The Human Person as an Embodied Spirit

So, what do we exactly mean by “embodied spirit”?

The most direct connotation that comes to mind when we say
something is “embodied” is that it is being materialized or
incarnated. Hence, when we say “embodied spirit”, we normally
thought of a spirit being incarnated. However, the idea of the
human person as an “embodied spirit” does not necessarily refer
to the incarnation or materialization of spirit as an immaterial
entity. The embodiment of the spirit in the context of Christian
philosophy (as is well known, the concept of the embodied spirit is
specific to Christian philosophy) specifically refers to the
inseparable union of body and soul. Thus, when we say
“embodied spirit” we mean that the body is not separate
from the soul, just as the soul is not separate from the
body.
So, when we say that the human person is an embodied spirit, we
specifically mean that the human person is the point of
convergence between the material and spiritual entities,
that is, between the body and soul. We cannot talk,
therefore, of the human person without the union of body and
soul, just as we cannot talk of anything without the union of (as
Aristotle would have us believe) matter and form.
Now, to understand the specificity of the human person as an
embodied spirit is important because aside from the fact
that it enables us to know our potentialities and
limitations, it also exposes us to a thorough and deeper
understanding of ourselves as a unique creature united
by body and soul. With this caveat in mind, let us now proceed
to an engagement with one of the most famous philosophers in
this particular scholarship, namely, Aristotle.
Before we engage Aristotle’s account on the human person as an
embodied spirit, that is, again, as a union of body and soul, it is
important at this point to provide the theoretical context of this
issue. As we may already know, Aristotle’s account of the
human person as an embodied spirit is in large part a
reaction against Plato’s take on the nature of the human
person.
For Plato, the nature of the human person is seen in the
metaphysical dichotomy between body and soul. This
dichotomy implies that there is an inherent
contradiction between the body and the soul. On the one
hand, the body, according to Plato, is material; hence, it is
mutable and destructible. On the other hand, the soul is
immaterial; hence, it is immutable and indestructible.
Inasmuch as the body is material, mutable, and destructible,
while the soul is immaterial, immutable, and indestructible, Plato
contends that in the context of the nature of the human person,
the body’s existence is dependent on the soul while the soul’s
existence is independent of the body.
According to Plato, there are three parts of the soul, namely,
the rational, the spiritual, and the appetitive.
For Plato, the rational soul is located in the head, the
spiritual soul in the chest, and the appetitive in the
abdomen. According to Plato, the spiritual and appetitive souls
contribute to the motion and activity of the whole person,
while the rational soul’s function is to guide the spiritual and
appetitive souls.
According to Plato, the appetitive part of the soul drives the
human person to experience thirst, hunger, and other
physical wants, while the spiritual soul drives the human
person to experience abomination, anger, and other
emotional feelings. Lastly, it is the rational part of the soul
that enables the human person to think, reflect, analyze,
comprehend, draw conclusions, and the like.
As we can see, the rational soul, which is the highest of all
parts of the soul, guides the other two parts, namely, the
appetitive and the spiritual. “What else could perform this guiding
function, from Plato’s point of view, than the rational part of the
soul? Think of a desperately thirsty man in the desert. He sees a
pool of water and approaches it with all the eagerness that
deprivation is able to create. But when he reaches the pool, he
sees a sign: ‘Danger. Do not drink. Polluted.’ He experiences
conflict within. His desire urges him to drink. But reason tells
him that such signs usually indicate the truth, that polluted water
will make him very ill or may kill him, and that if he drinks he will
probably be worse off than he doesn’t. He decides not to drink. In
this case, it is the rational part of the soul that opposes his desire.
His reason guides him away from the water.”
The principle then that drives the person to drink is called
“appetite”, while the principle that forbids the person to drink the
water because it is polluted is called “reason”.
“Another example could be that of a man who is angry with
another person who insulted him. Out of anger, he may desire to
kill his mocker but does not actually kill the culprit because he
knows that if he does he will be imprisoned. With the same thread
of reasoning, Plato argues that it is the spirit in man that makes
