ST. DOMINIC ACADEMY OF PULILAN, INC.

(PAASCU Accredited – Level II)

National Road, Poblacion, Pulilan, Bulacan

LEARNING MODULE IN INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON

S.Y. 2022-2023
Semester/Quarter: SECOND

“The shrewd man does everything with prudence, but the fool peddles folly.”
Proverbs 13:16

OPENING PRAYER: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
God in Heaven, You are ever glorious. We ask forgiveness for the times we indulged ourselves in
ignorance. Thank You for enlightening us on what life is all about, and that it is to love one another as
You have loved us. Protect us from every danger and guide us in every decisions we will make. Lord,
please put an end to this pandemic. Heal our land. Gathering all my personal intentions, I ask this in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and
ever. Amen.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

NAME: ______________________________________
GRADE AND SECTION: ________________________

LEARNING MODULE NO: 5

TIME FRAME: November 7 – 19, 2022
LESSON TITLE: The Embodied Subject

GOOD DAY, LET’S GET STARTED!

I. INTRODUCTION/OVERVIEW

Review:
From the previous learning module, we have briefly discussed what is being. Though it is impossible
to define, we are somehow able to know its nature—it define things which they are. Then we proceeded
on discussing the hierarchy of beings, on which God is the Supreme Being among the rest of the beings.
Then the discussion is followed by an emphasis on the human beings. They are an aggregate
(combination or a sum) of the three faculties, namely, rational, sensitive and vegetative. Thus, they share
faculties with animals and plants. Then we continued by discussing the role of reason in freedom and
morality.

This learning module will serve as a continuation of the previous one. In this learning module, we will
discuss Rene Descartes’ methodological skepticism and how he arrived at certainty and declared his
famous “Cogito, ergo sum”.

II. LEARNING OBJECTIVES

In this module you will be able to:

Evaluate and exercise prudence in choices

Realize that:
a. Choices have consequences.
b. Some things are given up while others are obtained in making choices
 Show situations that demonstrate freedom of choice and the consequences of their choices
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INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON 12 – LEARNING MODULE
All rights reserved. No part of this module may be shared, reproduced, or transmitted in any means without the written permission from St. Dominic Academy of Pulilan, Inc. and the teacher in-charge.
III. LESSON PROPER
THIS MATERIAL IS GOOD ONLY FOR THIS WEEK. PLEASE SUBMIT THIS MODULE AND THE
NEEDED ATTACHMENT/S ON THE SCHEDULED DATE.

You may now start to explore the discussions in this module and remember to answer all the activities
given.

IV. EXPLORATION:
We have mentioned last week that man is a rational being; he uses reason and this made him different
from the rest of the beings in the material world. (When I say material world, this includes beings inferior
or lower to God in the hierarchy of beings. God and angels are not in the material world since they are not
material, but rather spiritual.) Man is the superior being in the material world due to his rational nature.
This emphasis on the role of reason is due to the ideas of a French mathematician and philosopher named
Rene Descartes. He is known for his idea that reason is the most important element in human nature.
This ideology is known as rationalism.

Rene Descartes
Descartes (pronounced as day-CART, not Des-kar-tes. This is so because
he is French) was born in the town of La Haye en Touraine (since renamed
Descartes) in the Loire Valley in central France on 31 March 1596. His
father, Joachim Descartes, was a busy lawyer and magistrate in the High
Court of Justice, and his mother, Jeanne (née Brochard), died of
tuberculosis when René was just one year old. René and his brother and
sister, Pierre and Jeanne, were therefore mainly raised by their
grandmother. From 1604 until 1612, he attended the Jesuit Collège Royal Henry-Le-Grand at La Flèche,
Anjou, studying classics, logic and traditional Aristotelianism philosophy. His health was poor and he was
granted permission to remain in bed until 11 o'clock in the morning, a custom he maintained for the rest
of his life. He then spent some time in Paris studying mathematics, before studying law at the University
of Poitiers, in accordance with his father's wishes that he should become a lawyer, obtaining his law
degree in 1616.

