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St. Scholastica’s Academy

Tabunok, Talisay City, Cebu

S. Y. 2020-2021

Embracing Differences: Uniting Benedictine Youth in Christ

Focus: Community and Discipline

Name: Jefferson Troy D. Abas Grade & Section: Gr XI- St. Ansgar
Subject: Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person Teacher: Mr. Guilbert R. Payusan

I. Module Title: Philosophy and Human Personhood

II. Overview

This module is about philosophy and human personhood. The main objective is to understand what philosophy and
being a human person mean. It is divided into four chapters. Chapters 1 and 2 are devoted to the understanding of
philosophy; while Chapters 3 and 4 are devoted to the understanding of human personhood. Chapter 1 discusses the
nature of philosophy by examining its meaning, kinds and importance. The second chapter discusses the nature of
what philosophy seeks, namely, truth. The chapter also examines the different types of truth and the various ways of
knowing it. Chapter 3 examines the nature of human personhood using two approaches: the first focuses on type of
entity that a human person is and the second focuses on the kind of existence that a human person has. Chapter 4
discusses two related essential traits of a human person, namely, that a human person is free in his choices and
actions, and that a human person is consequently accountable for his choices and actions.

III. Instructions

1. Before you start working on the activities of this module, read the overview first and the summary of lessons and
competencies you are expected to learn.
2.Then, answer the Pre-Assessment. After answering this, find out how well you did by checking your answer against
the answers found in the Self-Check section.
3. Proceed to the lesson proper. Read and understand the texts attached to each module lesson.
4. After reading the texts, go over with the activities. Read carefully the instructions given and answer the questions
that follow.
5. After each activity go over the Self-Check to find out how well you fared in that activity. Pay attention to the items
you missed. Learn from your mistakes.
6. After working on all the activities, take the Posttest.

IV. Summary of Lessons Nos. Titles, Competencies (MELC’s), Objectives

LESSONS
Lesson 1- Doing Philosophy
Lesson 2- Methods of Philosophizing
Lesson 3- The Human Person as Embodied Spirit
Lesson 4- Freedom of the Human Person

COMPTETENCIES (MELCs)
a. Distinguish a holistic perspective from a partial point of view.
b. Recognize human activities that emanated from deliberate reflection.
c. Realize the value of doing philosophy in obtaining a broad perspective on life.
d. Distinguish opinion from truth.
e. Analyze situations that show the difference between opinion and truth.
f. Realize that the methods of philosophy leads to wisdom and truth.
g. Evaluate opinions.
h. Recognize own limitations and possibilities.
i. Evaluates own limitations and possibilities for their transcendence.
j. Recognize how human body imposes limits and possibilities for transcendence.
k. Realize that all actions have consequences.
l. Evaluate and exercise prudence in choice.
m. Realize that choices have consequences and some things are given up while others are obtained in making
choices.
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LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
After working on the activities of this module, you will be able to:

a. Acquire an in-depth understanding of the human person as means towards holistic understanding of life.
b. Carefully assess human activities in a broad perspective of life according to wisdom and truth.
c. Acknowledge your own strengths and as well as your giftedness as a person in spite of your limitations.
d. Practice prudence in exercising your freedom of choice.

V. PRE-ASSESSMENT

Direction: Read each item carefully. Write the letter of your best choice on the blank provided before the number.

__A__1. The word “Philosophy” comes from the two Greek words “philo” and “sophia” which means
a. Love of wisdom b. Love of knowledge c. Love of reason
__c__2. A discipline considered as the “queen of all sciences”
a. Mathematics b. Political Science c. Philosophy
__b__ 3. It is a branch of philosophy that that deals with the study of morality
a. Epistemology b. Ethics c. Metaphysics
__c__ 4. It refers to a linguistic expression whose function is to advance a certain claim.
a. Argument b. Syllogism c. Proposition
__a__ 5. It is a kind of truth that is established by means of sense experience.
a. Empirical Truth b. Rational Truth c. Synthetic Truth
__a__ 6. These are errors or mistakes in reasoning.
a. Ambiguities b. Fallacies c. Obscurity
__a__ 7. It is the property of mental states directed at some objects or events in the world.
a. Consciousness b. Intentionality c. Subjectivity
__a__ 8. It is the capacity to choose who we are going to become as persons.
a. Freedom b. Determination c.Direction
__a__ 9. The process of knowing or establishing truth by means of our reason is called
a. Reflection b. Intuition c. Reasoning
__a__ 10. The following are the traits of a wise person except one.
a. He who knows everything.
b. He who knows what he knows and what he does not know.
c. He who has the ability to put knowledge into practice.
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Lesson 1: The Process of Doing Philosophy