the person angry with his derider, yet his anger is curbed
by reason, that is, by the rational soul.”[4]
Hence, again, for Plato, desire, spirit, and reason make up the
soul. Desire motivates, spirit animates, and reason guides. And
for Plato, if reason can successfully guide desire and spirit, then
the human person will attain a well-balanced personality.
If we recall, for Plato, the soul exists prior to the body;
hence, the soul is an entity distinct from the body. Now, it is
important to note that if we talk about the human person, we
talk about the body and soul and that they are
inseparable. But this is not the case for Plato. Plato believes
that the body and soul are separable. In fact, for Plato, as
already mentioned, the human person is just a soul using a body.
And Plato believes that the soul is imprisoned in the body and
that the soul survives the death of the body because it is
immaterial, immutable, and indestructible. This means that for
Plato, when the person dies, the body decomposes (because it is
material, mutable, and destructible) while the soul leaves the body
and goes back to the World of Forms. It must be noted that in
Plato’s doctrine of form, there are two kinds of worlds, namely,
the World of Forms and the World of Matter. And for Plato,
everything comes from the World of Forms and everything that
exists (World of Matter) will go back to the World of Forms after
it perishes. Again, when the human person dies, the body
decomposes and the soul will go back to the World of Forms and
lives there eternally. It is here where Aristotle’s notion of the
human person as an embodied spirit comes in.
Indeed, Aristotle disagrees with Plato’s dualism which implies the
concept of “otherworldliness”. Aristotle believes that there is
no dichotomy between the person’s body and soul. The
body and soul for Aristotle are in a state of unity. They
are inseparable. Hence, unlike Plato, Aristotle believes that we
cannot talk about the soul apart from the body and vice versa.
Now, how does Aristotle view the human person as an embodied
spirit?
First, we need to understand that the term soul is the English
translation of the Greek word psyche. And for Aristotle, the
general definition of the soul involves the concept of life.
Thus, the soul for Aristotle is the principle of life. This
suggests, therefore, that anything that has life has a soul.
As the principle of life, the soul causes the body to live;
indeed, it is the soul that animates the body. If the soul is
the animator of the body, the body acts as the matter to the
soul. Hence, Aristotle believes that the soul is the form to the
body, while the body is the matter to the soul. For Aristotle,
everything that exists is composed of matter and form, and matter
and form are indeed inseparable. Hence, we cannot talk about
any object if either of these entities is not present. In the
context of the human person, Aristotle believes that body
and soul are inseparable. Body and soul, therefore, constitute
the human person as a whole.
Because for Aristotle anything that has life has a soul, then it
follows that plants and animals (in addition to humans) have
souls. Thus, Aristotle distinguishes three levels of soul,
namely, that of plants, that of animals, and that of
humans.
The kind of soul that is found in plants, according to Aristotle, is
called vegetative, while those found in animals and humans are
called sensitive and rational souls respectively.
According to Aristotle, plants have souls because they possess the
three basic requirements for something to be called a “living
being”, that is, the capacity to grow, reproduce, and feed itself.
However, plants do not share the higher levels of soul; although
they grow, reproduce, and feed themselves, plants are not capable
of feeling and thinking.
Sensitive souls also grow, reproduce, and feed themselves; but
unlike vegetative souls, sensitive souls are capable of sensation. As
Aristotle writes:
“Plants possess only the nutritive faculty, but other beings possess
both it and the sensitive faculty; and if they possess the sensitive
faculty, they must also possess the appetitive; for appetite consists
of desire, anger, and will. All animals possess at least one sense,
that of touch; anything that has a sense is acquainted with
pleasure and pain, with what is pleasant and what is painful; and
anything that is acquainted with these has desire, since desire is
an appetite for pleasant.”
Finally, rational souls grow, reproduce, feed themselves,
and feel; but unlike the sensitive souls, rational souls are
capable of thinking. According to Aristotle, this highest level
of soul is present only in humans.
Now, since humans possess all the characteristics of animals, that
is, the capacity to grow, reproduce, feed itself, and feel,
in addition to being rational, Aristotle concludes that the
human person is just an animal that thinks. As Aristotle’s famous
dictum on the human person goes, “Man is a rational animal.”

