Research & Sources
Follow the evidence behind The Hypothesis. This is a selective introduction, not an exhaustive survey of the world’s laws.
Recognition before the law
United Nations: Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Articles 1 and 6. The Declaration connects dignity and rights with recognition before the law. It does not establish an identical domestic remedy everywhere.
OHCHR: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Article 16. A treaty recognition guarantee for its States parties. Its legal character differs from the Declaration; domestic procedures and applicability need separate examination.
National definitions need their context
US Office of the Law Revision Counsel: 1 USC section 1. The general federal interpretive definition includes individuals and several kinds of organisation unless context indicates otherwise. Inclusion does not give every entity every right equally.
UK Interpretation Act 1978, section 5 and Schedule 1. General interpretive rules include corporate and unincorporated bodies of persons, subject to contrary intention. That inclusion does not say human individuals are excluded; application and territorial scope require checking.
Word history is evidence of usage
Lewis and Short: Latin dictionary entry for persona, Tufts Perseus. Recorded mask and role senses help explain the metaphor. They do not determine modern law or prove the popular per-sonare derivation.
How to read a claim
Check the exact source, the relevant jurisdiction and provision, the kind of meaning being used, and the consequence the evidence actually establishes. Accept what is supported, reject contradicted inferences, and mark missing evidence as unresolved.
Legal text, historical usage and philosophical interpretation are distinct. These references support limited propositions; they do not establish a hidden exemption from duties.
Sources selected on 2 October 2026. Read each provision in its jurisdictional context and check the current full text before relying on it for a legal decision.