SHS

Introduction to the Philosophy of

the Human Person
Quarter 1 – Module 1.1
HOLISTIC PERSPECTIVE AND PARTIAL
POINT OF VIEW
Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person – SHS
Module Title: Module 1.1- HOLISTIC PERSPECTIVE AND PARTIAL POINT OF VIEW

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Regional Director: Gilbert T. Sadsad

Assistant Regional Director: Jessie L. Amin
Regional EPS: Sheila C. Bulawan
Division EPS: Presyl A. Bello, SDO Legazpi City

Development Team of the Module

Writer: JESON D. BALINGBING- Pag-asa NHS, SDO Legazpi City
Editor: JESSIE MARIE MATA MORCOSO- Pawa HS, SDO Legazpi City
ALVIN A. SARIO, PhD – University of Santo Tomas, Legazpi
Reviewers: GERRY A. BAJARO – Oro Site HS, SDO Legazpi City
JESON D. BALINGBING - Pag-asa NHS, SDO Legazpi City
ROMEO A. TUSI- Pawa HS, SDO Legazpi City
ROMMEL U. QUIÑONES – Homapon HS, SDO Legazpi City
Illustrator: VIAN GABRIEL SPES B. QUINONES – Grade 7, Philippine
Science HS, Goa, Camarines Sur
Layout Artist:
Cover Photo: JESON D. BALINGBING- Pag-asa NHS, SDO Legazpi City

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INTRODUCTION
Have you ever asked yourself questions like, “Who am
I?”, “What makes me happy?”, “What is my purpose in this
world?”, or “What can I do to make the world a better place?”
If yes, then, congratulations! You are doing philosophy.
People often misinterpret philosophy as something that
is unreasonable and unresponsive to a desired meaningful
questions. Philosophy is a broad discipline that encompasses
“the study of all existence in this world”. In fact, it is a perfect
avenue for all your queries as it offers unlimited scope of
understanding about you, others, and the world. According to
a pre-eminent Greek philosopher, Plato and a 15th-century
French philosopher, Rene Descartes (also known as the
father of modern philosophy), the goal of philosophy is to
wonder and doubt, respectively.
To wonder and doubt are not just as simple as you think. Indeed, doing philosophy
is not an easy task. It requires you to think holistically, critically and analytically on
particular situations or problems. It takes a process for you to understand the
process of doing philosophy.

OBJECTIVES
At the end of this module, you should be able to:
1. Distinguish a holistic perspective from a partial point of view
(PPT11/12-Ia-1.1),
2. Explain the importance of holistic thinking over partial
thinking; and
3. Write a “Personal Action Plan” on how to deal with everyday
life from a holistic perspective.
VOCABULARY

Now, that you know your targets for the day, have a glimpse of the
new words below which may appear in this module.

ANALYTICAL pertains to analytical thinking that promotes a partial

point of view as a process of knowing things.

BIAS means being unfair.

HOLISTIC is the ability to see things fully, not partially.

JUDGMENT is the ability to think and come up with decisions based on the
observed situation.

OBJECTIVE is the state of being fair.

PARTIAL is the ability to see the parts rather than the whole.

PERSPECTIVE refers to a person’s thinking that shows fair and valid judgment.

POINT OF VIEW pertains to a person’s thinking that shows a particular opinion

about something.

PRE-TEST
A. True or False
Direction: Write the letter “T” if the statement is true and “F” if the
statement is false. Write your answer in your notebook.

1. Looking for different brands of clothes to buy is an example of partial point

of view.
2. Partial point of view promotes more valid, sound and logical solution to the
problem.
3. Understanding the past and background of a bully student shows partial
point of view.
4. Holistic perspective helps us understand a problem from different point of
views so we can see it more fully.
5. Holistic perspective enables a person take step back and see the different
angles of reality.

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B. Multiple Choice
Direction: Read and answer each item carefully. Encircle you answer.
1. Your friends get into a fight that you have nothing to do with, which of the
following actions shows holistic perspective?
a. take one’s side because he/she is loyal.
b. take one’s side because the other is not genuine.
c. consider both sides of the story so you can give the best advice.
d. consider both sides of the story to know who you are going to take
your side.

2. Why does holistic perspective be given more importance than partial point
of view?
a. because it generates less knowledge or information.
b. because it generates more knowledge or information.
c. because it considers the single aspect of a situation.
d. because it considers the selected aspect of a situation.

3. How would you respond holistically if you find out that one of your
neighbors has been infected with COVID-19 virus?
a. Emergentism and Atomism
b. Emergentism and Vitalism
c. Reductionism and Vitalism
d. Reductionism and Atomism

4. Which of the following situations shows partial point of view?

a. A mother loves equally all the family members even some of them are
not responsible.
b. A mayor gives money to his/her constituents regardless of socio
economic status.
c. A student searches all related literature to gather relevant and reliable
sources for his/her study.
d. A doctor focuses on a specific set of symptoms to determine the cause of
a patient’s illness.

