forces are already at work today, and they have humankind’s dreams
INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN on their side. We don’t want to be on the other side. It is up to us to
PERSON
PART I: INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY
Etymological Definition of Philosophy
The word philosophy is derived from the Greek “philo” meaning
“love”, and “sophia", meaning “wisdom” or “knowledge”. The literal
definition of philosophy is therefore, “love of wisdom”. [Zulueta, 2010]
Wisdom outweighs any wealth. [Sophocles]
Philosophy as a Concept
Philosophy is a system of beliefs about reality. It is one's
integrated view of the world. It includes an understanding of the
nature of existence, man, and his role in the world. It is a necessary
product of man’s rational mind.
Philosophy as a Process
Philosophy is employed as a method of inquiry. It is an
engagement in the search for the meaning of life, its value and
relevance. It is a process for finding significance in existence.
To live, man must gain knowledge of the world. To understand
the world, man must form conclusions about its very nature. For
instance, to gain knowledge of particular objects, man must recognize
that objects have identity. He must recognize that conclusions are
possible because the world does exist, and exists in a particular way.
Philosophy provides the framework for which man can
understand the world. It provides the premises by which man can
discover truth and use his mind to support his life. Every man has an
understanding of the world. Every man must have a philosophy, even
if it is never made explicit.
Philosophy as the Foundation of Knowledge
Philosophy is the standard by which ideas are integrated and
understood. It has been regarded as the sum and summit of human
knowledge, as the “scientia scientiarium” — the science of the sciences
and the compendium of all learning. All the branches of learning in
fact, sprang from philosophy’s womb, so that she is rightly called the
“mater” and the “matrix” of all knowledge. [Montemayor, 1995]
Purpose of Philosophy
It is philosophy that digs into the root causes of man’s problems
and discovers the true solutions and remedies to human ills.
[Montemayor, 1995]
Philosophy helps us to free and expand our minds. Through it,
we will be able to grasp and comprehend the complexities of life; and,
we will find that there is more to existence than the doing of mundane
routine tasks. We will find that we can do something to make things
better for all of us. [Montemayor, 1995]
Philosophy is all about making sense of the human experience.
Philosophy leads to enlightenment and action.
Philosophy is used at present to unify, synthesize, universalize,
interpret and explain more deeply the enormous pile of factual but
piecemeal, particular, unrelated findings, data, and information
accumulated by the modern sciences — for a more comprehensive and
universal concept of man. [Montemayor, 1995]
The study of philosophy will always be an important feature of
human experience and its importance in the development of the
complete social being, ready to take on his responsibility in this rapidly
changing world. [Zulueta, 2010]
Philosophy makes man think about the basic foundations of his
outlook in life, his knowledge and his beliefs. It makes an individual
inquire into the reasons for what he accepts and does and into the
importance of his ideas and ideals in the hope that his final convictions
will change as a result of this examination. [Zulueta, 2010]
“The new technologies give proof of the human being’s
intellectual capacity. Can we really believe that we are incapable of
applying that same intellectual power to solving the great problems the
world faces, overpopulation, pollution and poverty chief among them?
Can we believe that the beleaguered peoples of the world will long be
tolerant of those who possess the tools but who can’t make them work
for the good of humankind everywhere? There is going to be social
and political and economic evolution, which will explode with such
suddenness as to have the character of revolution. The revolutionary
assume leadership of that revolution, to channel it in a direction that
