Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Introduction to
the Philosophy of
the Human
Person
Quarter 1 – Module 1:
Pursuing Wisdom
Philosophy – Grade 11
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 1 – Module 1: Pursuing Wisdom
First Edition, 2020
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Grecia Bataluna
Chief, Curriculum Instruction Division
Quarter 1 – Module 1:
Pursuing Wisdom
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:
Welcome to the Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person for Grade 11
Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on Pursuing Wisdom!
This learning resource hopes to engage the learners into guided and independent
learning activities at their own pace and time. Furthermore, this also aims to help
learners acquire the needed 21st century skills while taking into consideration their
needs and circumstances.
In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the body of
the module:
As a facilitator you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this module.
You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to manage
their own learning. Furthermore, you are expected to encourage and assist the
learners as they do the tasks included in the module.
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For the learner:
Welcome to the Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person for Grade 11
Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on Pursuing Wisdom!
The hand is one of the most symbolized part of the human body. It is often used to
depict skill, action and purpose. Through our hands we may learn, create and
accomplish. Hence, the hand in this learning resource signifies that you as a learner
is capable and empowered to successfully achieve the relevant competencies and
skills at your own pace and time. Your academic success lies in your own hands!
This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful opportunities for
guided and independent learning at your own pace and time. You will be enabled to
process the contents of the learning resource while being an active learner.
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This is a task which aims to evaluate your
Assessment
level of mastery in achieving the learning
competency.
In this portion, another activity will be given
Additional Activities
to you to enrich your knowledge or skill of
the lesson learned. This also tends retention
of learned concepts.
This contains answers to all activities in the
Answer Key
module.
1. Use the module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on any part of the
module. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises.
2. Don’t forget to answer What I Know before moving on to the other activities
included in the module.
3. Read the instruction carefully before doing each task.
4. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking your answers.
5. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
6. Return this module to your teacher/facilitator once you are through with it.
If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do not
hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator. Always bear in mind that you are
not alone.
We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful learning and
gain deep understanding of the relevant competencies. You can do it!
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Module 1:
Pursuing Wisdom
Quarter : First Quarter
Content Standard : The learner understands the meaning and process of
doing philosophy
Performance Standard : The learner reflects on a concrete experience in a
philosophical way
Learning Outcomes (Syllabus): Present a philosophical reflection based on a concrete
situation on the meaning of doing philosophy from a
holistic perspective in a creative way.
Competencies (MELC) : Distinguish a holistic perspective from a partial point of
view
Duration : 1 week
Topics : The meaning of Philosophy
What I Know
1. Have you encountered as wise person? If so, why do you consider him/her wise?
If you have not, how would you recognize one?
2. What do you know about yourself? What do you still have to figure out?
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What’s In
Philosophers have often wondered and argued about the role of philosophy in
man’s life. One view is that each one of us is a philosopher, whether or not we have
studied philosophy. We all have the potential to philosophize since we have the
tendency to wonder and doubt. We possess the capacity to reflect on our
experiences, and we have a never-ending need to learn and discover (Abella 2016).
What’s New
Philosophy has an etymological definition, which states the origin of the term,
and also a real definition, which explains what it actually studies.
2. Philosophy is also defined as the science that by natural light of reason studies
the first cause or highest principles of all things. Under this definition, four
things are to be considered:
a. Science
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d. Study of all things
This sets the distinction between philosophy from other sciences. All
other sciences concern themselves with a particular object of investigation.
For example, anthropologists study human beings in relation with the
society; sociologists study society, its form, structures, and functions;
botanists focus their attention to plants; linguists limit themselves with
language; theologians investigate God; whereas, a philosopher studies human
beings, society, religion, language, God, and plants, among other concerns.
What is It
Since its beginnings, however, the scope of philosophy has changed. Early
Greek philosophers studied aspects of the natural and human world that later
became separate sciences – astronomy, physics, psychology, and sociology. On the
other hand, certain basic problems – the nature of the universe, the standard of
justice, the validity of knowledge, the correct application of reason, and the criteria
of beauty – have been the domain of philosophy from its beginnings to the present.
What’s More
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What I Have Learned
Since ancient times, philosophers have been pondering some of the most
enduring questions regarding human existence. The following are some of them.
What is real?
Are we able to perceive and understand reality and everything in it?
How do we know what we know?
Are the things that we know true?
What is the ultimate cause of all things?
What is our purpose in this world?
To what extent are our choices and actions considered free?
DISCUSS
3. Do you think you will be able to figure out the answers to these questions?
Explain.
What I Can Do
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Assessment
Multiple Choice. Underline the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen
letter on a separate sheet of paper.