Objectives:

Distinguish a holistic perspective from a partial point

Knowledge
of view.

Apply a philosophical reflection on a concrete

Skills
experience from a holistic perspective.

Realize the value of doing Philosophy in obtaining a

Attitude
broad perspective on life.

A. Introduction

Inside the box below are the different types of being. Arrange them in a hierarchical order.

Plants Minerals

Angels God

Man Animals

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

1. What is the diagram telling you about?

______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________

2. Where can you find man in the hierarchy of beings?

______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________

3. Is there something special about the human person? If none, why? If yes, what makes man unique
among all the beings?
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________

Man1, being endowed with the gift of reason and intellect has the innate capacity to seek understanding over the
things that are already part of his human experience. He pursues this task of searching for the truth by means of
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In this module the term “Man” is used to refer to both sexes: male and female.
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asking relevant questions pertaining to life, the universe, the society, the nature of good and evil, freedom,
consciousness or his existence in general. This privileged place of man in the hierarchy of creatures is a matter of
great importance in this course/ subject since from there, we will try to understand more deeply what constitutes his
essential uniqueness as a human person. But before we move further into this lesson, let us examine first the
following inquiries and answer the questions that follow.

What is the
What are the powerhouse
causes of What is the
of the cell?
earthquakes? meaning of my life?
What does it
Does God
mean to be
exist?
human?

1. What is your analysis of the questions above?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Which of those inquiries have a final and definitive answer?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

3. Which of those inquiries do not have yet a final answer?

_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

At your age, you may have already asked yourself important questions about your life that cannot be directly
answered through research or education, such as “What do I want?” or “What will make me happy?” If you have
already asked yourself those big questions , then you have already engaged in philosophy.

-What is Philosophy?
-Is it a way of life? Why or why not?
How do you apply it in everyday life?

Find out the answers in this lesson.

B. Lesson Proper

A. The Meaning of Philosophy and Philosophy of the Human Person

Etymologically speaking, the word Philosophy comes from the Greek words philo which means love and
sophia which means wisdom. If combined, this renders the meaning of Philosophy as “love of wisdom”. Philosophy is
a science where reason and logic are used to understand reality and answer questions of knowledge, morality, and
human nature. It can be described as either a body of knowledge or an intellectual activity.

Philosophy as a Body of Knowledge

- provides methodologies and insights on how societal questions, such as moral dilemmas or euthanasia or
same-sex marriage, can be answered.

Philosophy as an Intellectual Activity

- is an analytic procedure of addressing individual thought processes such as resolving conflict and
confusion, testing positions, and analyzing beliefs. In all instance, doing philosophy is prescribed by logic , reason,
and ethics leading to wisdom.
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Philosophy applied to human experience or everyday life denotes the use of philosophy as an intellectual
activity. Also known as philosophy in life, this concept is important because it serves as the guiding principle on how
one ought to live life.

Importance of Philosophical Reflection

Philosophical reflection is the process by which a person undergoes a reflective state or evaluates his or her
experiences first before making any related action. The use of philosophical reflection is important as it enables
thought to be looked into using a deeper holistic perspective. In effect,actions are directed towards greater sources of
wisdom and truth.

Human Activities Emanated from Deliberate Reflection

In the process, one can learn more about himself or herself, including personal beliefs, ideals, or values.
Previous experiences may be seen as important aspects of making reflections because they facilitate deeper thinking
and understanding of the self. Aside from knowing the self, many other activities also emanate from reflection.