will ensure freedom’s future”. [Walter Cronkite, A Reporter’s Life,
1996]
Man experiences his own life as a problem. Being a thinking
creature, he realizes his life depends on what he makes it. Being free,
he realizes he can decide; he is responsible for his actions. He turns to
philosophy only to discover that reality is not something only out there,
but that it also involves him. The quality of his life depends on “his
own free response”. [Robert Johann, American Philosopher]
“And hey, if you said “No” one too many times, buck up, little
buckaroo. It’s never too late to start living…pursue your dreams…leave
your comfort zone…test the waters”. [Rob Cohen and David Wollock,
Been There, Done That!]
Branches of Philosophy
1. Metaphysics
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy responsible for the study
of existence. It is the foundation of a worldview. It answers the
question "What is?" It encompasses everything that exists, as well as
the nature of existence itself. It says whether the world is real, or
merely an illusion. It is a fundamental view of the world around us.
Metaphysics is the foundation of philosophy. Without an
explanation or an interpretation of the world around us, we would be
helpless to deal with reality. We could not feed ourselves, or act to
preserve our lives. The degree to which our metaphysical worldview is
correct is the degree to which we are able to comprehend the world,
and act accordingly. Without this firm foundation, all knowledge
becomes suspect. Any flaw in our view of reality will make it more
difficult to live.
2. Epistemology
Epistemology is the study of our method of acquiring knowledge.
It answers the question, "How do we know?" It encompasses the
nature of concepts, the constructing of concepts, the validity of the
senses, logical reasoning, as well as thoughts, ideas, memories,
emotions, and all things mental. It is concerned with how our minds
are related to reality, and whether these relationships are valid or
invalid.
Epistemology is the explanation of how we think. It is required in
order to be able to determine the true from the false, by determining a
proper method of evaluation. It is needed in order to use and obtain
knowledge of the world around us. Without epistemology, we could
not think. More specifically, we would have no reason to believe our
thinking was productive or correct, as opposed to random images
flashing before our mind. With an incorrect epistemology, we would
not be able to distinguish truth from error. The consequences are
obvious. The degree to which our epistemology is correct is the degree
to which we could understand reality, and the degree to which we
could use that knowledge to promote our lives and goals. Flaws in
epistemology will make it harder to accomplish anything.
3. Logic
Logic is a branch of philosophy which deals with the nature of
thinking and reasoning using empirical support—data and information
that are objective, valid, reliable, quantifiable, and defensible to
establish the truth. According to Aristotle, logic is an indispensable
foundation of all types of knowledge. [Francisco Zulueta]
4. Ethics
Ethics is the branch of study dealing with what is the proper
course of action for man. It answers the question, "What do I do?" It
is the study of right and wrong in human endeavors. At a more
fundamental level, it is the method by which we categorize our values
and pursue them. Do we pursue our own happiness, or do we sacrifice
ourselves to a greater cause? Is that foundation of ethics based on the
Bible, or on the very nature of man himself, or neither?
Ethics is a requirement for human life. It is our means of
deciding a course of action. Without it, our actions would be random
and aimless. There would be no way to work towards a goal because
there would be no way to pick between a limitless number of goals.
Even with an ethical standard, we may be unable to pursue our goals
with the possibility of success. To the degree which a rational ethical
standard is taken, we are able to correctly organize our goals and
actions to accomplish our most important values. Any flaw in our
ethics will reduce our ability to be successful in our endeavors.

