Aolonio, Justin C.

Health Ethics Section A

THE HUMAN PERSON STUDY GUIDE

Personhood of Man

After watching the videos related to the Personhood of Man compare it with Genesis 1:26 and Genesis
2:7,

a) write a reflection about your personhood in relation to what you believe is your origin. Do you
agree with Aristotle or with Plato or the Bible? Support your answer.10 pts

It is my belief that the soul and the body are two different things that constitutes a person, as what
Plato suggests. This means that I believe that the body is a shell encasing the person’s soul, and a
soulless body is just an empty shell. Plato’s philosophy proposes that a body is dependent to the
soul, while the soul is independent. In addition, Plato says that the body is material and destructible,
while the soul is immaterial and indestructible. Also, in line with Plato’s philosophy about
personhood, I believe that the soul is there before the body. This would explain why a fetus can
have consciousness before the body even develops. As the soul grows, so is the body encasing it.

b) Realizing your origin how do you think are you going to value your personhood, conduct
yourself, live your life as a person?10 pts

After learning about personhood, it has come to me that I should live my life protecting my body
which is the shell of my soul, as the soul can function well when the body is at its best condition.
Also, protecting the soul from immorality is my take on valuing personhood. This, as I believe, would
be the best way to live life as a person.

c) Based from one video, what is the difference between being human and personhood? 5pts

Being human is scientifically identified through genes. Being a person is being part of the moral
community, which means that one is only identified as a person if they deserve moral consideration
(whether or not being a human).

d) Can one lose his personhood? Explain.5pts

I do believe that one can lose his personhood. This is because, as Plato suggests, a person consists of
the body and a soul. A body can become soulless through death. It can then be concluded that a
dead person has lost his personhood. Aside from dying, a person can also lose his personhood if he
loses one of the three parts of the soul (rational, spiritual, and appetitive), as the body cannot be
functional without reason (rational soul), emotion (spiritual soul), and desire (appetitive soul).