5. What is the impact of having a holistic perspective in making decisions in

life?
I. It gives us a credible and logical solution.
II. It helps us think analytically of a particular situation.
III. It tends us to scrutinize a particular aspect of the problem.
IV. It enables us to explore all the possible things to happen.

a. I and II b. II and III c. III and IV d. I and IV

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 Congratulations! You’re done with the Pre-Test. Let us do exciting learning activities!

This next activity shall introduce you to the topic and be able to distinguish the
difference between holistic perspective and partial point of view.

LEARNING ACTIVITY 1
Guess the Word
Direction:
1. Have your pen and philosophy notebook ready on your
table.
2. Write down the task number and the name of activity.
3. Copy the illustration below and rearrange the jumbled
letters that describe Holistic Perspective and Partial Point
of View.

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LEARNING ACTIVITY 2

Holistic or Partial?

Direction: Write “HP” if the statement shows Holistic Perspective

and “PV” if Partial Point of View. Write your answer in your notebook.

1. I will take the side of my friend over his/her enemy because I also
hate the person.

2. I will study in all subjects to be included in the list of students with honors.
3. I do not want to make friend with him/her because he/she has different religion.
4. I will fit only one item before buying a clothe I will be needed for a party.
5. I will follow the government health protocols such as, washing hands, observe
physical distancing, etc. to avoid COVID-19 infection.

LEARNING ACTIVITY 3

Judge Me Not!

Let us go into details and learn more. This activity will

help you see, think, and act on a particular situation in
life. Are you going to be holistic or not?

Come on and you will know what I mean!

Directions:
1. In your notebook, write down the task number and the name of activity.
2. Read and understand the story below and fill out the diagram that follows.
3. Copy the process questions and answer them correctly.

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 The Youngest Favorite
by Jeson D. Balingbing

Mary is the only sister among 4 siblings in the family of a

single parent, Mr. Mapaghusga. Being the youngest, Mary is the
favorite among the siblings.

One afternoon when Mary got home, she went straight to

her room to put her bag down and proceeded immediately to the
kitchen to take a snack. Then, she went back to the room to work
on her project. While she was planning to buy the needed materials
for her project, she noticed that her wallet is not inside her bag.
Only she and her oldest brother John were there. Then, Mr.
Mapaghusga scolded John after Mary accused him of stealing her
wallet. He only listened to the story of Mary and not to John's before
deciding to punish him.

Scenario/Problem: Judgement: Action:

(made by Mr. (made by Mr.
_________________
Mapaghusga to John) Mapaghusga to John)
_________________
_________________ __________________
_________________
_________________ __________________
_________________
_________________ __________________
_________________
_________________ __________________
___________

Scenario/Problem: Judgement: Action:

(made by Mr. (made by Mr.
___________________
Mapaghusga to John) Mapaghusga to John)
___________________
___________________ ___________________
___________________
___________________ ___________________
___________________
___________________ ___________________
___________________
___________________

My
thoughts/feelings
towards John:
_________________
_________________
_________________
_________________
My My
thoughts/feelings thoughts/feelings
towards Mary: towards Mr.
Mapaghusga:
_________________
_________________ _________________
_________________ _________________
_________________ _________________

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Process Questions:
1. If you were the father, how would you respond to the situation or problem?
Justify your answer.
2. Is it important to listen to both sides of the story? Explain your answer.
3. How do you assess the father’s decision and action towards the problem?
Is it holistic or partial? Why?
4. Is it important to be holistic in dealing with a particular problem or situation?
Defend your answer.

DEEPENING
Direction:
1. Sit comfortably and remove any distractions around.
2. Read and understand the graphic organizers which present the main gist
of the topic. If the concepts are not clear to you, you may read the entire
text for better understanding.
3. You may take down notes on the essential concepts for this activity.
4. Refer to the glossary page of this module for the definition of terms.

What is the difference between holistic perspective and partial point of

view?

1. Holistic Perspective. It considers the “bigger picture” when dealing with

a particular situation or problem. According to Aristotle the whole is greater than its
parts. It considers not only one perspective but all other perspectives. This is
supported by other philosophical concepts:

1.1. Holism. It holds the idea that a part cannot determine a whole system
because the relationships or connections of parts are independent of the whole,
only the whole can determine its parts. The whole can determine the structure and
processes of its parts. This concept can be expressed into mathematical formula
such as A + B =C, where C is equal to A and B. But A is not equal to C, nor B is to
C. For instance, people perceive you as loving and caring, in holism, the idea of
love itself is not associated with you, but you as a whole body system can be
associated with the idea of love as it is part of your totality/wholeness, same with
caring but not vice versa. Thus, the thing that matters in holism is the whole, and it
defines, determines, and associates its parts, not the contrary.
1.2. Emergentism. It asserts that “complex systems and patterns arise out
of a multiplicity of relatively simple interactions”.
1.3. Vitalism. It posits that “the processes of life are not explicable by the
laws of physics and chemistry alone and that life in some part is self-determining
and is due to a vital principle distinct from physicochemical forces”.