Examples:
- learning from your previous mistakes and not repeating them again
- evaluating and knowing the best choice from a set of options
- gaining a holistic point of view first before making any conclusion

B. Meaning and Process of Doing Philosophy

Doing philosophy means engaging oneself in “matters of utility” and methodologies to eliminate any practical
problem or abstract idea. In the process of doing philosophy, it is critical to have a holistic point of view- the
perception of looking at all aspects of a situation first before making a conclusion. Some other skills involved in doing
philosophy are critical, logical, and analytical thinking, observation, and communicative skills.

Holistic and Partial Point of View

Before engaging in philosophical inquiry, one must be able to distinguish between a holistic and partial point
of view. This is critical for anyone doing philosophy because it sets limit in coming up with conclusions about a given
situation.

Holistic Point of View Partial Point of View

 Looks at all aspects of the given problem or
situation.
 All aspects are given importance when making
conclusions.
 All aspects are tied in together to form a general
overview of the problem or situation.
 Looks at only a limited number of aspects of the
given problem or situation.
 Conclusions are made based on considering
some, but not all, sides of the problem or situation.

Example: Example:
A teacher listens first to both stories of her two arguing A teacher scolds Student A after Student B accused
students before making any conclusion about the Him of stealing her pencil case. However, the teacher
issue. only listened to the story of Student B, and not to
Student a, before deciding to scold the student.

Looking at the characteristics of holistic and partial points of view, it can be concluded that using a holistic
perspective is more desirable in doing philosophy than using a partial perspective. Partial points of view only promote
limited knowledge on the situation. This leads to wrong conclusions.
Learning Philosophy requires learning to look into all available perspectives and work on their relationship to
comeup with sound, logical, or valid conclusions. In the process, doing philosophy helps one to develop the skill
broadly looking at the situation first before concluding anything.

Importance of Doing Philosophy

 Doing philosophy can be applied in day-to-day activities and life perspectives. Because it involves an evaluative
process, doing philosophy allows a person to make better decisions and act accordingly to situations with the
help of various philosophical skills. The process of doing philosophy should not be mistaken for the Filipino
activity of “pamimilosopo” or pedantry where a person displays useless knowledge or minute observances of
small details.
 Furthermore, on life perspectives, philosophy enables reflective thinking which greatly influences a person’s
view of life, challenges, and relationships. Doing philosophy directs how a person will perceive these factors in
lifeand how they will be faced.
 In any setting, wisdom is always gained when philosophy is applied to formulate a conclusion about a certain
concern.

Source: Ariel Gilbuena at https://arielgilbuena2017.wixsite.com/I-hope

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Let Us Review!
Read carefully the questions below. Write the letter of the correct answer on the blank before the number.

__C__1. What does the term philosophy mean?

A. “love of goodwill” B. “love of critical thinking” C. “love of wisdom” D. “love of logic”
__A__ 2. What point of view looks at all aspects of a situation?
A. Holistic B. Partial C. Holism D. Partition
__A__ 3. What is the process of engaging oneself in matters of utility and methodologies to clear out any practical
problem or abstract idea?
A. Doing philosophy B. Doing history C. Doing mathematics D.Doing pedantry
__A__ 4. Which of the following scenarios demonstrates a partial point of view?
A. Referring to only one source of information for your position paper.
B. Participating in a class discussion.
C. Listening to both your teachers’ and parents’ advice on how to improve your grades.
D. Watching videos over the internet.
__A__ 5. Which of the following demonstrates pedantry?
A. Answering” letter J when asked, “what is the capital of Japan?”
B. Making a review of literature on the phenomenon of bullying in the Philippines.
C. Reading about a history of one agricultural company.
D. Debating with a friend about the health impacts of sleeping late.
__C__ 6. Who among the following students may have already developed a broader philosophical perspectives?
A. Mara, who regularly monitors the emotional well-being of her classmates.
B. Julie, who always listens to all sides of the argument before giving any advice.
C. Kristia, who consistently chats with her classmates about their ineterests and beliefs.
D. Trish, who rarely talks with her classmates but is always observant of them.
__B__ 7. What makes doing philosophy different from doing other disciplines of science?
A. It always requires logical and critical thinking.
B. It always asks questions about life.
C. It always ends with a conclusion.
D. It always requires empirical proof.
__C__ 8. Which of the following statements is true?
1. Both partial and holistic points of view are good contributors to doing philosophy.
2. Reflection is not required in doing philosophy.