The Human person

as an embodied spirit
By: Group 2

Introduction
For this chapter, we will focus more about the understanding in
the philosophy of the human person and on her basic constituents
(physical and spiritual dimensions).

This chapter will satisfy 4 learning competencies:

1. Recognize own limitations and possibilities

2. Evaluate own limitations and the possibilities for their

transcendence

3. Recognize how the human body imposes limits and possibilities

for transcendence

4. Distinguish the limitations and possibilities for transcendence

Two philosophers that’ll help us in fulfilling the 4 competencies

are Aristotle, from the ancient period, and St. Thomas Aquinas,
from the medieval period. Their philosophies about the human
person have similar concepts – human person as an embodied
spirit.

Aristotle considered both the body and the soul to be an integral

rather than dualistic.

St. Thomas Aquinas adopted the same concept as Aristotle

2
Aristotle's life and Background
(384 - 322 B.C.)

 Aristotle was born in Stageira in 384 B.C. He was orphaned

at an early age.

 When he was 17 he left his native place Therace to Athens in

order to study under the Academy of Plato.

 Aristotle was Plato’s student and devotee even until his

death. (for twenty years)

 When Plato died , Aristotle erected a monument for him and

praised him very much.

 Aristotle as a philosopher is in many ways very different

from all his predecessors.

The hylemorphic doctrine

3

 Greek word hyle means matter while morphe means form;

this doctrine is called matter and form theory
 Every composite being are made up of prime matter and
substantial form
  Explain the essential constitution of natural body in terms of
twofold principles, one material and indeterminate, the other
formal and determinate.

The Human Person as an Embodied Soul

4
Aristotle’s hylomorphic doctrine is applicable to the idea of the
human composite. Man is a composite of body (her material
aspect), and soul (the spiritual aspect one). Both the body and
soul are the fundamental and integral parts of the human person.
Thus, the human is an embodied spirit. Man cannot exist without
these two essential components. The body cannot exist without its
soul and vice-versa. Accordingly, “the soul is the form of the
body.” The soul is what makes the body one thing, having unity of
purpose and the characteristics that we associate with the word
“organism.”

Different Types of Soul

1. Vegetative soul - a type of soul that is found in plants that
brings the power of its nutrition and reproductive growth.

2. Sensitive soul - a type of soul that is found from animals which

gives them the power of sensation, appetite and locomotion.

3. Rational soul - a type of soul that gives humans the power of

intellect and will.

"there is one supreme end, or a final good for man"

- Aristotle

5
The Attainment of Happiness as an end of Man
Aristotle claims that there is one supreme end, or a final good for
man (Yarza, 1994, p. 176). By this he implies that every activity
aims to achieve some good or end. However in order to avoid
infinite regress which is an activity that never comes to a
conclusion, Aristotle held that there must be a final good which is
desired for itself (Compleston, 1962, p. 66). Man does not act
unless he thinks that the object of his action is good. Some good
things as desired only because of their usefulness in the
attainment of other goods. “It is these ‘other goods’ which are
truly desired. This is the bases for the distinction between
particular goods and the supreme good which is loved for its own
sake as the ultimate end.” (Yarza, 1994, pp. 175-176). It is this
good which is perfect and sufficient in itself which constitute the
last end of man.

“For Aristotle, contemplative life is the source of happiness.

Happiness is a consequence of possessing the true good, it is the
fruit of the activity proper to man. For this reason, true happiness
can only be attained through the activity of contemplation,
provided this activity is exercised in full conformity to the
demands of human nature.” ( Yarza, 1994, p. 177).

To conclude this section, Aristotle maintained that the man is a

composite of two essential principles, namely the body and soul.
They are integral components of man hence, an embodied spirit
that is geared towards an end. There are many ends in life but
man’s final end is to be happy. And his happiness lies on the
activity of reason, that is, to be able to contemplate the highest
good of man.

Thomas life and background

Saint Thomas of Aquinas

 Greatest theologians of the Catholic Church

 He pursued advanced study at the University of Naples
 He entered the Dominican Convent at a young age
 He was able to systemized theology
  He introduced the applications of logic through syllogistic
argument to theology

6
The Human Person as a Body And Soul

 Aristotle referred as"The Philosopher"

 Man is created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis,
1:27)
 The human person is composed both of body ad spirit. the
human person has material aspect (the body) and a spiritual
aspect (soul). Man is also rational animal (O' Donnell, 1997,
55)

7
Appetite means the tendency towards something. there are two
kinds of appetite, natural and animal (also named elicited)
appetites. Natural appetite is a tendency grounded directly on the
very nature of the thing.

Naturally tend towards seeing. while animal appetite is a tendency

grounded directly o the knowledge of the objects as good.