1. An etymological definition states or explains
a. the origin of the term b. what it actually studies
c. the object of the study d. the importance of the study
8. Philosophy investigates things through . It does not use any other laboratory
instrument or investigative tools, neither on the basis of supernatural revelation,
otherwise it becomes theology. a. science b. study of all things
c. argument d. natural light of reason
9. This sets the distinction between philosophy from other sciences. All other
sciences concern themselves with a particular object of investigation.
a. principle of identity b. study of all things
c. reasons, causes & principles d. natural light of reason
10. A thing is either is or is not; everything must either be or not be; between being
and not-being, there is no middle ground.
a. principle of sufficient reason b. principle of non-contradiction
c. principle of identity d. principle of excluded middle
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Answer Key
Additional Activities
Make a poster showing a holistic view of your life. Come up with a creative
visualization that will show your life in its totality and how your various experiences
contribute to give meaning to your life.
References:
Abella, Roberto D. 2016. Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person.
Quezon City. C& E Publishing, Inc.
Calano, Mark Joseph., et al. 2016. Philosophizing and Being Human: A
textbook for Senior High School. Quezon City. Sibs Publishing
House, Inc.
Camiloza, Loreto., et al. Philosophy of the Human Person. An Introductory text
for Senior High School. Quezon City. Phoenix Publishing House, Inc.
Elgin, Duane. 2009. The living universe. California. Berrett-Koehler
Publishers, Inc.
Palmaniano, Dariel A. 2010. Logic Make Sense. Quezon City. C & E
Publishing, Inc.
Ramos, Christine Carmela. 2016. Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human
Person. Manila. Rex Bookstore, Inc.
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Module 2:
Facing Challenges in the Twenty-First Century
Quarter : First Quarter
Content Standard : The learner understands the meaning and process of
doing philosophy
Performance Standard : The learner reflects on a concrete experience in a
philosophical way
Learning Outcomes (Syllabus): Present a philosophical reflection based on a concrete
situation on the meaning of doing philosophy from a
holistic perspective in a creative way.
Competencies (MELC) : (1.) Realize the value of doing philosophy in obtaining a
broad perspective on life; and
(2.) Do a philosophical reflection on a concrete situation
from a holistic perspective
Duration : 1 week
Topics : Lesson 1 – Why become a Philosopher? On Attaining
a Comprehensive Outlook in Life; and
Lesson 2 – Philosophical Reflections
What I Know
List the positive and negative Filipino values. Defend your answer.
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Lesson Why Become a Philosopher?
On Attaining a Comprehensive Outlook in
1 Life
What’s In
From the time of the Greek triumvirate (Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle), there
was a reversal. The Western thinkers started to indulge in feverish philosophical
speculation, whereas the Asian thinkers began diminishing philosophical activity. In
our present century, almost all the major philosophical ideas emanate from Western
thinkers (Quito 1991).
Certainly, the culture of the “East” is very different from that of the “west”
(primarily Europe and North America), but that does not mean each culture is
incapable of understanding certain features of the other.
There are three attitudinal imperatives that we must bear in mind if we are to
appreciate either the Oriental or Eastern thought vis-à-vis the Occidental or Western
mindset and to situate them in their proper perspective (Quito 1991):
In contrast to the propensity of the West to think in a linear manner, that is, in
terms of beginning and ending in a straight line, Oriental thought runs in a
circular manner in which the end conjoins the beginning in a cyclic style. In a
manner of speaking, nothing actually begins absolutely or ends absolutely. A
man may have been born at a precise time and may have died at a precise time,
but it cannot be said that his existence can be congealed at a specific time, and
when he dies, his life continues in another form. This is indispensable to the
understanding of samsara or rebirth. There is a cycle of rebirths within the
various spheres of life, the vegetative, animal, and human. The world, in fact, did
not have an absolute beginning but was merely a continuation of an earlier world
in an earlier time. There is, therefore, a succession of worlds and a succession of
lives.
The attitudinal imperative is the assumption that the East does not make a
rigorous distinction between religion and philosophy. In the East, Philosophy is
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Religion and Religion is Philosophy. The Oriental does not cut off philosophy that
is thought, from religion that is life in action.
The third attitudinal imperative is the acceptance of the validity of intuition and
mysticism, the readiness to revert to extra logical, if not illogical modes of
thinking. Orientals are perceived of transcending the limitations of the human
intellect and treading on a no-man's land where verification of one's premise is
not possible. Oriental thought does not follow structured mode. By its very
nature, it cannot but be intuitive and mystic.
The West has but to theorize and speculate; no application to life is necessary.
Such are the Platonic, Hegelian, Kantian, and Fichtean theories to which the
Western philosophers render lip service; their application to practice is still being
contested by other Western philosophers (Mitchell 2011).
What’s In
Filipinos do have their own philosophy. This section draws out elements or
draw sketches of the general lines of Filipino philosophy. The three dimensions of
Filipino thought are: Loob, Filipino Philosophy of Time, and Bahala Na. These
attitudes and values constitute the hidden springs of the Filipino Mind.
