Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person • The exercise of one's intellect and free will, as well as self-determination,
39;s intellect and free will, as well as self-determination, are
I. Freedom of the 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.
• attachments and seek close relationships with other people. Our human
Two Concepts of Freedom:
1. Freedom itself
• It is commonly characterized as having the capacity without restriction
to act or alter.
2. Free will
• It is the ability to choose different courses of action without restrictions.
Kinds of Freedom:
1. Physical Freedom
• It refers to the absence of any physical restraint. The person has the
freedom of mobility to go where he or she wants to go.
2. Psychological Freedom
• It is also called freedom of choice. The person is free to perform actions
that he or she 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.
3. Moral Freedom
• It 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.
Two Elements that Define Freedom:
1. Voluntariness
• It 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.
2. Responsibility
• It 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.
Take note:
• My freedom ends when the freedom of others begins is often used to
express the idea that individual freedom is important, but it should not
infringe on the freedom and rights of others. In other words, one's personal
freedom should be limited by the freedom and rights of others.
• When exercising freedom, one should consider knowledge and the truth.
the foundations of human freedom.
II. Intersubjectivity
Accepting Differences
• As humans, we have the natural and universal tendency to relate, to establish
nature drives us to reach out to other people and interact with them in
meaningful ways.
• 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.
• A good way to think of intersubjectivity is to imagine how one relates to their
family and friends. Maybe one of the family members enjoyed playing
volleyball. He took one of the members of the family with him when he
practiced, and he always had a good time. Growing up, he decided to join the
school volleyball team. If that member of the family had not played volleyball
with him growing up, he may not have grown to like the sport. The experience
with volleyball can be called intersubjective because it was influenced by
another person.
Important values related to intersubjectivity include acceptance of differences
and embracing diversity. We understand that each person is unique,
therefore, differences will exist among groups of people.
Accepting Others
• Dialogue is a way of discovering the origins of the many predicaments that
face humanity today. It enables analysis into, and understanding of, the sorts
of processes that piece and interfere with real communication.
• A 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 and 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.
III. The Human Person in Society
What is Society?
• When we were a child, we always depended on our family. As we grow older,
we start to go with people in the community, from there; we began to relate
ourselves with our opposite sex. In our doing such, we exercise our freedom
to do what we want to do. We can establish society by way of our different
relationships with other people such as friendships, alliances or associates
sharing common interests.
 • The human person exists to relate with others. The person, is by nature, a
social being because he or she has a tendency to go out of himself or herself
to form bonds and relationships with others. Throughout a person’s life, he
or she experiences a variety of relationships that help shape him or her as a
person.
• Society also refers to a companionship or friendly association with others, an
alliance, a community, or a union.
Types of Societies and its Characteristics
• The development of societies throughout history shows the development of
humankind in response to changing surroundings and historical
developments. The various forms of societies that emerged include the
following:
TYPES OF CHARACTERISTICS
SOCIETIES
This form of society is recognized as the earliest and the
HUNTING simplest; basically, small and composed mostly of families. They
AND are nomadic, meaning, they kept on transferring from one place
GATHERING to another to look for food, thus, they do not have permanent
SOCIETY houses. Men are tasked to hunt large animals while women are
tasked in the collection of vegetables and other crops.
This form of society is characterized by the raising (alaga) of
PASTORAL animals to supply their food especially in the regions of the
SOCIETY world where vegetable growing is not possible. They also
engage in buying and selling of goods with other groups.
This form of society engages in the growing of plants, fruits and
HORTICULTURAL vegetables. In this society, there is enough food supply. Some
SOCIETY members of the society also engage in making crafts and buying
and selling of goods.
This form of society grows rice and other crops. They also
AGRICULTURAL began to farm and raise animals for food. They lived
SOCIETY permanently and improved the technology for farming. Money
became a form of exchange for goods and services.
FEUDAL It is a form of society in which the ruler or lord owned all the
SOCIETY land while the farmers or laborers armed it.
This society used machineries in the production of goods and
INDUSTRIAL services. Through innovations and technological advances, daily
SOCIETY activities become easier and the lives of the people become
better
Also known as the virtual (computer) society, people use
POST-INDUSTRIAL technology and the Internet to communicate, to engage in
SOCIETY business and access different information that can be if used to
deal with daily activities.
Societies’ Influence to Persons Development
• As members of the society, we interact, we learn, we exercise our freedom
and we follow common beliefs, traditions and norms or standards.
• Norms are set of traits and behaviors that society considers good and
acceptable. The society expects us to behave the way it is used to. When we
do not obey to the established norms, then we experience punishments for
not doing so. Laws are made to provide us proper guidelines to sustain peace
and order. Violation of the law means punishment. On the other hand,
Folkways are traditional in nature and do not result in punishment if not
followed.
• Norms, laws, and other rules that regulate human interactions give rise to a
social system, which is an organized or patterned set of relationships among
individuals and groups that compose a society. Members of society act and
interact with an established social system. Each member is assigned a social
role, which are actions and behaviors expected for a certain individual.
Individuals who share similar backgrounds or perform similar roles are
grouped together into social groups and social classes. Certain groups that
perform vital functions in society are recognized as social institutions, and
these include the family, school, government, and religion. Another way
society shapes us is through social values, which are actions or ideals that
are considered important by society.
IV. Human Persons as Oriented Towards Their Impending Death
How Does the Reality of Death Define Our Lives?
• Death is commonly understood as the end of bodily functions which signals
the end of a person’s life. It also refers to the separation of the body and the
spirit. The body, being material, is bound by the laws of time and space and
is subject to growth, death, and decay. The spirit, being immaterial, will
continue to exist even after the body has passed.
Kinds of Good (Sources of Happiness)
1. Noble Good - is one which is pursued for its own sake, example is love and
friendship.
2. Useful Good - is found only from what it can provide, example, money is good
as it can buy you something.
3. Pleasurable Good - is good so long as it provides some form of pleasure,
though it does not have to be physical.
Why Do We Suffer?
• Suffering is generally viewed as a state of feeling discomfort or pain. It can
come in the form of physical suffering when one experiences bodily pain, or
it may be a mental suffering when it involves our minds and emotions.
Humans as we are, we normally experience pain and we often view it as
necessary to help as grow and become a strong person and find the deepest
meaning of our lives.