Santa Monica Institute of Tech.

Andrada Bldg. Poblacion, Iligan City Module 5

Week 7 and 8
Senior High School
Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person
1st Semester of A.Y. 2021-2022 Instructor: Ceasar Ian H. Mundala
Intended Learning Outcomes
AT THE END OF THE LESSON, THE STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO:
A. Probe into a distinct frame about gaining valuable insights regarding the human person in the environment.
B. Demonstrate the virtues of prudence and frugality toward his/her environment.
C. Appreciate the beauty of nature.
Activity
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What A Wonderful World Lyrics (Louis Armstrong)

I see trees of green, red roses too I see them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself what a wonderful world. I see skies of blue and
clouds of white
The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night And I think to myself
what a wonderful world.
The colors of the rainbow so pretty in the sky Are also on the faces of
people going by
I see friends shaking hands saying how do you do But
they're really saying I love you.
I hear babies cry, and I watched them grow
They'll learn much more than I'll ever know
And I think to myself what a wonderful world.
Yes, I think to myself what a wonderful world.

Search for Louis Armstrong’s song What a Wonderful world. Listen and you can watch video clips as guide.
A.How did the song regard environment? How did the song see the human person in the environment?
B.What is the tone of the song?
C.Which lyrics serve as most meaningful? Why?

Listen again and close you eyes: How do you imagine the world be?

Discussion
KEY QUESTIONS
•What is the relationship of man with his environment?
•How can human beings live harmoniously with their environment?
THE HUMAN PERSON IN THEIR ENVIRONMENT

THE ENVIRONMENT
•Philosophers in both East and West were asking questions about the universe we live in and our place in it.
•Eastern sages probed nature’s depths intuitively through the eyes of spiritual sages.
•Greek thinkers viewed nature through cognitive and scientific eyes.
•Pre-Socratic philosophers represent the first intellectual and scientific attempt to understand the origins of the universe.

 A change from the mythical explanation of the origins of the cosmos to a more rational explanation.

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  The pre-Socratic philosophers do represent the first intellectual and scientific attempt to understand
the origin of the universe.
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 There are different views or concepts on nature or the environment from which debates
or researches can be framed and reframed.
 1. Anthropocentric model – humans are superior and central to the universe.
Human
Culture
Individualism
Mind
Calculative
Human over/against environment
Global/technological

 2. Ecocentric model – the ecological or relational integrity of the humans provides meaning of our morals and values.
Nature
Wild
Holism
Mature/Cosmos
Body
Relational
Earth/Wisdom
Ecology over/against humans
Our limited understanding of our environment opens for a
need for philosophical investigation of nature, applying aesthetic and theological dimensions, as well as appreciating
our philosophical reflections with the concept of nature itself.

DISORDER IN THE UNIVERSE

 The domination of humanity is linked to the domination of nature based on the anthropocentric model.
 An unfair or unjust utilization of the environment results to ecological crisis.

 Researches exposed the environmental consequence of international politico-economic specialization for specific countries
and global regions as well as the implications for both abuses of natural resources and of the generation of waste and
emissions.
 Numerous concepts and indicators have been used to understand environmental impact such as carbon footprint (CF).
 Studies reveal that the higher the income, there is a substantial change in consumption patterns, which resulted to higher CF.
Below is an example of a household chart in North America and average composition vis-à-vis CF:
1. Construction 5. Mobility
2. Shelter 6. Manufactured goods
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 3. Food 7. Services
4. Clothing 8. Trade

 The Ecocentric model, in contrast, puts the ecosystem first and assumes that the natural world has intrinsic value.
 Nature is not valued for the future survival of human species per se, but is invaluable in itself.
 Human made changes threaten the health of nature.
 Unlike changes in the evolutionary process, human interventions have swift and even, violent effect on nature.
 The damage is not inevitable but a consequence of human choices, thus, humanity needs to develop an “ecological
conscience” based on individual responsibility.
 The right to live and blossom should not just be for human beings but must be valid to all forms of life because humans are
dependent to other forms of life.
 The 2007 United Nation’s Declaration grants the Indigenous people “the right to conservation, restoration, and
protection of the total environment and the productive capacity of their lands, territories, and resources, as well as the
assistance for this purpose from States and through international cooperation.”
 The relationship of the indigenous people with the
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environment is, thus, spiritually and materially

strengthened.

Destruction of Property:

Devastation brought by Yolanda and Ondoy

War in Marawi Poverty

Soil Erosion Linked to Food Supply

PUTTING ORDER INTO DISORDER

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 A. Ancient Thinkers
 Early Greek philosophers, the Milesians, regarded Nature as spatially without boundaries, that is, as
infinite or indefinite in extent.

 Anaximander employed the term “boundless” to mean that Nature is

indeterminate―in the sense that no boundaries between the warm and cold or the moist
and dry regions are originally present within it.
 Evolution of the world begins with the generation of opposites in a certain region of
Nature that eventually burst and formed the universe.