According to Thomas, the powers of the soul are "the vegetative,

the sensitive, the the appetite, the locomotive and the intellectual"

Man as an Agent Toward an End

8

 The will moves only towards its end, its happiness, such that
is ultimate end is God.
 Acts of Man
 Human Acts
 Moral Responsibility requires knowledge, freedom, and
deliberation
  Whatever actions proceeds from a power, are caused by that
power in accordance with the nature of its object.
 The end is two-fold, the objective and the subjective ends
 Man acts from judgment
 Man is rational

The Human Personas seeker of Happiness

9
Happiness is the last end of a rational nature. It consists in the
possession of the absolute good. Directing out search for the good
of the soul, we discover that neither the soul itself nor any action
which perfects the soul can be true object of man's happiness. The
only object which can be the last end of man is the absolute good,
since all the potencies of a rational nature and man happy. Man
attains happiness through the activity of soul. The soul searches
for the end. Therefore, we could say that happiness is something
belonging to the soul but that which constitutes happiness is
something outside the soul. But happiness does not consist in the
possession of a desired material object such as wealth, house,
cars, power, etc. but also in the attainment of spiritual
satisfaction. True happiness is spiritual according to Thomas

Analysis
The Human Person’s Limitations, Possibilities and
Transcendence
10
What then are the implications to both Aristotle’s and Thomas’
view of the human person as embodied spiritualties?

Aristotle’s view:

 Man’s bodily aspect would limit man in his capacity.

 Man as material being is finite.
  There are boundaries of what man can do precisely because
of his corporeal limitations.
 Happiness is not merely material but the activity of the soul.

Thomas’ view:

 Happiness is something spiritual.

 Man can achieve spiritual happiness in God as the supreme
good.
 Man is a transcendent being which means that his existence
is beyond physical level.
 In union with the good, one’s focus widens to include the
good of all rather than that of one’s particular self only.
 This is the only advantageous way for humans to participate
in universality.

Conclusion
Now, we’ve grasped what Aristotle’s and St. Thomas Aquinas’
concepts about the human person. That the human person is
made up of two fundamental realms – the body (corporal) and the
soul (spiritual). Both of which are fundamental and integral in the
human person. Thus, the human person is an embodied spirit.

The unity of all human experiences has to be in the self-conscious

mind.

The material aspect of man limits her capabilities, but the

spiritual aspect transcends her own limitation.

Conclusion
The Human person
as an embodied spirit
By: Group 2
Introduction
For this chapter, we will focus more about the understanding in
the philosophy of the human person and on her basic constituents
(physical and spiritual dimensions).

Two philosophers that’ll help us in fulfilling the 4 competencies

are Aristotle, from the ancient period, and St. Thomas Aquinas,
from the medieval period. Their philosophies about the human
person have similar concepts – human person as an embodied
spirit.

Aristotle considered both the body and the soul to be an integral

rather than dualistic.

St. Thomas Aquinas adopted the same concept as Aristotle

2
Aristotle's life and Background
(384 - 322 B.C.)

 Aristotle was born in Stageira in 384 B.C. He was orphaned

at an early age.

 When he was 17 he left his native place Therace to Athens in

order to study under the Academy of Plato.

 Aristotle was Plato’s student and devotee even until his

death. (for twenty years)

 When Plato died , Aristotle erected a monument for him and

praised him very much.

 Aristotle as a philosopher is in many ways very different

from all his predecessors.
The hylemorphic doctrine
3

 Greek word hyle means matter while morphe means form;

this doctrine is called matter and form theory
 Every composite being are made up of prime matter and
substantial form
 Explain the essential constitution of natural body in terms of
twofold principles, one material and indeterminate, the other
formal and determinate.

The Human Person as an Embodied Soul

4
Aristotle’s hylomorphic doctrine is applicable to the idea of the
human composite. Man is a composite of body (her material
aspect), and soul (the spiritual aspect one). Both the body and
soul are the fundamental and integral parts of the human person.
Thus, the human is an embodied spirit. Man cannot exist without
these two essential components. The body cannot exist without its
soul and vice-versa. Accordingly, “the soul is the form of the
body.” The soul is what makes the body one thing, having unity of
purpose and the characteristics that we associate with the word
“organism.”

Different Types of Soul

1. Vegetative soul - a type of soul that is found in plants that
brings the power of its nutrition and reproductive growth.

2. Sensitive soul - a type of soul that is found from animals which

gives them the power of sensation, appetite and locomotion.

