What are the definition of a person?

Well it doesn't have to be too complex. I think in some ways other definitions are what define a person rather than the definition of a person directly.

I don't think there is anything substantial about a person that exists eternally. In other words I don't believe in the concept of a soul. However just because I believe that people don't exist for ever, does mean that human life is worthless or has less value. Just because I believe that people are nothing more than electric meat bags doesn't mean they are worthless.

Or that since there is no soul then it doesn't matter what you do to others. I would never support such a thought as that. Even though we are nothing more than the workings of our brain, we still have this identity of a self, that doesn't want to die despite the fact that we will die one day. Since I personally don't want to die yet, I can sympathize with others and I can assume that since I don't want to die yet, they are probably thinking the same thing. So I respect that and it is a very basic lesson I learned at a young age. Do to others what you want done to you. I know that might sound like a religious statement but it's not, it is pure common sense.

So to me a person is a being who believes itself to be substantial and at times it feels self important. They interact with their environment trying to cope with continued existence.

I personally don't like the idea of being disembodied. A person is simply a individual member of the homo sapiens species.

What is the definition of "cat"?

If I'm not mistaken, in legal terms, a company is a person.

Just something to think about.

A person is a functional unit in a human social system. The same body can take on different social roles i.e. be different "persons". (NB Greek persona = the mask held in front of the faces of actors)

The "self" is more often like a committee of persons than a unified entity, the illusion of unity being suggested/imposed by being called a permanent name. Indeed name shifts are associated with person shifts (Dad, John, Mr Smith etc).

Those who would doubt this disunity are invited to consider who the parties are in their internal conversations. And those who worry about the cessation of a mythical unified self on "death" are invited to consider where that self was during dreamless sleep, or who the heck it was in the dream !

Self, as the one experiencing, Dad, Jonh and Mr. Smith...the entity living it and feeling it and processing it...the One WHICH IS in place in all of those roles...all of those FUNCTIONS!

Cats are not persons !!
They live to eat .
But we eat to live . we live to die , and die to live .

No. That "self" is another one.....the philosopher....the Heideggerian contemplator after the fact....the temporary committee chairman who attempts to resolve role dissonance. In the situational flux of relationship we have little awareness of the role playing.

not sure about persons, but a hero ain't nothing but a sandwich

Scientifically, a person would be a product of the universe, with its brain, body , anatomy, atoms and electromagnetism. For us it would have a distictive nature compared to similar units. However because the ultimate origins of the "person" are unknown to ourselves, we create a religious meaning; a spirit unique. Our fear of dying and our need to dominate the animal world is behind this concept.Is the spirit, in scientific terms, the genetic pattern, that was generated from life itself? The answer would be no, if we are vulnerable, however if we were unvulnerable we might say yes, since we would fear nothing.

Let me recommend this new fangled thing called a dictionary:
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/person

Please review my book "Advance to Ataraxia" available at Amazon KDP. A promotion on this book starts on 23 April 2014.
Regards,
Enki Ruthven