HUMAN PERSONS as

ORIENTED TOWARDS
THEIR IMPENDING
DEATH

GIAN CARLO C. VILLAGRACIA

General Mariano Alvarez Technical HS 12
 TO THE LEARNERS

Here are some reminders as you use this module:

 Use the module with care especially in turning each page.
 Be reminded to answer the Pre-Test before moving on to the
Learning Module.
 Read and comprehend the directions in every exercises.
 Observe honesty in answering the tests and exercises.
 Do not put unnecessary mark/s on any part of this
material.
 Try to finish a given activity before proceeding to the next.
 12
Introduction to
the Philosophy
of the
Human Person
Friedrich Nietzsche’s
The Otherworld

GIAN CARLO C. VILLAGRACIA

Copyright 2019

1
 WHAT IS THIS MODULE ALL ABOUT?

This module serves as a learning resource material in understanding the

target competency expected in the curriculum.

TOPIC
Friedrich Nietzsche’s the Otherworld

CONTENT STANDARD
The learner understands human beings as oriented towards their
impending death

PERFORMANCE STANDARD
The learner writes a philosophical reflection on the meaning of
his/her own life

LEARNING COMPETENCY
PPT11/12-IIh-8.1: Recognize the meaning of his/her own life

The presented activities or exercises and texts are developed

in order to meet the following objectives:

1. Explain the “Otherworld” of Friedrich Nietzsche

2. Create an action of plan about his/her life

3. Recognize that every human should live life to the fullest

2
 PRE-TEST

Read the following items carefully. Write the

letter of your answer in a separate sheet of
paper.

1. A place created by people who believes that someday it will make their
lives better?

A. Otherworld
B. Netherworld
C. World of ideas
D. World of senses

2. God is dead according to-

A. Martin Buber
B. Friedrich Nietzsche
C. Maurice Merleau-Ponty
D. Jean Paul Sartre

3. Death is a certain reality

A. True, because death is a predictable instance

B. True, because it is an inescapable reality
C. False, because there is otherworld
D. False, because we can extend our life

4. What does Nietzsche wants us to realize in this lesson?

A. You can do more, we can do better

B. Your life is meaningless, go die
C. You don’t have the right to be happy
D. Your life is a shadow of your future

5. What do you call a complete loss or absence of hope?

A. Miserable
B. Depression
C. Anxiety
D. Despair

3
6. What do we mean by ‘God is dead’?

A. People thought that God is dead when they are in despair

B. God dies, he abandons his people
C. People killed God and worship other belief system
D. God dies, so he was a mortal

7. What is the best way to do before we die?

A. Live according to your needs

B. Live according to signs of the times
C. Live life to the fullest authentically
D. Live a healthy lifestyle

8. Which does not belong to the group in living a genuine life?

A. Education
B. Career
C. Passion
D. Drugs and Vices

9. How do we need if we want to live an authentic life?

A. Optimistic perspective
B. Pessimistic perspective
C. Come-what-may philosophy
D. None of the above

10. In smallest details of life, what is the best thing to do before you die?

A. Blame yourself ‘til your last breath

B. Do your best in all things
C. Let others feel pity about your life
D. Cry and show your weakness to all

4
 REWINDING THE PAST

What is death?

We have differentiated the phenomenology of death from the

perspective of SCIENCE and RELIGION.
SCIENCE says death is the ending of life. When man stops
breathing, he is dead. When the heart stops beating, man is dead. In
hospitals, man is dead when flat line occurs. Man is dead if man has
no life.
RELIGION says death is a gateway to new life. When man is
good, he goes up to heaven; he receives a good karma; he is exulted
from all other creatures. When man is bad, he goes down to hell;
receive bad karma; neglected by all, ignored by whoever they call god.
But what does Philosophy says about death? Is it really a
question of what death is?
Or is it a question of -
WHAT IS DEATH BEFORE AND AFTER LIFE?