4.1 Politics
Politics is ethics applied to a group of people. Politics tells you
how a society must be set up and how one should act within a society.
The requirement for a political system is that the individuals within that
system are allowed to fully function according to their nature. If that's
not the case, they will either rebel, as in Czarist Russia, or the system
will eventually collapse, as in Communist Russia.
Reason is man's prime means of survival. A human being cannot
survive in an environment where reason is ineffective, and will thrive
or starve to a degree in proportion to the effectiveness of reason. This
means that the prime goal of a political system must be the
preservation and enabling of the faculty of reason.
Reason does not function under coercion. A man can be forced
to act at the point of a gun, but he cannot be forced to think. Likewise,
in an environment where might makes right, reason cannot function
because the fruits of rationality cannot be enjoyed. Why plant crops
and domesticate animals if any raider can come by and take them
from you?
A moral political system must ban coercion. Or put another way,
a moral political system must ban the initiation of force, since
retaliatory force is both just and necessary. This means there must be
some way to keep one person from killing, threatening, or robbing
another. This is accomplished by bestowing on government a
monopoly on retaliatory force and objectifying laws.
5. Aesthetics
Aesthetics is the study of art. It includes what art consists of, as
well as the purpose behind it. Does art consist of music, literature, and
painting? Or does it include a good engineering solution, or a beautiful
sunset? These are the questions that aimed at in esthetics. It also
studies methods of evaluating art, and allows judgments of the art. Is
art in the eye of the beholder? Does anything that appeals to you fit
under the umbrella of art? Or does it have a specific nature? Does it
accomplish a goal?
Art has existed through all of recorded human history. It is
unique to humans because of our unique form of thinking. Its
importance is based on this nature, specifically, man's ability to
abstract. Art is a little understood tool of man to bring meaning to
abstract concept. Aesthetics is important because it delves into the
reason why art has always existed, the burning need of mankind
through the ages to see the world in a different, clear way. It further
evaluates art by the standard of human life, and whether it
accomplishes the job of satisfying man's intellectual needs, or whether
it tends to hurt or make worse those needs.
PART II: PHILOSOPHICAL INQUIRY
It is in the nature of philosophy that man searches for the
meaning of himself and his world. It can truly be said that philosophy
was born the very first time man started wondering at what he saw
around him. [Corazon Cruz, 1987]
Philosophy is a dedicated search for meaning. Once it is started it
“consumes” the whole person—his attention, concentration, interest,
and effort. A philosopher can hardly afford distractions as he goes on
his “search”. He observes, reads, reflects, and writes. He does so
without let-up until the answer is found, or if the answer is not yet
found, the conviction is reached that for the moment at least he has
found the best possible although still imperfect solution. [Corazon
Cruz, 1987]
The Philosophical Method of Inquiry
The Philosophical Method of Inquiry is not pure reasoning. It
includes contemplation combined with and confirmed by experience,
observation, and introspection. In other words, the approach is similar
to the scientific / rational method but it is coupled with philosophical
reflection—
1. Identifying the problem;
2. Organizing and evaluating the data;
3. Proposing the hypothesis;
4. Testing the hypothesis;
5. Discovering the truths [Conclusion]
6. Applying principles to specific cases
[Philosophical Reflection]
The Philosophical Method of Inquiry is applicable to solving the
mysteries of the human person because what is involved are non-
empiriological component which cannot be revealed or disclosed by
purely empirical and experimental analyses, however penetrating and
efficient these may be. [Felix Montemayor, 1995]
The goal of Philosophical Inquiry is the making of sound
judgments about all that man does.
Philosophy as a body of organized and unified knowledge can be
attained through scientific investigation. As a science, it rejects myth,
hearsay and wishful thinking and makes conclusions using empirical
evidence.
Philosophy has been described as a science because it deals with
the study of the process governing thought and conduct.
The Modes of Philosophical Inquiry
1. Logic. The first condition for an adequate philosophy is
theoretical coherence. This means trying to make sense of self-
awareness vis-à-vis the environment. This means trying to relate the
meanings of life as a logical whole, to make sense of them on the level
of thought.
“…this we do affirm—that if truth is to be sought in every division
of Philosophy, we must, before all else, possess trustworthy principles
and methods for the discernment of truth. Now the Logical Branch [of
Philosophy] is that which includes the theory of criteria and of proofs;