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 2. Partial Point of View. It considers the parts rather than the whole when
dealing with a particular situation or problem. Rene Descartes supported this idea
by arguing that “the world is like a machine, its pieces are like clockwork
mechanisms, and that the machine could be understood by taking its pieces apart,
studying them, and then putting them back together to see the larger picture”. The
focus in holistic perspective is to see a single part of a situation/problem without
considering the other parts related to the problem or situation. The following
supports this philosophical concept:

2.1. Reductionism. It affirms that “a complex system is nothing but the sum
of its parts and that an account of it can be reduced to accounts of individual
constituents”. Here, there is no such thing as a whole, but only small parts that
behave or act in various ways.

2.2. Atomism. This asserts that only atoms exist, and objects with parts like
the human body, house, clouds, and the like do not exist. For instance, my behavior
to do good deeds like helping the poor does not define who I am as an individual.
It’s not me who does the act. That human activity is merely a product of regular
movements of small parts inside my human body called cells in which this reality
is accountable for, not my human body alone, not me, nor my whole being as a
person. Certainly, this view is adopted by modern science like Physics, Chemistry,
Biology, and many more to have a depth understanding of a specific field of study.

Why is holistic thinking more important than partial thinking?

In philosophy, you are encouraged to engage in holistic thinking than partial

thinking as it creates an avenue to think, reflect, and decide on a particular
situation, for instance, your friends get into a fight you have nothing to do with, what
will you do? Whose side are you going to take? In the case of holistic thinking, you
do not take one’s side just because he/she tells you the story without knowing the
other version of the story. Therefore, you consider both sides of the story before
you give pieces of advice. Thus, it is evident that in holistic thinking, you consider
all aspects of a situation or problem to come up with a more valid, sound, logical,

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 and justified solution. Hence, it generates unbiased and objective judgment in a
particular problem or situation.

In partial point of view, the tendency to look at situations is different. In the

case of two friends who are fighting each other, you may take the side of someone
who tells you his story without allowing yourself to know the other. This is how
partial thinking operates. It does not consider all associated parts or involved
circumstances. It focuses merely on one side of the story. A person doesn’t bother
to look for another perspective may be because of his or her bias or prejudice.
Attitude is a factor why a person tends to think partially than fully. Even a person
wants to consider other side of the story because of his or her bias he or she still
chooses not to think holistically as attitude affects one’s thinking and behavior.
However, a partial view is considered to be part of analytical thinking because it
focuses on a specific area or field. This is also evident when you study a specific
field of specialization, particularly in modern science. Though it is useful, no one
is encouraged to adopt this process to certain situations, problems, or reality
because it is biased in its judgment, and may lead to a wrongful and illogical
decision or action. In fact, partial thinking should not be used in most
circumstances, especially in politics, ethics, etc. Thus, it is recommended to use
holistic thinking.

Holistic Thinking Partial Thinking

• focuses on all areas • focuses on specific area

• has full understanding of entire
situation/problem
• arrives at a logical, valid, and
sound decision
• has wider scope of knowledge
• results fair judgement
• see things fully
• objective
• has partial understanding of entire
situation/problem
• may arrive at a wrongful decision
• promotes limited knowledge
except on specific area/field
• may result to a bias judgement
• see things partially
• selective

Fantastic! You have a holistic learning journey as you really go into detail and fully
comprehend the previous task.
I know that this time you have already learned the essential concepts in mind. It is
time for you to go further and apply those concepts. As the saying goes, knowledge without
application is useless. Do you agree?

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APPLICATION

My Personal Action Plan

Direction:
1. Have your ruler, pen, and one short bond paper ready on
your table. You may also use colored bond paper.
2. Write your complete name, year level, and section/strand.
3. Write down the task number and the name of activity.
4. Write your personal action plan following the format below.

Listed in the first column are your different roles in a society. In the second column,
list down at least 1 problem/situation encountered in your life as a son/daughter, a
student, a friend, and a member of society. In the 3rd column, write the appropriate
and specific actions using the holistic perspective based on a given
problem/situation. You are encouraged to have more than two answers if you still
have more time accomplishing this module.