Bahala na, on the one hand, is seen as fatalistic; sort of leaving everything to
God or to chance—such is the uncertainty of life. On the other hand, fatalism is
universal. The will of God/Allah, tao to the Chinese, rta to the Indians and fate in
Buddhism—all signify, in one way or another, fatalism.
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What’s More
Group Activity:
How important are "kagandahang loob" and "kabutihang loob" to being
Pinoy? If your class or batch will sponsor a fund-raising activity for Yolanda
survivors, how can you lend a hand? Conceptualize a fund-raising concert.
What I Can Do
Draw a timeline. This exercise aims to examine the wackiest and worst times
in search of the meaning behind your life. This can help you identify more skillfully
the kinds of activities, conditions, locations, and people combinations where your
purpose is well served and where it is abused. Consider your childhood, formal
education experiences, and others. During these times, you experienced very poor
results and very strong dissatisfaction. If you learn something new about your
purpose, make a note of it.
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Happiest Times Worst Times
List the activities, people, locations, List the activities, people, locations,
and conditions in your life you were and conditions in your life when you
most happy. felt dissatisfied.
What did you learn about your What did you learn about your
purpose? purpose?
1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.
Lesson
Philosophical Reflection
2
What’s In
Consider the writing assignment in the Proposed Activities below. You should
always consider an agreeable thesis. Support evidence regarding critical claim/s.
You should express reasons in support of a claim's (e.g., why an act is morally "right"
or "wrong").
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Additional Activities
2. Photo Essay
Take pictures regarding the events of Earth Hour, an hour where cities and
landmarks turn off their lights. Write insights on your photos regarding this
question: What are the implications of Earth Hour to being interconnected in a
global society?
Assessment
1. What Filipino value puts one in touch with one's fellow beings and is essentially
interpersonal?
5. Write your insights regarding the meaning of goodness. You can choose a specific
topic regarding "good" and "bad" (e.g., issues on poverty).
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References
Mercado, Leonardo. 2000. Filipino Popular Devotions: The Interior Dialogue
Between Traditional Religion and Christianity. Manila: LOGOS
Publications.
Quito, Emerita. 1991. The Emerging philosophy of East and West. Manila. De
La Salle University Press.
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Module 3:
Methods of Philosophizing – Distinguishing Opinion from Truth
This module introduces you the methods or ways of looking at truth and what
will be considered as mere “opinions.” Philosophizing is to think or express oneself
in a philosophical manner. It considers or discusses a (matter) from a philosophical
standpoint. In logic, truth is based on reasoning and critical thinking. Insofar as
fallacy is an error, there is no established classification of the ways in which men
and women commit errors. Hence, there is no universally accepted classification of
fallacies, for no classification of erroneous arguments is entirely satisfactory. It
would be impossible to draw up a complete list of errors, for they are indeed
multiple. Thus, presented in this module are only the most common fallacies.
What I Know
Sensitivity Check:
You shall tell two lies and a truth about yourself. Your Classmates (or
parents, brothers or sisters) will guess which one is the truth.
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Lesson Logic and Critical Thinking: Tools in
1 Reasoning
What’s In
What’s New
Logic comes from the Greek word logike, meaning, “thought,” “reason,” or
“discourse.” It is the science and art of correct thinking (or reasoning).
What is It
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Validity and Soundness of an Argument
Based on the previous example (or syllogism), if the two premises are
constructed logically, then the conclusion must follow logically, the deductive
argument is valid. This does not necessarily mean that the conclusion is true or
false. Validity comes from a logical conclusion based on logically constructed
premises (Reed 2010).
Strength of an Argument
For example:
What’s More
1. Share your experiences on the times you did not use reason in your life
but rather, you relied more on emotions or opinions of other people.
What did you learn from the experience?
2. Research a topic for class debate. For example: So long as one does not harm
others, an individual should be free to pursue his/her own ends. Agree
/Disagree
a. All known planets travel about the sun in elliptical orbits. Therefore, all
planets travel about the sun in elliptical orbits.
b. You have a very good circle of friends. Therefore, you are very good.
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c. All oranges are fruits. All fruits grow on trees. Therefore, all oranges grow
on trees.
Lesson
Fallacies
2
What’s New / What is it
Whatever has not been proved false must be true, and vice versa.
c. Equivocation
d. Composition
This infers that something is true of the whole from the fact that it is true
of some part of the whole. The reverse of this fallacy is division.
e. Division
One reasons logically that something true of a thing must also be true of
all or some of its parts.