 Pythagoras described the universe as living embodiment of

nature’s order, harmony, and beauty and our relationship with it in
terms of biophilia (love of other living things) and cosmophilia (love of other living
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beings).

 Chinese cosmic conception, on the other hand, is based on the

assumption that all that happens in the universe is a continuous whole like a
chain of natural consequences.
 The universe does not proceed onward but revolves without beginning or end.
 Happiness lies in his conformity with nature or tao.

B. Modern Thinkers

 Immanuel Kant expresses that beauty is ultimately a symbol of morality.

 We must ignore any practical motives or inclinations that we have and instead
contemplate the object without being distracted by our desires.
 The beautiful encourage us to believe that nature and humanity are part of an
even bigger design – an ultimate goal in which every aspect of the sensible
world has its place in a larger purpose – that draws our thoughts toward a
supersensible reality.
 Kant believes that the orderliness of nature and the harmony of nature with our
faculties guide us toward a deeper religious perspective.
 Understanding our relationship with the environment can also refer to the human
beings with ecology and nature.

 Herbert Marcuse believes that there can only be change if we will change our
attitude towards our perception of the environment.

 For George Herbert Mead, human beings do not have only rights but duties as well.
 How we react to the community we live in and our reaction to it, change it.

CARING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

Theories that show care for the environment aside from the ecocentric model: deep ecology,
social ecology, and ecofeminism.

A. Deep Ecology
 Ecological crisis is an outcome of anthropocentrism.
 Deep ecologists encourage humanity to shift away from
anthropocentrism to ecocentrism.

B. Social Ecology
Ecological crisis results from authoritarian social structures.
Social ecologists call for small-scale societies, which recognize that humanity is linked with the well-being of
the natural world in which human life depends.
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 C. Ecofeminism
 Ecological crisis is a consequence of male dominance.
 In this view, whatever is “superior” is entitled to whatever is “inferior.”
 For the ecofeminists, freeing nature and humanity means removing the
superior vs. inferior in human relations.
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 The three theories mentioned value the care, conservation, preservation of

nature, and humanity.
 The search for the meaning of life must explore not just our own survival but calls for a new socio-
ecological order.

 Erich Fromm believes that humanity ought to recognize not only itself but also the world
around it.
 For Fromm, human beings have biological urge for survival that turns into selfishness and
laziness as well as the inherent desire to escape the prison cell of selfishness to experience
union with others.
 Which of these two contradictory strivings in human beings will become dominant is determined by the social
structure currently existing in society.

PRUDENCE AND FRUGALITY TOWARDS THE ENVIRONMENT

 Fromm proposed a new society that should encourage the emergence of a new human being that will foster
prudence and moderation or frugality toward environment.

 Functions of Fromm’s envisioned society:

1. The willingness to give up all forms of having, in order to fully be.
2. Being fully present where one is.
3. Trying to reduce greed, hate, and illusions as much as one is capable.
4. Making the full growth of oneself and of one’s fellow beings as the supreme goal of living.
5. Not deceiving others, but also not being deceived by others; one may be called innocent but not naïve.
6. Freedom that is not arbitrariness but the possibility to be oneself, not as a bundle of greedy desires, but as a delicately
balanced structure that at any moment is confronted with the alternatives of growth or decay, life or death.
7. Happiness in the process of ever-growing aliveness, whatever the furthest point is that fate permits one to reach, for living as
fully as one can is so satisfactory that the concern for what one might or might not attain has little chance to develop.
8. Joy that comes from giving and sharing, not from hoarding and exploiting.
9. Developing one’s capacity for love, together with one’s capacity for critical, unsentimental thought.
10. Shedding one’s narcissism and accepting that tragic limitations inherent in human existence.

The ideals of Fromm’s society cross all party lines; for protecting nature needs focused conservation, action, political will,
and support from industry.
Assessment
Interview a person who is 45-60 year old. Ask them the following questions:
1. What are the things that you remember in your environment when
you were my age?
2. What are the things that you like doing when you were young?
3. What are the positive and negative changes in the environment?
4. Do you think environment plays a vital role in a person’s development? Why or why not?
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 After the interview write the summary of you findings where the following questions are answered:
1. What have I learned from the person I interviewed?
2. How do I feel about the things that I learned?
3. Will this knowledge gained from the interview help me in understanding the role of the environment in my development
as a person?
4. What should I do with the environment?
Reflection
1. In your observation, how do humans regard the environment? Explain.
2. In what way/s are your answers positive or negative?
3. In your opinion, how can we protect, conserve, and restore our environment? Elaborate your answer by planning an activity
that would support it.
4. Compare the importance of nature from the ancient to the modern era.
5. Write your thoughts regarding the following passage: The controlling attitude of humankind is extended to nature, when in
fact, humanity is part of nature.
6. What is freedom? Relate Fromm’s view with other philosophers discussed in previous lessons.
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Resources and Additional Resources

 Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person, by Christine Carmela R. Ramos, Rex Publishing, 2016, pp. 69-91