so it is with this that we ought to make our beginnings”. [Sextus
Empiricus]
2. Phenomenology. This accepts the fact that theoretical
coherence is not enough, for this may not have practical relevance.
Logical patterns can have independence all their own and, therefore,
need to be complemented and continually tested by what we may call
phenomenological adequacy. This refers to logic vis-à-vis human
experience. It pertains to the relationship between empirical
observations and the totality of human experience.
“When you’ve eliminated the impossible, whatever remains,
however improbable, must be the truth”. [Sherlock Holmes, The Sign
of Four, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1890]
3. Meta-Pragmatics. Philosophy must self-consciously plan itself
in the context and service of human life. It refers to the formulation of
an ideal of human wholeness.
PART III: HUMAN EMBODIMENT
The study of man himself is called philosophical anthropology.
This study is unique in the sense that man is the subject as well as the
object of knowledge.
Human Composition
1. Monism. This theory holds that man is composed of one basic
substance or principle as the ground of reality. In other words, the
reality of man consists of a single element, whether matter or spirit.
2. Dualism. This theory holds that man is made up of two irreducible
elements—matter and spirit.
a. First View. Man’s matter and spirit are two independent
entities and they interact with each other. As two independent
elements, it is possible for the spirit and the body to either temporarily
or permanently separate at a particular period of time.
The temporary condition may be when the person becomes
unconscious or in a clinical state of comatose; or permanent, when the
person dies and the physical body decomposes. This view was
supported / advocated by St. Thomas Aquinas, Carl Jung and Sigmund
Freud.
According to Karl Rahner: We are a unity of body and soul. Body
and soul are equally real, true, radical, substantial, and original. They
are neither uniform nor deducible from each other. There is no
existential cleavage between them. Yet they can be distinguished from
each other. Soul is the form of the body. We can never encounter
mere body and never encounter pure soul.
b. Second View. Man is matter-spirit.
c. Third View [Biblical View]. Man is made up of body, soul, and
spirit.
The body is the external, physical part of man which he uses for
seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling. Through the body, he
is able to have physical contact with his environment.
 The soul, which is regarded as a distinct entity from the body
and the spiritual part of man is something that cannot be seen and
constitutes the inner part of man, i.e., the mind and the will.
According to Aristotle: There are living things and non-living
things. The soul is the characteristic activity of living things. The body
is alive if it has a soul.
The spirit is the innermost part of man. It is a “supernatural” and
“incorporeal” being with which man communicates with God. It is the
essential part of man’s nature, the heart of human life.
A. MAN AS THE LIVING OR METAPHYSICAL PARADOX
1. Man as Finite and Infinite; Mortal and Immortal
Man is finite and infinite, mortal and immortal. “Man is flesh
[and] spirit in divided union” [Felix Montemayor].
Flesh and spirit are antithetical realities: the first is a tangible and
material substance while the second is just the opposite. Yet the two
seemingly contradictory concepts are realized and united intimately in
man. Hence they are one yet divided, conjoined yet disjoined. Hence,
man paradoxically speaking, is the “divided union”—the disjunction-
conjunction of opposites. [Felix Montemayor]
2. Man as Individual and Universal
As a living existential reality, man is invested with individuality,
i.e., with individuating, differentiating, accidental characteristics, such
as height, weight, complexion, sex, size, and all those qualities by
which he is physically and personally identified. As a human being he
shares the same human nature with all other men, and is therefore a
universal human entity.
3. Man as Changing and Permanent
The most undeniable fact about man is that he constantly
changes. Yet equally undeniable and indisputable is that he remains
unchanged by change. He remains the same before, during, and after
the change. For example, in the Law of Obligation and Contracts, the
same person who borrowed money, say 10 years ago, is the same
person to pay despite the many changes that took place in him in the
interval—physical, physiological, psychological, etc. [Montemayor,
1995]
B. MAN AS A BIOLOGICAL BEING
1. Man and His Body
There’s no greater dynamism in life than life itself. The odds of
life’s existing are rare, but once it starts it’s very difficult to stop. And
we are part of that dynamic process of life: cells dividing and finding
new ways to beat the odds. [Tim Allen, Don’t Stand too Close to a
Naked Man]
Being a part of the physical order of nature, man develops size,
weight, shape and color and other biological attributes followed
naturally by other living things. He is able to reproduce. “He occupies
space and moves through time” and is “subject to the laws of