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g. Appeal to force (Argumentum ad baculum)
An argument where force, coercion, or the threat of force, is given as a
justification for a conclusion.
j. Hasty generalization
Cite examples of how fallacies are used in daily life. For example, when you
watch advertisements based on the popularity of endorsers, do you tend to buy their
product? Did you use the fallacies of ad misericordiam or ad hominem toward
others? How?
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Lesson Analyze Situations that Show the
3 Difference between Opinion and Truth
Con artists take advantage of the emotive side of language in two very
important ways. First, they use emotive meaning masked as cognitive meaning
to whip up emotions so that reason gets overlooked. Secondly, they use
emotively neutral terms of euphemisms to dull the force of what they say and,
thus, make acceptable what otherwise might not be. The fallacy of the use of
emotional words happens when one carefully employs words and images that
are heavy with emotional connotations in order to secure the sympathies of
others. In most political speeches by politicians and activists, words and
symbols have been invested with rich meanings and can easily arouse the
emotions and sympathies of the listeners, viewers, and readers.
What I Can Do
1. Problem-based Activity
a. Watch a film where you can identify generalizations. For instance, Mean
Girls. Why are they "mean" and how did they give false impressions to
others? Discuss.
27
b. Did you experience a stereotyped generalization? Describe the
experience and explain why you believe that you were subjected to
this kind of generalization.
2. Research
Each of the statements below violates at least one of the guidelines for
critical thinking. Identify the guideline that was violated and give a brief
explanation for your choice. Determine whether the statements are
expressing opinions or truth.
3. Self-evaluation
How do you assess these words: “terrorists,” “pretty,” “gay”? Are your
statements based on unfounded generalizations of facts?
Assessment
Multiple Choice. Underline the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter
on a separate sheet of paper.
1. Granting that the premises are true, the conclusion is necessarily also true.
Such an argument is . A. valid b. true c. strong d. cogent
2. It refers to the manner by which the premises necessarily support for the
conclusion. It is an essential attribute of deductive argument.
a. Truth b. validity c. soundness d. probability
3. A valid argument which at the same time consists of all true propositions is said
to be . A. True b. valid c. sound d. probable
4. The premise is false and the conclusion has a strong probability of being false.
This argument is . A. invalid b. unsound c. weak d. false
5. The premise is false but there is a high probability that the conclusion will
come true. This argument is . A. sound b. valid
c. true d. strong
6. The premise is true and the conclusion is highly to be true. This argument is
. A. invalid b. unsound c. false d. cogent
7. It aims to develop the habit of thinking easily, spontaneously, and effectively.
a. Science b. Art c. judgment d. logic
8. Without it, science would not be possible; and without science, human
civilization would not have gone this far.
a. Social Philosophy b. Theology c. logic d. Axiology
9. It enables one to pinpoint the defects of faulty argument.
a. logic b. common sense c. reasoning d. judgment
10. It helps one to explain exactly what is wrong with the arguments and to give the
flaw a name. a. logic b. common sense c. reasoning d. judgment
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Check Your Understanding
2. Give five examples of informal fallacies and how they occur in life. How can we
avoid fallacies?
Examples:
Mr. Domingo is not afraid of the dark. But Mr. Domingo is an MIT professor.
Thus, all MIT professors are not afraid of the dark. (Fallacy of Composition).
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Additional Activities
29
Answer Key
References
Calano, Mark Joseph., et al. 2016. Philosophizing and Being Human: A
textbook for Senior High School. Quezon City. Sibs Publishing
House, Inc.
Copi, Irving., and Carl Cohen. 2010. Introduction to Logic. 14th Ed. Pearson.
30
Module 4:
Methods of Philosophizing – Leading to Wisdom and Truth
What I Know
Examples:
1. Eskimos are very good hunters, but why they never hunt penguins. Why not?
31
2. You are in a cabin and its pitch black. You have one match on you. Which do
you light first, the newspaper, the lamp, the candle, or the fireplace? Explain
your answer.
3. There was an old man who lived by himself. He felt tired so he went to
into the bathroom, went to the toilet, and then turned the light off
before going to bed. The next morning there was a news flash on the
radio that a boat crashed. The man opened the window and jumped
out. Why?
What’s In
What’s New
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What is It
If one accepts one's limits or has the courage to say "I don't know," then it
becomes an honest appraisal of say, solving a problem. Only if one is able to be
willing to change one's point of view based on arising evidence and
continually re-examining ideas, can a more holistic perspective of truth be
arrived at.
What’s More
33
What I Have Learned
Debate Discussion
Apply the methods of philosophy. Construct arguments or present a
thesis regarding their agreement or disagreement on the given passage. You
can also choose a theme based on the research topic assignment from the
previous section. A student from the agreement or disagreement side will
be chosen. Only three (3) minutes are allotted to articulate or give reasons to
your stand. The class will pick the best and most effective argument. Criteria will
be based on the soundness, validity, and strength of the arguments.