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 PLAYING THE CONCEPT

GOD IS DEAD!
This is a famous line from our philosopher of today:

Friedrich Nietzsche
Quick review: God is dead! As an
atheist, for Nietzsche, the society particularly
us human beings are the ones who killed our
own god – Christians killed the true essence of
their own religion . According to his book
Twilight of the idols, “When one gives up the
Christian faith, one pulls the right to
Christian morality out from under one's
feet. This morality is by no means self-
evident… Christianity is a system, a whole
view of things thought out together. By
breaking one main concept out of it, the
faith in God, one breaks the whole.”
He said this famous line as a reaction to
his experience of early system of Christianity
that makes it far different from what Jesus
wants the Church to be in original essence.

This is a good start to begin with Nietzsche’s philosophy about death.

It has something to do with the Christian belief system during his time –
and all his philosophies are up against this kind of system. Death, for him,
can be best understood with the concept of the:

OTHERWORLD
For Nietzsche, the Otherworld is nothing but a fiction created by
Christians themselves. Knowing that death is certain, people tend to focus
more on the belief system rather than living an authentic way of life.
According to Vinzons, “Nietzsche cannot accept that people are willing to
trade this world for a world which is a product of human imagination and
suffering. As a notorious critic of Christianity, he claims that the concept of
an afterlife in the otherworld serves to comfort those who are weak and
suffering in this world.” In short, people sticks to what the religion says
about their lives – there is an incorrect interpretation or exercise of the true
essence of Christianity. Thus, for Nietzsche, one has to take away the
concept of the otherworld and focus on living life to the fullest.

But the question is… How?

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 PAUSE AND TRY AN ACTIVITY

Life Maze

Death is certain.
This is what Nietzsche wants us to realize – that we will die soon anyway,
so how are you going to live your life to the fullest?
The symbols below are your clues to finish the maze.
Are you ready to face death?

Education Career Money

Drugs and Vices Passion/Happiness Obsession/Sexual Desires

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 PAUSE AND ANALYZE THE ACTIVITY

Death is a certain thing.

Before we face death, have we looked again with our lives? If yes,
we may ask once and for all, “What is the meaning of my life?”

Basically, you create your own authentic life. As you answer the
maze in the activity, you realize that there are three fundamental
things you consider in your life: Education, Career, and of course your
own Passion and Happiness. With these three, you can prepare your
life before death – you can pass your academic endeavors to your
generation; you co-exist with other human as you take the career path
of your life; and you do what makes you happy, build a family and
create history leaving legacy. So, what do you plan before you leave
this world?

MY ACTION PLAN
EDUCATION CAREER PASSION/HAPPINESS

Write down all the things you want to do with your life guided by these
three fundamental things in man’s life. As you write them down,
always bear in mind that these goals are YOUR goals, and you do
these because it is what you WANT for your life.

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 PLAYING THE CONCEPT ONCE AGAIN!

LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST!

This line is indeed cliché if we speak about the meaning of life. But
cliché as it may seem, this is certainly the essence of what Friedrich
Nietzsche wants us to realize in his philosophy about death.

According to him, the otherworld is just an illusion that makes

people “accept their lowly condition here on earth” and somehow gives them
hope that this otherworld would grant them a life that is better from the life
they live in the present. Meaning to say, they tried to put their lives on the
hands of religion – giving all what they have for a belief that is ambiguous,
and neglects what is essential in the present.

Live the moment. Those people during Nietzsche’s time haven’t realized
yet the point of his philosophy. What matters most is you live in the present,
not investing for something you are unsure of.

According to Vinzons, “Nietzsche is against the otherworld because

this leads those who experience difficulties in this life to give up and hope
for better life in another world instead.” Let us not forget that during his
time, they experience famine, war, and different levels of social injustices.

We cannot blame those people who are suffering from injustices

especially when you are in the midst of war. People during that time
experienced despair – they thought that only religion can make their lives
better. But the problem is that they ignored their potentialities and
possibilities and inclined to something that is uncertain.

Friedrich Nietzsche, indeed, disagreed on this kind of mentality. He

preferably suggests that YOU CAN DO MORE and WE CAN DO BETTER in
this present life. Now we understand what he meant when he said ‘God is
dead’ – since the people during that time killed the essence of a Christian
life. God is indeed dead for those who despair.

