SUMMATIVE 1

QUARTER 2: FIRST SEMESTER

INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY

LESSON 1: THE HUMAN PERSON AS AN EMBODIED SPIRIT

The Human Person as an Embodied Sprit has something to do with defining Man, Human,
Human Being, Person, Personhood and Human Nature (Abella, 2016).

Man - By definition, it is generally and commonly define to represent the entire human race.
Human - A term used to refer for various classifications and species. For a living man, human is
under the classification of Mamalia.
Human Being - A term used to separate man from other Human Classifications like animals.
Person - Refers to an individual who possess self-awareness, self-determination, rational mind,
and the capacity to interact with other and with himself/herself.
Personhood - A general term refers to the state of being a person with unique, sacred and
ethical status within him/herself.
Human Nature - A general term refers to the deepest and natural behaviour of a person that
distinguish human from animals. A collective traits that formed and considered the very essence
of humanity. Nobody can be considered man without human nature.

What is Human Person? Let’s find out!

The human and the person - are defined with classified origin of species and persons with birth
rights. Human person is someone with an exact origin of his/her classification. From the biblical
perspective, we came from adam and eve. For science, we came from an ape under the class:
mamallia.
Human person from time after time learned how to live beyond what was traditional
through the various human evolutions from Hominid to Homo Sapiens or the modern man
people learn the concept of power, politics and economics. These reasons served as basis which
led to a more structured political and economic system. Thus, rights of an individual is
considered. A human person is typically with a body which is tangible and has a three
components composed of soul, mind and spirit. Also, he or she is entitled and granted rights
and privileges by the state which he or she legally belong.

Two general kinds to distinguish a human person:

- The Cognitive Self And the Physical Self.
COGNITIVE SELF - (something within and Cannot Be Physically Seen) is the essential
components of a human persons that deals with THE WHAT OF A PERSON which includes
human persons’ belief, desire, dreams, And intentions.
PHYSICAL SELF - (something can be seen in His/her PHYSICAL APPEARANCE) which deals with
the essential features of the human way of life or THE WHO OF A PERSON which includes
his/her body type, Strength and appearances.
EMBODIED SPIRIT - is an animating core living within each of us. It is known to be the driving
force behind what we actually Think, do and say. It is indeed the reflections of our total being by
which our sensations lead to our human feelings, emotions and decision.

The usual and known connotation that comes to our mind when we hear the word “embodied”
is always materialized or became flesh (with physical form). Thus, when we say “embodied
spirit”, we normally believed and conclude of a spirit becoming flesh. In the context and views
of christian philosophy, the embodiment of the spirit particularly refers to the inseparable
union of human body and soul. Inseparable which also means the body and soul work together
at all times. Hence, we can safely say that “embodied spirit” that the body is not separate from
the soul, just as the soul is not separate from the body.

As an embodied spirit human beings demonstrate these following qualities(abella, 2016):

1. SELF- AWARENESS - refers to person having a clear perception of oneself, including his or
her thoughts, emotions, identity, and actions (abella, 2016).” It is the ability of one’s
consciousness to look inward thus discovering the presence of a self. The self is the
subject that thinks, feels and acts. It is your I amness (wilber, 2006). The self enables a
person to experience an inner world of dreams, thoughts, imagination, fantasy (abella,
2016). Thus, the self represents man’s interiority (loob in filipino).

2. A human person is able to connect and interact with another person, an animal or an
inanimate object. We call this externality. So even though human beings have interiority
they are not trapped inside their heads. They Are able to go beyond their limited selves
and embrace others.

3. We are not determined by others. Because we have interiority; we can direct the course
of our own life. This is what we call self-determination which is “the capability of persons
to make choices and decisions based on their own preferences, monitor and regulate
their actions, and be goal oriented and self-directed” (abella 2016) thus human beings
are free. However since our actions are based on our decisions we have to realized that
every decision has a consequence(s). There are some actions that are good because they
lead to good consequences and some actions are bad because they lead to bad
consequences. The result of our freedom is morality which is “the goodness or badness
of an act” (abella 2016)

4. Finally a human person has an inherent value and importance. This is what we call
dignity. That is why no amount of money can equal the value of a human life. This is also
the reason why individual rights are absolute (rand, 1964). The American founding
fathers called rights as “inalienable” because it cannot be separated from our humanity.
If we are stripped off of our rights we are stripped of our humanity. That is why slaves
(who have no rights) are not being treated as human.
Human Transcendence
St. Thomas Aquinas, a philosopher and one of the greatest theologian in the Catholic
Church in the 13th century, said that “of all creatures, human beings have The unique power to
change themselves and things for the better.” (Ramos, 2016).