However, he then abandoned his education and spent several years traveling and experiencing the world
(he later claimed that his formal education provided little of substance). It was during this time (in 1618)
that he met the Dutch philosopher and scientist Isaac Beeckman (1588 - 1637) while walking through
Breda in Holland, who sparked his interest in mathematics and the new physics.

In 1622, he returned to France, and soon afterward sold all his property at La Haye, investing the proceeds
in bonds which provided him with a comfortable income for the rest of his life. He returned to settle in
Holland in 1628. The next year, he joined the University of Franeker; the year after that, Leiden University;
and, in 1635, he is recorded as attending Utrecht University. He had a daughter, Francine, after a
relationship in Amsterdam with a servant girl, Helène Jans, although Francine died at the age of five. In
fact, in the years between 1628 and 1649, he lived at 14 separate addresses in 10 different Dutch cities.

It was during this 20 year period of frequent moves that he wrote almost all of his major works on
philosophy, mathematics and science. He shrewdly held off publication of his first work, "Le Monde" ("The
World"), written between 1629 and 1633, due to the condemnation of the works of Galileo Galilei (1564 -
1642) and Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 - 1543) by the Roman Catholic Church in 1633. The most famous
of his works include: the "Discours de la méthode pour bien conduire sa Raison et chercher la Vérité dans
les Sciences" ("Discourse on the Method") of 1637, his first rationalist vision of the progress of human
knowledge; the "Meditationes de Prima Philosophia" ("Meditations on First Philosophy") of 1641, a more
formal exposition of his central tenets, in Latin; and the "Principia Philosophiae" ("Principles of
Philosophy") of 1644, an even more systematic and comprehensive exposition of his views. For a time, in
1643, Cartesian philosophy was condemned by the University of Utrecht.
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INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON 12 – LEARNING MODULE
All rights reserved. No part of this module may be shared, reproduced, or transmitted in any means without the written permission from St. Dominic Academy of Pulilan, Inc. and the teacher in-charge.
Descartes died of pneumonia on 11 February 1650 in Stockholm, Sweden, where he had been invited as
a teacher for Queen Christina of Sweden. Later, his remains were taken to France and buried in the
church of Sainte-Geneviève-du-Mont in Paris, and then, during the French Revolution, disinterred for
burial in the Panthéon among the other great thinkers of France. Currently, his tomb is in the church of
Saint-Germain-des-Prés in Paris, and his brain is in the Musée de l'Homme.

Cartesian plane
In mathematics, Descartes is famous for the coordinate diagram
in geometry which is used to represent mathematical functions
and analytical geometry equations through a graph. Derived from
his name, this is called the Cartesian plane. Now, Descartes’
mathematical ideas are influential to his philosophical
contributions because from being a skeptic, he uses
mathematics to re-establish a solid ground for his abandoned
beliefs in order to arrive at certainty. But, what is a skeptic?

Descartes as a skeptic
We can recall that since he was educated by the Jesuits, we can say that this contribute a lot for the
establishment of a solid ground for his Catholic beliefs. However, Descartes lived during a very skeptical
period. Skepticism, also spelled scepticism, in Western philosophy, is the attitude of doubting knowledge
claims set forth in various areas. Skeptics have challenged the adequacy or reliability of these claims by
asking what principles they are based upon or what they actually establish. They have questioned whether
some such claims really are, as alleged, indubitable or necessarily true, and they have challenged the
purported rational grounds of accepted assumptions. In everyday life,
Did you know? practically everyone is skeptical about some knowledge claims; but
Descartes considered philosophical skeptics have doubted the possibility of any knowledge beyond
himself to be a devout that of the contents of directly felt experience. The original Greek meaning
Catholic of skeptikos was “an inquirer,” someone who was unsatisfied and still looking
for truth.