gravitation”.
Our bodies are constantly changing. They exhibit defect,
vulnerability, change, and decay. They bear the intimations of our
mortality. The way we perceive and feel about our own bodies
contribute significantly to the way we perceive and feel about the
world.
What's your tongue worth? If you're Gennaro Pelliccia, an Italian
coffee taster, the answer is $ 13.9 million. That's how much he insured
his taste buds for. Here are more body parts insured for business
reasons:
Tom Jones's chest hair—$ 7 million
Dolly Parton's breasts—$ 600,000
Riverdance creator and star Michael Flatley's feet—$ 39 million
Winemaker Ilja Gort’s nose —$8 million
Heidi Klum's right leg—1.2 million
Heidi Klum’s left leg —$ 1 million [there's a scar on it]
[Reader's Digest]
Four surgeons were on a lunch break talking about their work.
The first surgeon said, "I think accountants are the easiest to operate
on. You open them up and everything inside is numbered."
The second surgeon said, "I think librarians are the easiest to
operate on. You open them up and everything inside is in alphabetical
order.
The third surgeon said, "I like to operate on electricians. You
open them up and everything inside is color coded."
The fourth surgeon said, "I like to operate on lawyers. They're
spineless, gutless, and their heart isn't there." [Jordan Seaward,
Reader's Digest]
When a body was brought to her funeral home, my friend
contacted the next of kin. Per previous instructions, the deceased
would be cremated, she told him, so he needed to come in to identify
the body.
Considering the task at hand, the relative asked, "Does this need
to be done before or after the cremation?" [Janice Pierson, All In A
Day's Work, Reader's Digest]
My mother is a dog lover. One day, she was feeding our 23 dogs
when one of my uncles called. She answered the phone hastily, and
received the good news that my aunt was pregnant. Preoccupied with
her dogs, she replied, "When she gives birth, I would like to have the
spotted one." [Emily Anne T. Aquino, Life!, Reader's Digest
C. MAN AS AN EMBODIED SUBJECT
1. Man as More than his Body
The statement “man is an embodied subject” implies that our
bodies are not accessories. Our bodies are essential to our being
integrated persons. Our bodies are symbols of interiority and are
subject to the laws of the material world. Bodily existence also means
that we must accept our genetic endowment, which sets the baseline
for certain possibilities and limitations to our physical, intellectual, and
psychological capacities. [Maria Imelda Nabor-Nery, Philosophy of
Man, 2007]
“Man is not only body, but he is something infinitely higher. Of all
[the] animal creation[s] of God, man is the only animal who has been
created in order that he may know his maker. Man’s aim in life is not
to add from day to day to his material prospects and to his material
possessions but his predominant calling is from day to day to come
nearer to his maker”. [Mohandas Ghandi, 1948].
The word “have” in the sentence “I have a body” means
possession. Now this is different from “I have a book”, although both
statements refer to possession. First because I cannot dispose of my
body in the way I can dispose of my book; second, I is not equal to
“my body”, I am more than my body. [Engelbert J. Van Croonenberg;
Corazon Cruz, 1987]
Man is “himself”, while a thing is “another’s”. Man calls himself
“me”; and he calls his possessions “mine”.
“Animal nature, however perfect, is far from representing the
human being in its completeness; and in truth, is but humanity’s
handmaid, made to serve and obey”. [Pope Leo XIII]
“Man is of the earth, but his thoughts are with the stars. Mean
and petty his wants and desires; yet they serve a soul exalted with
grand glorious aims—with immortal longings—with thoughts which
sweep the heavens and wander through eternity. A pigmy standing on
the outward crust of this small planet, his far-reaching spirit, stretches
outward to the infinite, and there alone finds rest.” [Thomas Carlyle,
English Essayist (1785-1880)]
The body is not something that one has. The body is essentially
oneself. This implies that human existence, though made manifest in a
physical way through the body, is a primordial experience of
transcendence. Transcendence means that: “I am my body but at the
same time I am more than my body. The things that I do, all those
physical activities and attributes which are made real through my
body, reveals the person that I am”. Transcendence in this sense,
means that man is a meaningful whole, an embodied spirit who puts
meaning into his life.
The meaning of human existence, man’s being in the world is
most felt in man’s direct involvement in the world. It is not abstract. It
is not ideal. It is to be found in the awareness of the concrete ends of
human action. [Maboloc, 2009]
Man as Greater than other Animals
Man is endowed with superior intelligence and is the highest
form of animal whose activities are determined and regulated by
natural laws that govern all matter in the physical environment.
The traits and characteristics which differentiate man from other
forms of animals are his social, cultural, and intellectual attributes.
1. Language. Man has the ability to communicate, compose