A. Both statements 1 and 2 are false.

B. Statement 1 is false. Statement 2 is true.
C. Statement 1 is true. Statement 2 is false.
D. Both statements 1 and 2 are true.

__C__ 9. Which statements validly describes the process of doing philosophy?

1. It may involve the use of different philosophical methods.
2. It may only tackle the meaning of life.

A. Statement 2
B. Neither statement 1 nor 2
C. Statement 1
D. Both statements 1 an d 2

__D__ 10. Which statement about philosophy is correct?

1. Doing philosophy is a way of engaging in scientific inquiry?
2. Points of view from different people are always contradicting.
3. Philosophical reflection does not develop evaluative skills.

A. Statement 2
B. Statement 3
C. Statement 1
D. All statements are incorrect.

C. Wrap Up/ Values Integration

In this lesson we learned that Philosophy, meaning “love of wisdom”, is a science where reason and logic are used to
understand reality and answer questions of knowledge, morality, and human nature. Philosophy may be described as
either a body of knowledge or as an intellectual activity. A holistic point of view looks at all aspects of the given
problem or situation. Meanwhile, a partial point of view looks at only a limited number of aspects of the given
problem or situation. Philosophical reflection allows a person to look back on previous experiences and evaluate the
meaning or significance of his or her life.
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Based on what you’ve learned so far from our lesson today, what Benedictine value do you need to cultivate
in order to gain a holistic perspective on life? Share your insights below.

All Benedictine values: Christ centeredness, community, service, obedience, discipline, silence and
good speech, hospitality, stewardship, and stability. These benedictine values are very important in order to gain a
holistic perspective on life, because even if one value is not present, you will not gain a holistic perspective in life. But
for me the most important is community, because community is where we serve and help each other. While working
with others we will understand what and how they feel, this will make us think about the people in the situation you
are in and what they will get from your decision. This will make us think deep and make us look all at the aspects
about the situations, so that you can choose the right decision.

D. Enrichment Activity

You may already know that philosophy as a discipline has been present in society for centuries. Different
perspectives on various issues rose and were given defense by various philosophers. As a student, think of a
relevant issue faced by society nowadays. Look for at least two philosophical theories that can explain your chosen
topic. After reading on these views, make your decision on which theory to side with based on the philosophical
concepts you have learned from your readings.

The issue that I chose that is faced by society nowadays is climate change, because climate change is one
of the most common problems that we faced today. These are the theories I chosen about climate change.

First theory: According to NRDC the mechanics of the earth’s climate system are simple. When energy from
the sun is reflected off the earth and back into space (mostly by clouds and ice), or when the earth’s atmosphere
releases energy, the planet cools. When the earth absorbs the sun’s energy, or when atmospheric gases prevent
heat released by the earth from radiating into space (the greenhouse effect), the planet warms.

Second theory: According to EPA the earth's temperature depends on the balance between energy entering
and leaving the planet’s system. When incoming energy from the sun is absorbed by the Earth system, Earth warms.
When the sun’s energy is reflected back into space, Earth avoids warming. When absorbed energy is released back
into space, Earth cools. Many factors, both natural and human, can cause changes in Earth’s energy balance like
variations in the sun's energy reaching Earth, changes in the reflectivity of Earth’s atmosphere and surface, changes
in the greenhouse effect, which affects the amount of heat retained by Earth’s atmosphere.

Based on the theories both are correct but I chose the second theory because it states the factors that
causes climate change like human and natural doings. I learned that humans are increasingly influencing
the climate and the earth's temperature by burning fossil fuels, cutting down rainforests and farming livestock. This
adds enormous amounts of greenhouse gases to those naturally occurring in the atmosphere, increasing the
greenhouse effect and global warming. As humans we need to stop doing things that would harm to our planet, to
stop climate change we must be disciplined and to respect mother nature. If we continue to keep doing this we will
face the consequences sooner enough.