Lesson
Evaluate Opinions
2
What’s In
What I Can Do
34
Use critique as a critical thinking activity. Assess and notate the
positive and negative aspects of them. The class can choose their own topic
for debate. In preparation for debate, divide up into teams. Develop thesis.
Construct arguments. Consider rebuttals and response. Teams not
competing will be judges.
Debate:
Criteria:
Total 25 points
Assessment
a. Many people believe that a dark tan is attractive and a sign of good health,
but mounting evidence indicates that too much sun can lead to health
problems. One of the most noticeable effects is premature aging of the skin.
- Joseph Morgan and Michael Morgan
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b. Every art and every inquiry and similarly every action and pursuit, is thought
to aim at some food; and for this reason, the good has rightly been declared
to be that at which all things aims. – Aristotle
c. The stakes in whistleblowing are high. Take the nurse who alleges that
physicians enrich themselves through unnecessary surgery.
- Sissela Bok
Additional Activities
1. Copy an article from the Internet, a newspaper, or magazine. Identify the facts
and opinions presented in the article. Determine how you will verify the facts and
opinions stated. Present your work in class.
2. Research on any idea or claim that is currently circulating in media and on the
Internet. Analyze it and determine if it is true or false. Discuss your analysis in
class.
References
Abella, Roberto D. 2016. Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person.
Quezon City. C& E Publishing, Inc.
Aristotle. Translated by Crisp, Rogers. 2000. Nichomachean Ethics.
United Kingdom. Cambridge University Press.
Calano, Mark Joseph., et al. 2016. Philosophizing and Being Human: A
textbook for Senior High School. Quezon City. Sibs Publishing
House, Inc.
Camiloza, Loreto., et al. 2016. Philosophy of the Human Person. An
Introductory text for Senior High School. Quezon City. Phoenix
Publishing House, Inc.
Double, Richard. 1999. Beginning Philosophy. New York: Oxford University
Press.
Maboloc, Christopher Ryan and Pascua II Edgar. 2008. Elements of Logic.
Quezon City. Rex Printing Company.
Ramos, Christine Carmela. 2016. Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human
Person. Manila. Rex Bookstore, Inc.
36
Module 5:
The Human Person as an Embodied Spirit
Quarter : First Quarter
Content Standard : The learner understands the human person as an
embodied spirit
Performance Standard : The learner distinguishes his/her own limitations and
the possibilities for his/her transcendence
Learning Outcomes (Syllabus): Share experiences that discern one’s limitations and
possibilities in understanding the human person as an
embodied spirit
Competencies (MELC) : Recognize how the human body imposes limits and
possibilities for transcendence
Duration : 1 week
Topics : Recognize how the human body imposes limits and
possibilities for transcendence
Though there are many aspects of transcendence, this lesson will cover three
main spiritual philosophies, namely: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity.
What I Know
Listening to Music:
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b. Share your insights about the music.
What’s In
B. Buddhism: Nirvana
Nirvana means the state in which one is absolutely free from all forms of bondage
and attachment. It means to overcome and remove the cause of suffering. It is also the
state of perfect insight into the nature of existence. The Buddhists see one who has attained
nirvana as one who is unencumbered from all the fetters that bind a human being to
existence (i.e., wealth). He has perfect knowledge, perfect peace, and perfect wisdom
(Aguilar 2010).
When the Buddha was asked whether one who, attains nirvana exists or ceases
to exist after death, he simply refused to answer the question and instead maintained
complete silence. The question is seen as inappropriate that any attempt to answer it
can only lead into the quagmire of idle metaphysical speculations and futile
philosophical disputes. The Buddha did not want his disciples to concern themselves
with purely speculative problems. Further, the Buddha's silence is due to his awareness
that nirvana is a state that transcends every mundane experience and hence cannot be
talked about;
38
for all talk is possible only within the perceptual-conceptual realm. Nirvana is beyond
the sense, language, and thought (Puligandla 2007).
Another false conception regarding nirvana is that one who attains it, cuts
himself/herself off from the world of toil, tears, and turmoil and spends his/her life in a
state of total inactivity and indifference to the world around him. Far from living a passive
life, the Buddha from the day of his enlightenment until death is always surrounded by
people (Puligandla2007). It is, thus, absurd to describe nirvana as a state of inactivity,
stupor, and indifference. One who has attained enlightenment is a non-attachment. This
means that as one attains wisdom, one desires nothing for himself but always works for
the well-being and liberation of his fellow humans.
This way of life conforms to Buddha's teaching that wisdom consists in treading
the Middle Way, avoiding the extreme of asceticism, inactivity, and indifference on the
one hand and that of frantic activity and mindless pursuit of pleasure on the other. The
nirvanic man, according to Puligandla (2007), is the true follower of the Buddha, in
that, he neither always sits absorbed in meditation nor is always involved in
activity. He is the living testimony that the middle way is indeed the way to
enlightenment.