Now, maybe you are thinking that skepticism is a negative way of looking at things. It is not proper to
hastily judge him as someone who refuses to believe in God because in the first place, he never intended
to. What Descartes was trying to do is to destroy all knowledge and build a better foundation of it. The
method Descartes employed in order to arrive at certainty is called methodological skepticism. Though
this is some kind of skepticism, it is used to arrive at truth, as if these are stepping stones from greater
heights. To avoid confusion in thinking on how Descartes became a self-acknowledged devout Catholic
while at the same time be a skeptic or a person who doubts everything (which in this case, includes God
Himself), let us see how he arrived at certainty.

From Deconstruction to Reconstruction

Descartes destroyed his own system of belief in order to establish a better foundation. Yet, in order to
build something anew, he needs to destroy ALL of what he believed, ultimately, destroying his belief about
his own existence. To mention some:

The Senses
Descartes doubted his senses because they are deceiving. Sense perception is misleading us to the truth.
For example:
 (Refraction argument)
When we use the telescope, things get magnified. We can see things as if they were near from us,
yet in reality, they are far.
 (Dream argument)

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All rights reserved. No part of this module may be shared, reproduced, or transmitted in any means without the written permission from St. Dominic Academy of Pulilan, Inc. and the teacher in-charge.
 While we are dreaming, our senses gives us impressions similar of when we are asleep. Therefore,
it is hard to determine whether we are asleep and what are we experiencing at this moment is a
simulation happening in our dream or not. How about you? What made you so sure that you are
awake at this moment? Are you sure that whatever you see, touch, hear, smell and taste around
you are real? Do you think the air you are breathing right now are even real? Or do you still believe
that you are awake, free of experiencing the “actual” world?

Material Bodies
Descartes doubted material bodies because they are based upon sense perceptions. They also mislead
us to the truth.
For example:
 Oftentimes, we encounter things which confuse our senses, such as optical illusions. We tend to
see objects as something else, while in fact they are not, such as shadows, hanging clothes, and
other shapes that can trick our sense of sight.
 Not only optical illusions can mislead us, we might also be deceived with the
things that we can hear. Some people have the talent to imitate sounds made
by the animals, sounds made by musical instruments, and sounds made by
other things.
 Artificial flavors can also deceive our sense of taste.
 In the same way, our sense of touch can also be deceived.
 In the same way, our sense of smell can also be deceived.

Natural sciences
Descartes also doubted the natural sciences because they are based upon material bodies.
For example:
 When we look at objects from afar, we see them small from our current
position, but when we come close to the actual object, they grew in size completely
different from our initial idea about them.
 Another example is refraction. We can see objects that objects were bent
when they were submerged into a glass of water, such as a pencil or a pen. Yet, when
we pull it off the glass, it becomes “fixed” again from being “bent” while in the glass.

Mathematics (Demon Argument)

Even though a brilliant mathematician, Descartes doubted mathematics itself because he believe that
there might be an evil deceiving him to believe that it is true, but actually is false.
For example:
 Since it may be possible that there are demons inside our heads, manipulating
us to believe in something which is not true, we might also be deceived with the
“fact” that 1+1 = 3.
 In this case, what we believe about the things around us are not true, but all
are just fabricated truths forcibly placed in our heads.

God
Descartes used the demon argument as hitting two birds in one stone—falsifying math and the existence
of God.
For example:
 Provided with the demon argument, Descartes believed that if a demon can deceive our senses,
then God is not in control of everything. If God cannot interrupt the demon in deceiving us, then
God is not omnipotent (all-powerful).
 If God, who is all-good, cannot interrupt the demon in deceiving us and allowed us to live our life
in deception, then He is not all-good since He can abandon His beloved children.
 If God, who is all-knowing, cannot “deceive” the demon who are deceiving us, then, He is not
omniscient (all-knowing) since He is not capable of overcoming the demons’ power of manipulation.