sentences, and carry on intelligent conversation. Communication is an
essential means by which people are linked together to achieve a
common purpose for the common good.
 2. Creativity. Man’s highly developed brain enables him to invent
or create. Because of his power of imagination, he can make tools,
machines, devices to make his life easier and enjoyable.
3. Social and Legal Perspective. Man as a social being passes
laws, establishes rules of conduct and develops policies that reflect his
needs and that of others.
4. Historical Consciousness. Man is conscious of history, the
branch of knowledge dealing with significant past events that affect his
life and that of others.
5. Aesthetic Taste. Man has aesthetic taste and appreciation.
6. Ethics. Man values right and wrong to promote order in his life
and in his society.
7. Faith or Creed. Man is a religious being. He engages and
worships a super being to whom he owes allegiance, loyalty and
respect. He gets involved in ritual and ceremonial practices that
provide him spirit nourishment.
A man studied the restaurant menu long and hard, and finally
turned to the waiter for help.
"Well," said the waiter, "today our special is chicken on a bed of
wild rice with green beans almondine and a nice side salad."
"That sounds great. How is your chicken prepared?"
"We break it to him very gently and tell him it's nothing
personal." [Reader's Digest]
One day Lion summoned all the other animals in the jungle.
"Each of you must tell a joke," he said. "But if anyone fails to laugh, I'll
kill the person who told it. Monkey, you go first."
Monkey began, "Two men go into a bar..."
When he delivered the punchline, everyone roared with laughter,
except Tortoise. So Lion pounced on Monkey and killed him.
Next up was Elephant. He told his joke and, again, everyone
laughed except Tortoise. So Lion pounced on Elephant and killed him.
The animals were furious with Tortoise, but no one dared to
move.
Tiger began his joke, but when he was about one sentence in,
Tortoise suddenly rolled over and began kicking his feet in the air,
giggling his head off.
"What's wrong with you?" roared an irate Lion. "Tiger sin'tven
finished with his gag, yet!"
"I'm sorry," said Tortoise gasping between laughs, "but Monkey's
joke was simply too funny!" [Joanna Kingsley, Reader's Digest]
PART IV. HUMAN SUBJECTIVITY
Self-Awareness
Subjectivity means that each person possesses the freedom and
the intrinsic capacity to look into the core of his being and ask himself
questions about the truth of his life. [Maboloc, 2009].
It is only through his own being that man comes in contact with
reality. The experience of self necessarily has many modalities, but
there is one basic experience which makes all others possible and
without which they could not be. It is the experience of one’s own
existence. [Engelbert J. Van Croonenberg; Corazon Cruz, 1987]
Man is self-aware. He is conscious. And to be conscious is to be
conscious of a real world. Consciousness only becomes real by being
immersed in the word. Thus, as a being, man can move his body in
relation to whatever possibilities the world presents. [Paul Ricoeur]
Thrownness
Part of what it means to be who you are is to realize that you are
thrown into this situation, into a world that has this past and this
history and this culture surrounding it. You surely didn’t put yourself
there. Nonetheless, there you are! And that shows that the ways in
which you can understand yourself and the world, or the ways in
which you can be affected by the world, are already given to you as a
part of your thrown nature. You’re thrown, against your will, into the
whole enchilada! [Christopher Panza and Gregory Gale].
I am a being-in-the world and a being-with-others. I am in
contact with things and persons. I am part of the space structure and
time constellation, which are inherent in this world. As a subject, man
is a being who participates in the world. Being in a situation means
one is able to respond to the demands of an event through the
conscious act of willing and doing. Thus, man is not only conscious of
a self, but is conscious of a world. Man is not just an ego. He
transcends it. The world always presents itself to man as something
that he can transform. [Maboloc, 2009; Engelbert J. Van Croonenberg;
Corazon Cruz, 1987]
Man has the fundamental character of being always already
thrown. By being thrown into the world, man has “the power to be in
the world.” This “power to be” means that man realizes who he is by
being in the world. The world exists as man’s horizon of possibilities
and meaning. The world exists as man’s potentiality for being.
I am a being-in-situation. Situation stands here for that zone of
reality which is influenced by me and which influences me. Many
elements of my situation are not of my own making. I did not choose
my parents, my country, the time of my birth. On the other hand,
there are elements where my free action is decisive: choice of friends,
interests, and activities. [Engelbert J. Van Croonenberg; Corazon Cruz,
1987]
As an embodied being, man is also a being-for-death. The
common man tries to avoid its very possibility, but the philosopher,
who wants to come to the ultimate root of all reality cannot leave it