Definition of Transcendence
You are able to transcend your limit through your physical and mental abilities. (abella,
2016). Religion and philosophy teaches human beings to overcome our limits. In technological
parlance, humans can upgrade themselves. Take for example, buddhism. Buddha realized that
all people suffers. Maybe in your case you just accept your own suffering as part of life but not
for buddha. This reality ignited his curiosity to examine and understand the word suffering. He
left his royal life in the palace and spent his life for 6 years in the wilderness to find answers for
his questions. And when he sat under the tree of enlightenment for 40 days, voila he finds the
answers. The four noble truths and eightfold paths. For example, “the eightfold path” of
buddhism shown below:

1. Right view- a correct understanding of the nature of things, specifically the four noble
truths;
2. Right intention, eliminating thoughts of attachment, detestation, and harmful intent,
3. Right speech, abstaining from verbal offenses such as lying, divisive speech, unforgiving
speech, and irrational speech,
4. Right action, refraining from physical offenses such as murdering, thieving, and sexual
misbehavior,
5. Right livelihood, evading trades that directly or indirectly damage others, such as
trading slaves, weapons, animals for butchery, intoxicants, or poisons,
6. Right effort, forsaking undesirable states of mind that have already arisen, preventing
undesirable states that have yet to arise, and sustaining positive states that have already
arisen.
7. Right concentration, single-mindedness.
8. Right mindfulness, consciousness of body, feelings, thought, and phenomena.

LESSON 2: ENVIRONMENTAL PHILOSOPHY

Environmental Philosophy
Environment philosophy is the discipline that studies the moral relationship of human beings
with the environment and its non-human contents. Philosophers believe that the human person
has the ability to change the environment to suit his purposes.

Views of Philosophical Environment

Anthropocentrism – focuses on the significant role of humankind in the world and considers
nature as the means by which humans are able to meet their needs and survive. This view
believes that humans are the most important species on the planet and they are free to
transform nature and use its resources.
Biocentrism – believes that humans are not the only significant species on the planet, and that
all other organisms have inherent value and should be protected. This view advocates ethical
treatment of animals.

Ecocentrism – places great value on ecosystems and biological communities. This view believes
that humankind is a part of a greater biological system or community and that we have a
significant role as stewards or guardians of nature. This view promotes the idea that order and
balance in nature brings about stability and beauty. The influence of humanity on the
environment can be best understood if we consider the individual person as a dynamic source
of change within his particular environment.

Environment aesthetics

Ancient thinkers
Anaximander
According to his “Creation-Destruction”, the sketch of the genesis of the world (cosmology), the
evolution of the world begins with the generation of opposites in a certain region Nature.
Nature is indeterminate boundless in the sense that no boundaries between the warm and or
the moist and dry regions are originally present within.

Pythagoras
He described the universe as living embodiment of nature’s order, harmony, and beauty. He
sees our relationship with the universe involving biophilia (love of other living things) and
cosmophilia (love of other living beings).

Immanuel kant
“The orderliness of nature and the harmony of nature with our faculties guide us a deeper
religious perspective”

Herbert marcuse
Human have power over nature George Herbert mead. Man have duties and responsibilities in
nature sustainable development
WCED- World Commission on Environment and Development.
“Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs.” To put it simply, the idea of sustainable development is
any environmental, economic and social advances can be realized within the carrying capacity
of earth’s natural resources.

Principles of sustainability
Environmental Integrity - means that any human activities or economic advances should not
unduly disrupt the environment and human communities located in the area. The environment
should not be drastically impacted by human activities (Abella, 2016).
Economic efficiency- this is to ensure that there is minimum to zero waste in using our natural
resources (Abella, 2016).
Equity- it refers to conserving our natural resources so that the future generations will still be
able to use it (Abella, 2016).