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All rights reserved. No part of this module may be shared, reproduced, or transmitted in any means without the written permission from St. Dominic Academy of Pulilan, Inc. and the teacher in-charge.
The I
Ultimately, Descartes doubted his own existence. Since everything is not certain and everything is
doubtful, then he doubted his very self. Is he even real? Or every consciousness that he have are just
products of deception of his senses and the demon inside his head? How about you? Are you sure that
you are real? Are you certain of your own existence? Are you really with us? How can you be certain of
these things?

Descartes himself tried to be skeptic in all his beliefs in life. He doubted especially the things that are
importantly should be known, such as the possibility of truth or the validity of knowledge. To put these
disbelief into an extreme, he even doubted the existence of God. Practically, he doubted everything. Now,
if Descartes doubted everything, then how did he arrive at certainty? How can he possibly believe on
anything if he does not have any belief on a single things which could be a springboard for his belief of
everything else?

Cogito, ergo sum.

Through methodological skepticism, Descartes is able to destroy his beliefs, all of his beliefs—including
God Himself. Basically, this method made him doubt until he no longer doubted that he doubts. Because

he doubts, he cannot doubt that he doubt. He arrive at doubting, and so eventually led to his famous
declaration “Cogito, ergo sum” (I think, therefore, I am). He must exist in order to think.
Modern Philosophy vs. Medieval Philosophy
Descartes lived during the modern period. It was at this time that science is considered as the gateway to
arrive at truth. The Modern Period is a specific point that marks the end of Medieval philosophy and its
concerns. Medieval philosophy designates the philosophical speculation that occurred in Western Europe
during the Middle Ages—i.e., from the fall of the Roman Empire in the 4th and 5th centuries AD to the
Renaissance of the 15th century. Philosophy of the medieval period was closely connected to Christian
thought, particularly theology, and the chief philosophers of the period were churchmen. Meaning, during
this period, we can observe philosophers that were mostly religious, and if not, some of them were
somehow involved in the Catholic Church and her activities. Medieval philosophy is “theocentric”,
meaning, its main concern is to prove or disprove God’s existence through the use of reason.

It is important to note that, we are not discussing these things as if we are going to compare them “black-
and-white”. Rather, what I want to emphasize here is the primary medium they use in philosophizing. To
put it simply, medieval philosophy is concerned about God’s existence using logical arguments.

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INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON 12 – LEARNING MODULE
All rights reserved. No part of this module may be shared, reproduced, or transmitted in any means without the written permission from St. Dominic Academy of Pulilan, Inc. and the teacher in-charge.
Plato’s Allegory of the Cave
Please watch:
FOR ONLINE: YouTube Link: Plato’s Allegory of the Cave - Alex Gendler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RWOpQXTltA&feature=emb_logo

ADDITIONAL LEARNING RESOURCE: Kindly read “Plato’s Allegory of the Cave” on the PDF
file sent by your subject teacher.

V. INTEGRATION
As a Dominican, you are expected to be a truth
seeker. It is never enough to say you immediately
believe on something without discernment and to
passively accept whatever is taught to you. Be critical-
minded. Learn what to believe and what not to believe.
The sad reality in this world is, the ignorant is the
favorite victim of the cunning. Sometimes, we need to
pause for a while and scrutinize things. Descartes’
methodological skepticism made him doubt at things.
This may give him the negative impression of having
no faith on anybody, but sometimes it saves us from
danger. What we need is a healthy skepticism.
Furthermore, one of the graduate attributes that we
have, prudence, is knowing how to act at the right time,
right place, and right manner. There must be caution
in every action that we are going to execute, and in the
same way, a caution on our part since we can never pinpoint the people who are true to their intentions
and those who are not. On every occasion, we are vulnerable for deception. Do not blindly follow what
others do. Learn about the situation well, and then go, do things in the right way.