unconsidered. Death gets its full meaning only in relation to life of
which it is the end. Man’s view of life will necessarily influence his
understanding of death. [Engelbert J. Van Croonenberg; Corazon Cruz,
1987]
Self-Examination
To be a subject demands self-examination. This is because man
is morally obliged to know himself if he wants to live well. Outside
there exists a crowd, a crowd that tempts every man and woman
towards an inauthentic existence. Being dissolved in them means being
dissolved in the “they-self” or the uncaring self that knows nothing
except the pleasure of the crowd. It also means being immersed in
routine where man loses his wonder and the hunger of the human
spirit. [Maboloc, 2009]
I am more than my life. “I live my life” is different from “my life
is lived”. The first means I am the master of my life. The second
means I am a slave, dictated upon by others, such as the media.
[Engelbert J. Van Croonenberg; Corazon Cruz, 1987]
Projection
Man sees himself as a project that needs to be realized. He
directs himself to a future where he is able to realize his possibilities in
the world. The task of man is the realization of his being, and this
happens in a world which serves as the field for the fulfillment of his
existential possibilities. [Maboloc]
As long as man is in the world, he is a “not yet.” He is not
complete. He is not whole. Man continually realizes himself in the
world in terms of his possibilities. To be in the world therefore means
to be an unfinished project. This means that man, being ahead-of-
himself, projects himself in the world. This projection means that man
is continually actualizing his potentialities for existence. [Maboloc].
Man as Dynamic and Unfinished
As long as man is alive, he is not yet finished. Thus, there is
nothing final in man as long as he is living. His finality, his completion,
only comes to him in death, where man will no longer be. Death, if
seen from the context of a whole, is the fulfillment of the being of
man. It is a condition where man is no longer possible, and as such,
man no longer stands up in the light of being. In death, man loses his
power to be, and as such he no longer is. [Maboloc, 2009]
Being a subject, man is an autonomous being, free to determine
himself and become the person he wants himself to be. Subjectivity in
this regard implies human possibilities—possibilities for becoming, and
possibilities for self-realization. [Maboloc, 2009]
Simply put, the personal vocation of man is the perfecting of his
life and personality to the full measure to which he has been destined.
“Creative fidelity” is the actual continuation of the original dedication to
one’s personal vocation. “Fidelity” means loyalty to a given word and
commitment in spite of adversities. This fidelity is dynamic and
creative. “Creativity” refers to man’s being a homo viator and therefor,
in need of his transforming his life to a continuous growth—to
authenticity. “Creative” also means man’s ability to adapt to constantly
varying circumstances”. Fidelity to vocation is severely tested when a
man is faced with pain and suffering. The proper attitudes are: [a]
accept them, for these also have existential value, and [b] try to find
out their meaning in your life. [Engelbert J. Van Croonenberg; Corazon
Cruz, 1987]
Search for Authenticity
Subjectivity implies that man is in search for his authenticity. But
he looks for this meaning not merely in the factual or the practical.
This is because man is not a mere collection of observable
phenomena. Physicists can translate into laws what they observe. The
same cannot be said of man. This is because as a subject, man is free.
[Maboloc, 2009]
Our authentic growth takes place in the here and now of the
concrete situation. [Engelbert J. Van Croonenberg; Corazon Cruz,
1987]
Man has a super-temporal dimension. When man commits
himself to his personal vocation, his decision is based upon that which
is permanent in his being, and thus, he transcends the changing
elements of time and space. He knows that with the emergence of his
spirit his Corazon Cruz, 1987]
have are structured by the historical and cultural world you’re born
into. You also realize that you can’t make all the possibilities available
to you a reality. Your possibilities are restricted by concrete situations
such as intelligence, race, temperament, environment, heredity.
Essentially, your history gives you a context in which your task of self-
definition must be carried out; in addition, when you make choices,
you’re forced to further limit your possibilities by always ruling out
other paths for yourself forever. [Christopher Panza and Gregory
Gale].
3. Destiny — this is the decision achieved by the individual to make
his life mean something.
Every time you choose, the set of what’s fixed and possible for
you in a concrete situation changes. Each moment of your life, your
destiny is in your own hands. Every time a door opens and you choose
it, the others close forever; now new doors, specific to the choice
you’ve made, open. Thought of in this way, choosing is really a heavy
responsibility, and the consequences of choice for your own identity
are monumental. [Christopher Panza and Gregory Gale].