Theories on radical ecological philosophy

Deep ecology- Arne Naess, proponent of Deep ecology, assumes that all living things possess
equal value and intrinsic worth regardless of their usefulness or utility to other beings. This is
experiencing ourselves as part of the living earth and finding our role in protecting the planet. It
highlights the shifting away of approaches to environment from anthropocentrism to
ecocentrism (Sioco and Vinzons, 2016).

Social Ecology- Murray Bookchin, proponent of Social ecology, believes that ecological problems
can be traced to social problems. Societies that are structured around hierarchies as well as
economic classes use their authority to dominate natural resources and exploit the environment
for profit and self interest. (Sioco and Vinzons, 2016).

Ecofeminism- It assumes that male-centered view of nature is the root cause of ecological
problems. To address environmental problems humanity has to remove the superior vs. inferior
in human relations. Ecofemimism also believes that a society that tolerates the oppression of
women is directly linked with its tendency to tolerate the abuse of the environment and the
degradation of nature. It also features the existing patriarchal and capitalist systems in our
society as social and economic exploitative to the detrimental of women and nature. This
theory benefits the social and political agenda of both female and nature. (Sioco and Vinzons,
2016).

Prudence and frugality

Frugality is the quality of being thrifty. It is the careful supervision of one’s resources. Frugality,
aside from prudence, is another fundamental value that can help us develop a sense of right
and wrong and attain whatever we want in life. Moreover, it is a virtue that can guide us in
making choices in life and receiving the most value out of those decisions.
Prudence is the capacity to direct and discipline one’s activities and behavior using reason. It is
the behavior that is cautious and, as much as possible, keeps away from any risks. Prudence is
considered as the first and most vital among the four cardinal virtues, which include justice,
fortitude, and temperance.
LESSON 3: FREEDOM OF A HUMAN PERSON

What is Freedom? What is the essence of freedom?

- The ability to make choices and perform those choices.
- The ability to be what we want and to decide and create oneself.

Two concepts that will help us fully understand freedom:

1. Freedom itself
“Freedom is generally defined as having the ability to act or change without constraint-
Wikipedia Someone or something is “free” if he/it can do or change anything effortlessly and
responsibly. A person or an animal has the freedom to do things that will not, in theory, or
practice, be prevented by other forces. But freedom has its particular limitations beyond himself
because he is bound by consequences of his actions either to promote goodness or destruction
to himself or other persons.
Example:
Your teacher gave you a pen and paper. The goal here is to make these two items useful for
you. You can either use the pen to write a letter or draw something on the paper. You can also
transform the paper into a paper airplane and write a message on it and throw it in the air until
it finally lands to another person’s lap. Using your freedom as an instrument to create action
without constraint is its true meaning.
2. Free will
Free will is the ability to choose different courses of action without restrictions. If we exercise
our free will, we get to decide on things that will lead to results, either good or bad, beneficial
or not. The actions that we do depend on the values we uphold and the acceptance and
expectations of the community we live in, including family members and friends that we care
about.
To be precise, free will is our ability to choose things according to our moral reasoning, which
can also be related to our previous lesson on self determination or the ability to select on what
is right and wrong, that a person’s action determines what kind of person he or she becomes.

KINDS OF FREEDOM
1. Physical Freedom
Physical freedom refers to the absence of any physical restraint. The person has the freedom of
mobility to go where he or she wants to go. He or she is not impeded in his or her actions by
any physical force. Granted that the person has natural limitations, physical freedom enables
him or her to act and move in determined manner. You cannot be everywhere at once, but your
freedom allows you to move one place to another and to go whenever you want to go.
2. Psychological Freedom
Psychological freedom is also called freedom of choice. The person is free to perform actions
that he or considers right and wise. A person is also free to act or not to act. Psychological
freedom is innate and cannot be denied to a person. No outside force or influence can compel a
person to take action against his or her will.
3. Moral Freedom
 Moral freedom refers to using freedom in a manner that upholds human dignity and goodness.
Freedom is not an object that a person may use in whatever way he or she pleases. A person
must use his or her freedom to grow as a person. A person becomes freer when he or she uses
freedom well but becomes less free when he or she uses it in a wicked way. Humans have a
natural inclination for what is right and moral, and when a person uses his or her freedom to do
acts that violates human dignity and goodness, he or she dehumanizes himself or herself and
effectively negates human freedom.

