HUMAN

FLOURISHING
• Analyze the human condition in order to deeply reflect
and express philosophical ramifications that are
meaningful to the student as a part of society
• Critique human flourishing vis-àvis the progress of
science and technology so that the student can define
for himself/herself the meaning of the good life.
What is
• In psychology, happiness is a mental or emotional
state of well-being which can be defined by, among
others, positive or pleasant emotions ranging from
contentment to intense joy.
• To behaviorists, happiness is a cocktail of emotions we
experience when we do something good or positive.
• To neurologists, happiness is the experience of a flood
of hormones released in the brain as a reward for
behavior that prolongs survival.
 Is

a
DESTINATION or JOURNEY?
• The hedonistic view of well-being is that happiness is
the polar opposite of suffering; the presence of
happiness indicates the absence of pain. Because of
this, hedonists believe that the purpose of life is to
maximize happiness, which minimizes misery.
It is a term that combines the Greek words
for "good" and "spirit" to describe the
ideology.

EUDAIMONIA
Eudaimonia, a term that combines the Greek words
for "good" and "spirit" to describe the ideology.
Eudaimonia defines happiness as the pursuit of
becoming a better person.
Eudaimonists do this by challenging themselves
intellectually or by engaging in activities that make
them spiritually richer people
• “good spirited”
• Coined by Aristotle
• Describes the pinnacle of happiness that is
attainable by humans.
• “human flourishing”
From Nicomachean Ethics (philosophical
inquiry into the nature of the good life for a
human being.) – human flourishing arises
as a result of different components, what
are these components?

•Phronesis (Intelligence) •Friendship

•Wealth •Power
Allows them to partake in the greater
notion of what we call
As time changes, elements that comprise human
flourishing changed.
• People found means to live more comfortably,
explore more places, develop more products, and
make more money.
Humans of today are expected to become
“man of the world”
• Supposed to situate himself in a global neighborhood,
working side by side among institutions and the
government to be able to reach a common goal.
Competition as a means of survival has
become passé and ________ is the new
trend

Coordination
 vs.

Regarding society and human flourishing

Easter conception: community centric;
Western conception: _____________

Individual
• focus is community-centric
• individual should sacrifice himself for the sake of
society
• Chinese Confucian system
• Japanese Bushido
• Encourage studies of literature, sciences, and art for a
greater cause
• more focused on the individual
• human flourishing as an end
• Aristotelian view
• Aims for eudaimonia as the ultimate good
and
Every discovery, innovation, and success
contributes to our pool of human knowledge.
• Human’s perpetual need to locate himself in the world
by finding proofs to trace evolution.
• Elicits our idea of self-importance
• Technology is a human activity we excel in as a result
of achieving science. (Heidegger)
• Good is inherently related to the truth
as
and
Science stems from objectivity brought
upon by a rigid method
• Claim to reason and empiricism

WHAT ARE THE STEPS IN SCIENTIFIC

METHOD?
1. Observe 2. Determine the Problem 3.
Formulate hypothesis 4. Conduct experiment
5. Gather and analyze 6. Formulate
conclusion and provide recommendation
It is the earliest criterion that distinguishes
philosophy and science. The idea
proposes that a discipline is science if it
can be confirmed or interpreted in the
event of an alternative hypothesis being
accepted

VERIFICATION THEORY
• A discipline is science if it can be confirmed or
interpreted in the event of an alternative hypothesis
being accepted.
• Premium on empiricism
• Takes into account those results which are
measurable and experiments which are repeatable.
 It is a group of scholars who believed that
only those which can be observed should
be regarded as meaningful and Reject
those which cannot be directly accessed
as meaningless.

VIENNA CIRCLE
Suppose, for instance, this girl, Lea has a theory that her classmate Ian
likes her. Good, she thought, I like him too. But how do I know that he likes
me?
She began by observing him and his interactions with her. Several
gestures she noted include his always exchanging pleasantries with her
whenever they bump into each other, his big smile when he sees her, and
him going out of his way to greet her even when riding a jeepney.
Through these observations, she was then able to conclude that Ian does
like her because, she thought, why would anyone do something like that
for a person he does not like?

As it turns out, however, Ian is just generally happy to meet people he

knew. He had known Lea since they were in first year and regards her as
a generally okay person. It is no surprise then that upon learning that Ian
basically does this to everyone, Lea was crushed. She vowed to herself
that she would never assume again.
This theory proposes that as long as an
ideology is not proven to be false and can
best explain a phenomenon over
alternative theories, we should accept the
said ideology.

FALSIFICATION THEORY
• As long as an ideology is not proven to be false and
can best explain a phenomenon over alternative
theories, we should accept the said ideology.
• Allowed emergence of theories otherwise rejected by
the verification theory.
• Encourages research in order to determine which
among the theories can stand the test of falsification.
He is known as proponent of Falsification
Theory

KARL POPPER
aims at the production of new, falsifiable predictions –
scientific practice is characterized by its continual effort
to test theories against experience and make revisions
based on the outcomes of these tests
Ian is generally everybody’s friend. He likes to be around people and
generally aspires to become everybody’s friend. However, there is this one
girl, Lea, who seemed to not like him when he is around. Every time he
waves at her, she turns away, and when they are in the same room, she
avoids his glances.

Through this he concluded that Lea does not like him and does his best to
show her that he is not a threat. He began greeting her whenever they
pass by each other at the corridor, even going so far as calling her
attention when he was in the jeepney and saw her walking past.

When they were able to talk to each other, he found out that Lea is just
really shy and is not accustomed to people greeting her. He then was able
to conclude that his initial impression of her not liking him is wrong and
thus said proposition is rejected
There is no known rule as to the number of instance
that a theory is rejected or falsified in order for it to be
set aside.
• There is no assurance that observable event or
“evidences” are indeed manifestations of a certain
concept or “theories”.