Human Will

Everyone is endowed and blessed with natural capacities and

abilities. Primary here is the ability to reason and decide freely. The
person has the ability to grasp, recognize and appreciate truth and
goodness, and the ability to choose among options to promote or
disregard.

The objects of the will are the body and the world. Their relation
to one another is revealed through the human act. To will something is
to do something in view of a project man intends to do in the world. It
is a project that includes the movement of man’s body, the word it
intends to deal with, and the people who will be affected by man’s
plans. What man does then reflects who he is as a person. [Maboloc,
2009]

Who am I? I am what I do. What I do will eventually constitute

my character. My character is formed by means of my own decision.
My capacity to act and realize this project that I am means that I exist
in the world as a responsible subject called to action. Since I am aware
of my actions, I should be aware of them. [Maboloc, 2009]

The movement of the will constitutes deciding, acting and

consenting. Deciding means attending to the things man has to do.
Man decides in view of the possibilities that the world offers him. Man’s
will is concretized in human action. Man acts in view of the situation he
is in. And his actions characterize the person that he is. Man has the
capacity to “be”; he can actualize his potentials regardless of his
limitations as a physical being. [Maboloc, 2009]

Three Fundamental Features of the Human Person

[The Three-fold Order of Human Existence]

1. Thrownness or Factuality (Being-already-in-the world)

Man as already involved in the world. His existence is
situated at a particular here and now. I, myself and that which I care
for already exists in the world. Man is thrown into the world. He fell
into the world. He did not choose to exist, but once he exits, his
existence becomes his own responsibility.

2. Existentiality or Projection
Man as a project and a possibility. Man’s existence is active
in character. He is a creature of care; i.e., he is concerned with his
existence. He is occupied with his own being. He is ahead of himself.

3. Fallenness or Forfeiture
Man as having the tendency to become a mere presence in
the world, failing to make the most of his possibilities.

Three Keys to Authentic Existence

1. Anxiety (Angst or Dread) — It is through his anxiety that man

realizes that he faces a life that has no meaning and then in the end
he would just die. He is living a life that is finite and he can never
satisfy his yearning for infinity.

2. Conscience — everyone comes equipped with an existential

conscience that calls to them to live authentically. This conscience
turns out to be you talking to yourself about yourself. Conscience is
you trying to shake the part of you lost in the crowd out of its stupor
and conformity. When you heed the call of your conscience, you take a
necessary step toward embracing yourself and living authentically.
[Christopher Panza and Gregory Gale].

With your conscience you realize that possibilities available

to you for self-definition are limited and that in fact, the options you
 Prepared by:

ARNOLD S. CANCINO
Subject Teacher