Problems/ Actions to be Taken

My Thoughts/
Role Situations Using Holistic My Feelings
Opinion
Encountered Perspective
As a Ex. I failed to Ex. I will prioritize my Ex. It is good to Ex. I should
son/daughter do the responsibility in the know my priority in value my
household house over playing life. parent by
chores. mobile games. following them.

As a student

As a friend

As a member
of society

I promise that this personal action plan will be successfully accomplished to the
best of my knowledge and ability.
___________________________
Signature over Printed Name

At the end of the day, it is important to have a realization. What’s yours?

In “What I Did”, choose one task/activity in this module where you have learned best.
In “What I Learned”, write the concepts/skills/knowledge that you have learned based on the
chosen tasks/activities. In the “How I Can Use It”, write your possible actions on how to apply
those concepts/skills/knowledge you have learned . You are encouraged to have more than
two answers if you still have more time.

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MY SYNTHESIS JOURNAL

Direction:
1. Have your ruler, pen, and one short bond paper ready on your table.
2. Write your complete name, year level, and section/strand.
3. Write down the task number and the name of activity.
4. Make a “Synthesis Journal” following the format below.
5. In “What I Did”, choose one task/activity that you learned best in this module.
In “What I Learned”, write the concepts/skills/knowledge that you have
learned based on a chosen task/activity. In the “How I Can Use It”, write
your possible actions on how to apply those concepts/skills/knowledge you
have learned. You are encouraged to have more than two answers if you
still have more time accomplishing this activity.

What I Did? What I Learned? How I can Use It?

POST TEST

A. TRUE OR FALSE

Direction: Write the letter “T” if the statement is true and “F” if it is
false. Write your answer in your notebook.

1. Understanding the past and background of a bully student shows partial point
of view.
2. Holistic perspective helps us understand a problem from different point of
views so we can see it more fully.
3. Holistic perspective enables a person to take step back and see the different
angles of reality.
4. Looking for different brands of clothes to buy is an example of partial point of
view.

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5. Partial point of view promotes more valid, sound and logical solution to the
problem.

B. Multiple Choice
Direction: Read and answer each item carefully. Write your answers in your
notebook.
6. What is the impact of having a holistic perspective in making decisions in life?
I. It gives us a credible and logical solution.
II. It helps us think analytically of a particular situation.
III. It tends us to scrutinize a particular aspect of the problem.
IV. It enables us to explore all the possible things to happen.

a. I and II b. II and III c. III and IV d. I and IV

7. How would you respond holistically if you find out that one of your neighbors
has been infected with COVID-19 virus?
a. Emergentism and Atomism
b. Emergentism and Vitalism
c. Reductionism and Vitalism
d. Reductionism and Atomism

8. Your friends get into a fight that you have nothing to do with, which of the
following actions shows holistic perspective?
a. take one’s side because he/she is loyal.
b. take one’s side because the other is not genuine.
c. consider both sides of the story so you can give the best advice.
d. consider both sides of the story to know who you are going to take
your side.

9. Which of the following situations shows partial point of view?

a. A child savors food in its entirety, not picking out any ingredient, just
completely munching it.
b. A mayor gives money to his/her constituents regardless of socio-
economic status.
c. A student searches all related literature to gather relevant and reliable
sources for his/her study.
d. A doctor focuses on a specific set of symptoms to determine the cause
of a patient’s illness.

10. Why does holistic perspective be given more importance than partial point of
view?
a. because it generates less knowledge or information.
b. because it generates more knowledge or information.
c. because it considers the single aspect of a situation.
d. because it considers the selected aspect of a situation.

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ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY

In what way you show holistic thinking and partial thinking in your daily
life? Cite at least 5 examples each.

Well done! Congratulations for finishing this module. May

all the learnings you have acquired help you answer the
next activity which I know will be a piece of cake for you.
Bring it on!

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Answer Key
Pre test
True or False
1. F 2. F 3. F 4. T 5. T

Multiple Choice
1. C 2. B 3. A 4. D 5. D

Task 1:
Picture A = partial, parts, incomplete, partition
Picture B = holistic, whole, complete, full
Task 2:
1. PV 2. HP 3. PV 4. PV 5. HP

Task 3: Judge Me Not!- Other answers may vary

Scenario: Mary’s wallet was lost
Judgement: The father believed Mary’s accusation without listening to the other
side of the story.
Action: The father scolded John.

Task 4: My Personal Action Plan - Answers may vary

Task 5. My Synthesis Journal - Answers may vary

Post test
True or False
1. F 2. T 3. T 4. F 5. F

Multiple Choice
1. D 2. A 3. C 4. D 5. B

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REFERENCE

“Introduction”, The Basics of Philosophy, 2002, accessed May 04, 2020,

https://www.philosophybasics.com/branch_holism.html.

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