Prudence can also mean being open for better ideas. Always remember, stagnant waters are always
filthy. Like water, if we are confined with our comfortable spaces, our growth might be hindered. Problems
unstoppably come our way, and they are not always the same. At times, some are even worse than the
previous one. This can be intoxicating if we are not open for better ideas. We might be overwhelmed by
our own problems and end up finding ourselves in desperation, looking for the answers that we never
found. Instead of being stiff, be flexible. Be like a river that is always clear: it moves through the streams
and travels. It flows to wherever environment it is directed until it finally reaches the vast ocean.

It is heart-breaking to know that despite this pandemic, instead of helping one another, people choose to
do wicked things out of their self-interest. News often people who are victims of scammers. There are also
businessmen and businesswomen who does not follow the Suggested Retail Price of some safety-related
products that we need today, such as alcohol. Could you also imagine that street dwellers even became
victims of theft? With the very little amount that they have, they are also subjected to abuse.

This will be an invitation for us to be vigilant. Through healthy skepticism and developing prudence, we
can be cautious with the things that we encounter. Likewise, we can be prepared with the things that come
our way. Lastly, being prudent make us more effective with the decisions we take, and be more secured
of the dangers of this world.

VI. ASSESMENT/ ACTIVITY

QUIZ NO. 1
(see and answers the items on your CLE accounts)

VII. SYNTHESIS/GENERALIZATION
In this learning module, we have discussed the following:
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INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON 12 – LEARNING MODULE
All rights reserved. No part of this module may be shared, reproduced, or transmitted in any means without the written permission from St. Dominic Academy of Pulilan, Inc. and the teacher in-charge.
  Rene Descartes is a respected mathematician and philosopher.
 He is famously known for his contribution of the Cartesian plane.
 As a philosopher, he doubted all of his beliefs using methodological skepticism where he
deconstructed his beliefs and succeeded in reconstructing them by arriving at certainty.
 Rene Descartes’ cogito, ergo sum states that as long as an individual doubts, it must be certain
that he/she exists.
 Medieval philosophy’s primary tool in philosophizing is faith.
 Modern philosophy’s primary tool in philosophizing is reason.
 Adopting healthy skepticism and developing prudence helps a person to be critical on the things
around him and makes him/her more cautious of his/her actions and decisions in life.

CLOSING PRAYER: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
God, You are all-powerful, all-good, and all-loving. Sorry for being ignorant of these things. Thank
You because You always remain loving and caring even if we don’t. Heal us, Lord, and the whole world.
Gathering all my personal intentions, grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ who lives and reigns with
You and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever.. Amen.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

REFERENCES:
 Sioco and Vinzons, Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person, pp. 63-64,
93, Quezon City: Vibal Group Inc., 2016
 Jove Jim Aguas, Philosophy: Toward an Understanding and Appreciation of the
Human Person, pp. 75, 77, 79, Quezon City: Abiva Publishing House Inc., 2017
 https://www.google.com/search?q=Rene+Descartes&sxsrf=ALeKk01n-
T_d5XwE7AQ2nZsTvRdiUTGTzg:1597216501594&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&v
ed=2ahUKEwidvNORj5XrAhUUUd4KHYSTDusQ_AUoAXoECA4QAw#imgrc=G4Haz
oWvtOnxCM
 https://whatmaster.com/cartesian-plane/
 https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/descartes-works/
 https://www.philosophybasics.com/philosophers_descartes.html
 https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/cambridge-descartes-lexicon/faith-
religious/6E6C2EBC47F96049F58CD841EEAAB8ED
 https://www.britannica.com/topic/skepticism
 https://www.britannica.com/topic/Western-philosophy/Medieval-philosophy
 https://www.expii.com/t/coordinate-system-definition-examples-9980
 https://www.reddit.com/r/Bitcoin/comments/g9tf8j/dont_follow_blindly_the_masses_e
ducate_yourself/

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INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON 12 – LEARNING MODULE
All rights reserved. No part of this module may be shared, reproduced, or transmitted in any means without the written permission from St. Dominic Academy of Pulilan, Inc. and the teacher in-charge.