Two elements that define freedom:

1. Voluntariness
T is the ability of a person to act of his or her own free will and self-determination. A person
may decide to do things or not to do it according to his own free will. It also means that even
though she/he is not required to do such things he/she could still do it or take action on it.
Voluntary acts are free acts which can be assigned a corresponding moral value. One must
always remember that in every action we make, in every choice we make there is an equivalent
consequences, These consequences affect not just the individual who does the decision but
also other people in their surroundings. With that, one must always accept the consequences
that results from his or her choices or actions and take responsibility for them.
2. Responsibility
Responsibility refers to the person being accountable for his or her action and their
consequences. Taking responsibility can mean either you take responsibility to your doing
voluntarily or other people will hold you responsible. For example, if you made a bad action it’s
either you take responsibility of it or other people will hold you accountable for it.

There are significant factors to consider in the exercise of freedom. These are Prudence and
Self-reflection.
Prudence is the ability to govern and discipline oneself with the use of reason; it is having
caution and giving good judgments in making decisions. Making hard choices is an exercise of
freedom. But freedom should also be based on truthful knowledge and wise reasoning. Hence,
we should practice self-reflection on every decision we make.
Self-reflection allows each person to analyze his Iife both in small and big details in terms of the
decisions, actions and choices he make Browning, G (2009). It is a deeper form of learning
where if practiced with higher sense of wise judgement and keen perception, the experiences
he makes are more meaningful and serve as guide for improved and informed decisions, actions
and choices.

LESSON 4: INTERSUBJECTIVITY

The interaction between the self and the other is related to the philosophical concept of
INTERSUBJECTIVITY which is the mutual recognition of each other as persons. As humans, we
have the natural and universal tendency to relate, to establish attachments and seek close
relationship with other people. Our human nature drives us to reach out to other people and
interact with them in meaningful ways.
Through our interactions with others we understand how and why people think and act the
way they do, thus, we notice how different we are from each other.
CONCEPT
INTERSUBJECTIVITTY is a condition of man, a subject, among other men, who are also subjects.
It refers to the shared awareness and understanding among persons. It is made possible by the
awareness of self and the other.

DIALOGUE - is an interaction between persons that happens through speech or the use of
words, expressions, and body language. It occurs when two persons “open up” to each other,
give, and receive one another in their encounter. Genuine dialogue occurs when persons are
willing to share themselves with one another. The awareness of each other’s presence as a true
person is defined by the acceptance of each other’s uniqueness and differences.
For Martin Buber, an Australian-born Israeli Jewish Philosopher, human intersubjectivity is a
true encounter through the three spheres of dialogue that “” engages in. The I-THOU is the
encounter between man and man where language is exchanged and is described as always
mutual, real, and direct: it is an evidence of the reality of human intersubjectivity through
language. The human person is oriented toward relation and sharing in the communal life for
the common good. Intersubjectivity has significant contributions to society and relationships,
including the following:
• It validates real and authentic subjective experiences. It facilitates interaction among
individuals.
• It enables individuals to look at others equally, regardless of any physical or socio
demographic factor.
• It promotes a sense of community and unity among individuals. It emphasizes that anyone can
contribute to society.

The concept of intersubjectivity also promotes a view that all people are equal. This would
imply that people from other sectors of society, such as those who have physical disabilities or
socioeconomic challenges, are seen as individuals with the same potential and talents as
anybody else. Because intersubjectivity is unbiased, everyone has the power to understand
relationships and interactions occurring within the society with little regard to social or physical
deficiencies. In effect, people who comes from marginalized situation are still be seen as
significant contributors to society through their talents, skills, and capabilities.
The following are some authentic examples of disadvantaged individuals who have significantly
contributed to society:
STEPHEN HAWKING
He is a physicist and cosmologist who, despite his rare medical condition called amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis (ALS), made significant contributions to contemporary studies of relativity and
quantum physics.

OPRAH WINFREY
As a child, Oprah Winfrey experienced living in a poor household and was sexually abused.
Despite this, she motivated herself to succeed and did so by being one of the riches women
alive today.
MARTIN BUBER
An Austrian-born Israeli Jewish Philosopher best known of his philosophy dialogue
“All real living is a meeting
“All actual life is encounter”- Martin Buber