For St. Augustine, physically we are free, yet morally bound to obey
the law. The Eternal law is God Himself. According to this law, humanity
must do well and avoid evil, hence, the existence of moral obligation in every
human being. Christian life is not easy. However, no human being should
become an end to himself. We are responsible to our neighbors as we are to
our own actions.
The truth of St. Augustine's message still rings true to this day. Despite
Augustine's period, which was decadent, are our times any less corrupt?
Innocence of heart and purity can only be gained by God's grace. God alone can
give that gift to some instantly or to others at the end of an entire life's struggle.
That gift, in itself, is a major triumph. Through prayer, modesty, fasting, and
other sound measures that the Church recommends, or God provides, can
purity of heart, mind, and body be maintained and daily lived (Johnston 2006).
39
Definitely, to live a chaste life is difficult. All are called to be chaste
whether married or single. For to be pure is also to be holy. Though all are
called to different lifestyles, all are called to be holy, pure, and chaste within
that lifestyle. Any lifestyle that does not include these virtues, even with
consenting individuals, is not pleasing to God; for it does not lead to holiness,
selflessness, and full honesty. For St. Augustine, though we are physically
free, one does not have a right to do anything if it is not morally right or if one
will hurt another. Rightness means pleasing God. God has given us a choice
to discern between right and wrong though we are often ignorant in this
manner unless we are wholly sincere, honest, and pure (Johnston 2006).
What’s More
1. How do you show love toward others? Friends? Family? People in need?
2. Rightness means pleasing God, can you give examples? If you are non-
Catholic, give examples of doing "right" actions.
3. Choose a song that you can relate to the topics of this section. You can opt
to sing this in class.
40
What I Can Do
Explore your own possibilities for transcendence. Copy and fill out the table
with the appropriate responses.
I want to be… I can achieve this by…
Assessment
1. How can our attachment to, or craving for worldly pleasures cause
suffering? Cite examples.
3. Give examples of how we are physically free but morally bound (St.
Augustin).
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Additional Activities
Guide Questions:
1. W hat i s f ai th?
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3. Cite the three things necessary for the salvation of humanity.
References
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Module 6:
Human Body Imposes Limits and Posibilities for Transcendence
This module will initially answer the question “What is to be human?” which
entails having two-dimensional character of being a body (an object) and a soul (a
subject). The body with all its passive desires is responsible for setting limitations to
our life-projects while the soul which is the seat of freedom is responsible for
transcending these limitations and help us pursue persistently our life possibilities.
As there is no unbroken harmony between these two dimensions, each of us has to
struggle between them and ultimately consent to our embodied life and the world as
something we do not fully create. The fragile resolution of this tension ultimately
makes human freedom genuinely our own. This, in the end, gives us our distinctive
identity as being “embodied, free, rational, creative, moral, and finite.”
What I Know
Ako ay Ako
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Ako ay nakakita, nakaririnig, nakadarama, nakaiisip, nakapagsasalita
at nakagagawa
Lesson
The Human Person as an Embodied Spirit
1
What’s In
What’s New
St. Augustine
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For Augustine (354-430 CE), philosophy is amor sapiential, the love of
wisdom; its aim is to produce happiness. However, for Augustine, wisdom is not
just an abstract logical construction; but it is substantially existent as the Divine
Logos. Hence, philosophy is the love of God: it is then, religious.
Teachings of Christianity are based on the love of God, which Augustine's,
Aquinas, and Anselm's arguments are basically rooted.
Philosophie
What is It
We must first of all prove that truth is attainable by reason. Does not all
knowledge come from sensation, and does not the sense constantly deceive us?
For St. Augustine, even if we grant that the senses yield no certainty in
themselves so that we can always doubt their reports, one thing we cannot
doubt, and that is the fact that we doubt. Here, then, is absolute certainty.
Now, if we doubt, we are and as doubting we must be living and rational
beings. We have then established with certainty three grades or levels of
existence: mere being, living being, and rational being. This certainty has been
established, not by turning outward through sensation to the external world,
but by turning inward to the soul itself.
Only the pure in heart shall see God; the progress in knowledge and wisdom
is not only speculative, it is more fundamentally practical and moral. Augustine's
theory of knowledge is at one with the procedures of speculative mysticism. From
this mystic love and intuition of God follow all the principles to direct humanity in
all their undertakings.
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St. Thomas Aquinas
What’s More
1. Choose a time and place where you can spend a short time quietly alone with
God. Read the brief quotation from this Sunday's scripture readings. Turn it
over in your mind, picture a loving, caring God speaking these words to you
personally. When you are ready, write or share your reflection and then pray.
3. You can also watch a film that shows how one is able to go beyond one's
selfishness or limitations.