3. Rational soul - a type of soul that gives humans the power of

intellect and will.
"there is one supreme end, or a final good for man"
- Aristotle

5
The Attainment of Happiness as an end of Man
Aristotle claims that there is one supreme end, or a final good for
man (Yarza, 1994, p. 176). By this he implies that every activity
aims to achieve some good or end. However in order to avoid
infinite regress which is an activity that never comes to a
conclusion, Aristotle held that there must be a final good which is
desired for itself (Compleston, 1962, p. 66). Man does not act
unless he thinks that the object of his action is good. Some good
things as desired only because of their usefulness in the
attainment of other goods. “It is these ‘other goods’ which are
truly desired. This is the bases for the distinction between
particular goods and the supreme good which is loved for its own
sake as the ultimate end.” (Yarza, 1994, pp. 175-176). It is this
good which is perfect and sufficient in itself which constitute the
last end of man.

“For Aristotle, contemplative life is the source of happiness.

Happiness is a consequence of possessing the true good, it is the
fruit of the activity proper to man. For this reason, true happiness
can only be attained through the activity of contemplation,
provided this activity is exercised in full conformity to the
demands of human nature.” ( Yarza, 1994, p. 177).

To conclude this section, Aristotle maintained that the man is a

composite of two essential principles, namely the body and soul.
They are integral components of man hence, an embodied spirit
that is geared towards an end. There are many ends in life but
man’s final end is to be happy. And his happiness lies on the
activity of reason, that is, to be able to contemplate the highest
good of man.
Thomas life and background
Saint Thomas of Aquinas

 Greatest theologians of the Catholic Church

 He pursued advanced study at the University of Naples
 He entered the Dominican Convent at a young age
 He was able to systemized theology
 He introduced the applications of logic through syllogistic
argument to theology

6
The Human Person as a Body And Soul

 Aristotle referred as"The Philosopher"

 Man is created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis,
1:27)
 The human person is composed both of body ad spirit. the
human person has material aspect (the body) and a spiritual
aspect (soul). Man is also rational animal (O' Donnell, 1997,
55)

7
Appetite means the tendency towards something. there are two
kinds of appetite, natural and animal (also named elicited)
appetites. Natural appetite is a tendency grounded directly on the
very nature of the thing.

Naturally tend towards seeing. while animal appetite is a tendency

grounded directly o the knowledge of the objects as good.

According to Thomas, the powers of the soul are "the vegetative,

the sensitive, the the appetite, the locomotive and the intellectual"
Man as an Agent Toward an End
8

 The will moves only towards its end, its happiness, such that
is ultimate end is God.
 Acts of Man
 Human Acts
 Moral Responsibility requires knowledge, freedom, and
deliberation
 Whatever actions proceeds from a power, are caused by that
power in accordance with the nature of its object.
 The end is two-fold, the objective and the subjective ends
 Man acts from judgment
 Man is rational

The Human Personas seeker of Happiness

9
Happiness is the last end of a rational nature. It consists in the
possession of the absolute good. Directing out search for the good
of the soul, we discover that neither the soul itself nor any action
which perfects the soul can be true object of man's happiness. The
only object which can be the last end of man is the absolute good,
since all the potencies of a rational nature and man happy. Man
attains happiness through the activity of soul. The soul searches
for the end. Therefore, we could say that happiness is something
belonging to the soul but that which constitutes happiness is
something outside the soul. But happiness does not consist in the
possession of a desired material object such as wealth, house,
cars, power, etc. but also in the attainment of spiritual
satisfaction. True happiness is spiritual according to Thomas
Analysis
The Human Person’s Limitations, Possibilities and
Transcendence
10
What then are the implications to both Aristotle’s and Thomas’
view of the human person as embodied spiritualties?

Aristotle’s view:

 Man’s bodily aspect would limit man in his capacity.

 Man as material being is finite.
 There are boundaries of what man can do precisely because
of his corporeal limitations.
 Happiness is not merely material but the activity of the soul.

Thomas’ view:

 Happiness is something spiritual.

 Man can achieve spiritual happiness in God as the supreme
good.
 Man is a transcendent being which means that his existence
is beyond physical level.
 In union with the good, one’s focus widens to include the
good of all rather than that of one’s particular self only.
 This is the only advantageous way for humans to participate
in universality.

Conclusion
Now, we’ve grasped what Aristotle’s and St. Thomas Aquinas’
concepts about the human person. That the human person is
made up of two fundamental realms – the body (corporal) and the
soul (spiritual). Both of which are fundamental and integral in the
human person. Thus, the human person is an embodied spirit.
The unity of all human experiences has to be in the self-conscious
mind.

The material aspect of man limits her capabilities, but the

spiritual aspect transcends her own limitation.