith Stein’s Philosophical Defence

If we accept the introduction of a new social category for Edith Stein, namely, the universal human community, certain questions have to be asked. First, how does Stein justify the tenability of such a reality? Second, is her position sound, especially given recent critiques of such a possibility in the works of philosophers like Roberto Esposito and even Michel Foucault? I argue here that Stein justifies the possibility of the concept of humanity on phenomenological and theological grounds. I would also venture that we can also find historical and political motivations for her claim. Finally, though I am largely convinced of the viability of the concept/reality of humanity, I believe we can further justify the possibility of a universal community on the basis of affective grounds that are rooted in the embodied psychic lives of human persons.