What’s In
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in tune with the mystery of our own being, and with the mystery of life that
transcends us.
A. Forgiveness
When we forgive, we are freed from our anger and bitterness because of
the actions and/or words of another. On the other hand, the hardness of our
heart is reinforced by whole series of rational arguments.
C. Vulnerability
D. F a i l u r e
E. Loneliness
Our loneliness can be rooted from our sense of vulnerability and fear
of death. This experience is so common. However, it is our choice to live in
an impossible world where we are always "happy" or to accept a life where
solitude and companionship have a part. With our loneliness, we can realize
that our dependence on other people or gadgets is a possessiveness that
we can be free from.
F. Love
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To love is to experience richness, positivity, and transcendence.
Whether in times of ecstatic moments or struggles, the love for a friend,
between family members or a significant person, can open in us something
in the other which takes us beyond ourselves. Life is full of risks, fears and
commitment, pain and sacrificing and giving up thing/s we want for the
sake of the one we love. In a Buddhist view, the more we love, the more risks
and fears there are in life (Aguilar 2010).
What I can do
Share with your classmate/friend the period that you faced failures.
Guide Questions:
Spontaneous Collaboration
Assessment
2. Explain
"To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith,
no explanation is possible.” - St. Thomas Aquinas
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Additional Activities
References
Aguilar, Pido. 2010. The Gift of Abundance. Manila. Claretian Publications.
Edwards, Denis. 1983. Human Experience of God. New Jersey. Paulist Press.
Merton, Thomas. 1948. The Seven Storey Mountain. New York: New American
Library.
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Module 7:
The Human Person in the Environment
Quarter : First Quarter
Content Standard : The learner understands the interplay between
humans and their environments
Performance Standard : The learner is able to demonstrate the virtues of
prudence and frugality towards his/her environment
Learning Outcomes (Syllabus): Present a slogan that validates the virtues of
prudence and frugality in understanding the interplay
between humans and their environments
Competencies (MELC) : Notice things that are not in their proper place and
organize them in an aesthetic way
Duration : 1 week
Topics : Lesson 1 – Notice Disorder in the Universe; and
Lesson 2 – Notice Things that are not in Their
Proper Place and Organize Them in an
Aesthetic Way
"What is the world made of?", "How did the world come into being?",
and "How can we explain the process of change?" were philosophical questions
already brought up approximately 600 B.C.E. in the Western Ionian seaport
town of Miletus across the Aegean Sea from Athens, Greece. Because Ionia was
a meeting place between the East and West, Greek philosophy may have
Oriental as well as Egyptian and Babylonian influences. In both East and West,
philosophers 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, while Greek thinkers viewed nature through cognitive and
scientific eyes (Price 2000).
What I Know
Search for Louis Armstrong’s song What a Wonderful World. Listen and
sing the song (together with family). You can watch the video clips as guide.
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After singing, discuss:
a. How did the song regard the environment? How did the song see the
human person in the environment?
Lesson
Notice Disorder in the Universe
1
What’s In
The study for instance, established that the damage is not inevitable but
a consequence of our choices. Accordingly, humanity needs to develop an
"ecological conscience" based on individual responsibility. Ecologists
challenge us to adopt a lifestyle that involves simple living that honors the
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right of all life forms to live, flourish, and create a rich diversity of human and
nonhuman life.
Destruction of Property:
War Poverty
What’s More
2. Based on the previous images, what could be improper? Are you happy
with what you see or experience in nature? How will you organize or
improve the environment or world that you belong to?
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Lesson Notice Things that are not in Their Proper
Place and Organize Them in an
2 Aesthetic Way
A. Ancient Thinkers
Anaximander
Pythagoras
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B. Modern Thinkers
Immanuel Kant
Ultimately, Kant believes that the orderliness of nature and the harmony
of nature with our faculties guide us toward a deeper religious perspective.
This vision of the world is not limited to knowledge and freedom or even to
faith, in the ordinary sense of the term. It is a sense of cosmic harmony.
Understanding our relationship with the environment can also refer to the
human beings with ecology and nature. For Herbert Marcuse, humanity had
dominated nature. There can only be change if we will change our attitude towards
our perception of the environment. Moreover, for Mead, as human beings, we do not
have only rights but duties. We are not only citizens of the community but how we react
to this community and in our reaction to it, change it.
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Make my ears sharp to hear your voice.
Make me wise so that I may know the things that you have Taught your children...
The lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock...
Make me strong so that I may not be superior to other people, But able to fight
my greatest enemy; which is myself
Make me every ready to come to you with straight eyes So that, when life
fades as the fading sunset,
I may come to you without shame.
Guided Learning:
1. Discussion: Compare the importance of nature from the ancient to the modern
era.