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LET’S STOP AND APPLY WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED

To dig deeper, what does it mean to live life to the fullest?

Here are some important points for reflection:

 Set your goals and keep looking at it

o You need to have a plan for your life – a planned life is
better than a ‘come-what-may’ philosophy
o When you have goals to settle, you are capable to
stretch your possibilities – which eventually leads you to
living your life at the present

 To live life is to embrace one’s essence and existence

o There are many people who are in despair – they
thought that life is meaningless, but that’s not true
o To live your life is to showcase your essence to the world
– to let all beings see your worth as a human being.

 Living a life to the fullest is to become OPTIMISTIC in any

way
o Be positive in all things
o There are times when you experience a lowly kind of
situation – negative thoughts would drown you for sure
o That’s why practice a mantra of positivity – smile away
the problems that you may encounter

 Do your best in all things

o Make a 100% extra effort on all things you do, it may
either be big or small – the outcome doesn’t matter,
what counts most is the attitude towards work
o Just like a saying of a saint, ‘Be extraordinary in
ordinary things’ – all circumstance may seem ordinary
for us, but to make it extraordinary is a one step closer
to living life to the fullest.

10
 POST-TEST

Read the following items carefully. Write the

letter of your answer in a separate sheet of
paper.

1. A place created by people who believes that someday it will make their
lives better?

A. Otherworld
B. Netherworld
C. World of ideas
D. World of senses

2. God is dead according to-

A. Martin Buber
B. Friedrich Nietzsche
C. Maurice Merleau-Ponty
D. Jean Paul Sartre

3. Death is a certain reality

A. True, because death is a predictable instance

B. True, because it is an inescapable reality
C. False, because there is otherworld
D. False, because we can extend our life

4. What does Nietzsche wants us to realize in this lesson?

A. You can do more, we can do better

B. Your life is meaningless, go die
C. You don’t have the right to be happy
D. Your life is a shadow of your future

5. What do you call a complete loss or absence of hope?

A. Miserable
B. Depression
C. Anxiety
D. Despair

11
6. What do we mean by ‘God is dead’?

A. People thought that God is dead when they are in despair

B. God dies, he abandons his people
C. People killed God and worship other belief system
D. God dies, so he was a mortal

7. What is the best way to do before we die?

A. Live according to your needs

B. Live according to signs of the times
C. Live life to the fullest authentically
D. Live a healthy lifestyle

8. Which does not belong to the group in living a genuine life?

A. Education
B. Career
C. Passion
D. Drugs and Vices

9. How do we need if we want to live an authentic life?

A. Optimistic perspective
B. Pessimistic perspective
C. Come-what-may philosophy
D. None of the above

10. In smallest details of life, what is the best thing to do before you die?

A. Blame yourself ‘til your last breath

B. Do your best in all things
C. Let others feel pity about your life
D. Cry and show your weakness to all

12
 LET’S REPLAY!

 Friedrich Nietzsche complains about the otherworld – it is just

an illusion created by people who are in despair

 The Otherworld is a place where people look up to in the future,

so when they die, they somehow feel better and free from the
oppression they experience in the present

 Death is a certain reality

 For Nietzsche, you have to do something before you experience

death

 LIVE LIFE TO THE FULLEST – so once death occurs, you are

ready to face the absurd reality of death

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 REFERENCES

Vinzons, M. P. (2016). Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person. Quezon City: Vibal Group,
Inc.

Media Sources

https://www.buzzfeed.com/tomchivers/strange-and-unexpected-facts-about-death

https://www.art.com/products/p19348639970-sa-i7205559/friedrich-nietzsche.htm

https://www.bestania.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/

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 This module maybe adopted, modified and
reproduced for educational purposes with appropriate
credit to the author.
For inquiries, feedback and suggestions, please
contact the author through the Division Learning
resource Supervisor at Tel. No. _________________ and/or
email address ________________ @deped.gov.ph

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