The modern world, dedicated to an all-encompassing anthropocentrism, has sought an absolute independence for man that negates all transcendence and therefore all heteronomy. This article reflects on the very essence of the human person and the difficult problem of its social or political dimension. Recognition of man's created dependence restores him to his true autonomy, and unconditional respect for the source of this autonomy is the only guarantee of a person's true greatness.