What I Can Do
a) Answer how you can organize the following images in a more aesthetic way?
b) Draw and submit to class.
c) Discuss your drawings in class.
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Assessment
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References
Elgin, Duane. 2009. The Living Universe. California: Berrett-Koehler
Publishers, Inc.
Goldblatt, David and Brown, Lee. 2010. Aesthetics (3rd ed.) Pearson education.
Quito, Emerita. 1991. The Emerging philosophy of East and West. Manila. De
La Salle University Press.
Solomon, Robert and Higgins, Kathleen. 2010. The Big Question. A Short
Introduction to Philosophy. CA. Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
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Module 8:
Demonstrating the Virtues of Prudence and Frugality
toward Environment
Quarter : First Quarter
Content Standard : The learner understands the interplay between
humans and their environments
Performance Standard : The learner is able to demonstrate the virtues of
prudence and frugality towards his/her environment
Learning Outcomes (Syllabus): Present a slogan that validates the virtues of
prudence and frugality in understanding the interplay
between humans and their environments
Competencies (MELC) : (1.) show that care for the environment contributes to
health, well-being and sustainable development; and
(2.) demonstrate the virtues of prudence and frugality
towards his/her environment.
Duration : 1 week
Topics : Lesson 1 – show that care for the environment
contributes to health, well-being and
sustainable development; and
Lesson 2 – demonstrate the virtues of prudence and
Frugality towards his/her environment.
The kind of relationship that human being establishes with the environment
depends on how he/she perceives it. Human being sees and considers the
environment as an erratic and disorderly thing that needs to be analyzed, reformed
and reshaped through the cultural tools of science and technology in the service of
the human self.
What I Know
Interactive Work
Hold each other’s hand and share with the person in your right and left your
visions or how do you imagine the world to be.
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Lesson Show that Care for the Environment
Contributes to Health, Wellbeing, and
1 Sustainable Development
What’s In
This lesson highlights the early Greek thinkers and Taoists views that
human being is merely a part of nature. Many environmentalists argue for
limiting all types of consumption and economic activity when these damage
the environment. Care and respect for all life forms should not be seen as a fad
but as an imperative. As humanity becomes ever busier, we are reminded of
our dependence on other life forms. Coexistence with community and re-
examining our attitude to nature calls for a new order.
More so, this lesson adheres to coexistence with all things, thus,
enlarging our awareness of the universe. This lesson concurs with Taoist belief
and other thinkers who view humanity as merely one element, no more and no
less important than all the other elements of the natural world.
What’s New
There are numerous theories to show care for the environment aside
from the ecocentric model such as deep ecology, social ecology, and
ecofeminism to name some.
A. Deep Ecology
B. Social Ecology
C. Ecofeminism
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nature and humanity means removing the superior vs. inferior in human relations.
What is It
What’s More
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Lesson Demonstrate the Virtues of Prudence and
2 Frugality toward Environment
Erich Fromm
Arising from the discussions, Fromm (2013) proposed a new society that
should encourage the emergence of a new human being that will foster prudence
and moderation or frugality toward environment. These are some of the functions
of Fromm's envisioned society:
The ideals of this society cross all party lines; for protecting nature
needs focused conservation, action, political will, and support from industry. If
all these sectors agree on the same goals, the possibility of change would
seem to be considerably greater, especially since most citizens have become
less and less interested in party loyalty and slogans.
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Guided Learning:
What I Can Do
You observed that your place is lacking trees, and every time heavy rains
come, it floods the whole area. As a young and concerned citizen, what would you do
to address such concerns of the community?
Assessment
Anthropocentric Model
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Ecocentric Model
5. How do you understand the meaning of frugality and prudence toward the
environment? Cite three examples.
Additional Activities
Organize a local tour. Students will have a nature walk where they will
not just be able to exercise by walking but be at one with nature. Teachers or
guardians must be present to assist students. Terrains of the site must be
studied carefully prior to the occasion. Give feedback and reflection on this
activity.
2. Gardening (Optional)
If nature walk is not possible, students can opt for gardening. If the school has
a yard, improve the landscape. If the school has no garden yet, this is the chance to
plant seeds and/or put in pots of flowers or vegetables to create a view of panoramic
"greens!' Design the perimeters creatively (i.e., paint). Take pictures and write your
reflection on this activity.
3. If your class cannot do either of these suggested activities, you can invite
speaker/s from PAWS (The Philippine Animal Welfare Society), WWF (WorldWild Fund
for Nature), or DENR (Department of Environmental and Natural Resources), and hold a
symposium.
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References
Calano, Mark Joseph., et al. 2016. Philosophizing and Being Human: A
textbook for Senior High School. Quezon City. Sibs Publishing
House, Inc.
Erich, Fromm. 2013. To Have or To Be? New York: Harper and Row
Publishers Inc.
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