PHILOSOPHY
Freedom
- ability to do what you want to do.
- originated from the Danish term “friheden,”
which was originally meant to mean “dear” or
“beloved.”, the meaning evolved into “choice”
2 Distinctions of Freedom:
1. Inner Freedom- ability of a human being to
achieve whatever he wants to achieve without the
intervention of societal pressure and other
external impediments.
2. Outer Freedom- refers to the ability of a human
being to do whatever he wants to do without the
intervention of other people or institutions.
Fate- an essential point of discussion in the concept of
freedom; it assumes there is no freedom at all.
Determinism- a concept that is against freedom; states
that humans are not free
3 Distinctions of Determinism:
1. Biological Determinism- theory that certain
predispositions in our actions are already rooted
in our DNA. Therefore, this states that actions
done by humans are dictated not by choice but by
“genes.”
- For example, there are situations wherein given
the genetic make-up of a person makes him
angrier, he will not react rationally and be
“predisposed” to be emotional in dealing with
the situation.
2. Psychological Determinism- humans are a sum
of all his past experiences; these experiences
predetermine our reaction to similar situations.
Choice had already been made thanks to his past
experiences.
- For example, women who encounter physical
abuse may register an automatic psychological
response such as being weak and just merely
allowing the abuser to continue.
3. Sociological Determinism- our responses in
situations are made primarily by what society
accepts.
- For example, a child afraid to have bad grades
since his parents reprimanded him after getting
one.
Freedom, while a basic right, is not absolute.
3 basic concepts of control:
1. Autonomy- being free and understanding that
freedom is also given to others.
2. Accountability- being liable to the actions you
do; if you do something, be ready for the
consequence.
3. Responsibility- similar to being accountable. A
person must understand that before making a
choice, there are effects that he has to be prepared
for. Being responsible means making the smart
choice – and that means sometimes making a
difficult one.
Intersubjectivity
- presupposes human being’s connectivity with
other human beings.
- It means that we share the same situations
wherein we can create shared meanings.
Theories on Intersubjectivity:
Martin Buber- preeminent philosopher in the concept of
the “I-It” and the “I-Thou.”
- “I-It” suggests that in a conversation, one side
serves as a being while the other seen as an object.
- “I-Thou,” the conversation exists between two
mutual identities capable of treating each other as
equals.
- Monologue- conversation gears towards one
person to another, and there is no response back.
- Dialogue- both persons in a conversation may
give each other responses as equals.
Edmund Husserl- contributed to the philosophy that
understands the minds of the people.
- Stated that self is more outward and bound
towards the world. By introspecting, a person can
gain knowledge of the world around him.
- A person realizes that the world around him is
much larger. By being able to accept that, he can
relate to other people’s needs.
Edith Stein- Student of Edmund Husserl.
- published her dissertation entitled “On the
Problem of Empathy,”
- focuses on putting the self into someone else’s
context to understand that person’s situation.
- This concept of allows a shared experience
between people and thus able to take
responsibility for one another.
Karol Wojtyla (Bl. John Paul II)- presented two views
on how a human person is understood.
- Cosmological way- a person realizes that he is a
part of something much larger than he is.
- Personalistic way- he is considered something of
value and thus crucial to the world at large.
On Dialogue
Monologue- one-way process wherein the speaker
monopolizes the conversation, and thus information flows
to the object only and never back to the speaker.
Dialogue- both the speaker and audience can participate
in the conversation because they are seen as equals and
can contribute to each other.
Challenges to the Dialogue Process:
- In Seeming vs Way of Being
❖ The main issue here is whether or not the person
seems to tell the truth or is genuine.
❖ ‘In seeming’ is there is a mask that prevents the
dialogue from occurring.
❖ ‘Way of Being,’ this is the uncensored, natural,
and genuine way of communicating and thus
allows a natural interaction between persons
- Speechifying vs Personal Making Present
❖ A matter for the receiver– whether or not you are
genuinely listening to the entirety of the
conversation.
❖ ‘Speechifying,’ this is the idea of ‘listening to
reply.’
❖ ‘Personal making present,’ this is the complete
reverse wherein you understand the whole of the
situation first by completely taking in the context
- Imposition vs Unfolding
❖ Speaker invalidates the person’s thinking by
forcing upon the person his/her beliefs
❖ ‘Imposition,’ the beliefs of the speaker are
imposed upon the receiver.
❖ ‘Unfolding,’ the speaker considers the other
person’s way of thinking but does not necessarily
accept it.
Catharsis- one of the effects of authentic dialogue;
release of emotions to achieve freedom from stress or
negative feelings.
Dialogue, in its truest sense, will allow emotions to be
part of the conversation.
On Love
Love- one of the most essential aspects of human
existence.
Understanding Love:
• Receiving or giving love- Love isn’t just about
receiving someone else’s affection. In fact, love is
more of ‘giving’ love.
• Being-in-love vs Falling-in-love- Infatuation is most
often thought of by synonymous with being-in-love.
Falling-in-love is a feeling of being temporarily
attracted to another person,
• Loneliness leads to love- Loneliness can be the root
cause of love as this feeling desires ‘atonement’ or a
cure to the isolation.
• Love is not dependent on appeal- Love goes beyond
what can be seen and therefore is not dependent on
appeal.
• Love gives and sacrifices- love is unselfish – but
further, it sacrifices. It does not only focus on the
positive of the relationship.
• The Duality of Love- Love is not just about the two
of you – it also nourishes the self.
• The Value in Love- Love gives value to the other –
that is why a person who is in love can sacrifice for
the other.
4 Characteristics of Love:
1. Love is Total
• Love between two people is indivisible; We love
them for what they are not just because of certain
qualities
2. Love is Historical
• does not re-shape a person to become your ideal
person but instead loves you for what you are. It
associated with something such as places and
events
3. Love is Sacred
• persons are valuable in themselves, and thus, the
relationship itself has deep meaning to both
parties.
4. Love is Eternal
• Love is forever as it is not time-bound.
Human Person in Society
Importance of the Social
Person is inherently a social person and thus needs to
interact with others. This helps shape his identity and, at
the same time, forms the environment he is in.
Social Order- main goal of social interaction and being
part of the social system in one’s community.
Government- a social concept meant to the government
the behavior of the people to ensure the peace and stability
of the community a person is in.
Theories on the Ideal Society:
Karl Marx “Das Kapital”
➢ Created the concept of Communism. It eliminates
private ownership from the people and is led only
by the state whose thinking must satisfy the entire
community as a whole.
➢ In contrast to capitalism wherein people are given
the freedom to build their enterprises.
Plato “The Republic”
➢ An ideal state can only be led by only a great
philosopher has outstanding values and education
to lead the city itself.
➢ A great city must also have its guardians who are
examples of wisdom, courage, justice, and
temperance.
Emile Durkheim “The Division of Labour in Society”
➢ A French Social Scientist who was greatly
influenced by the sufferings of France and, from
his view, the mistakes of capitalism and the
advent of technology.
➢ Believed that there has to be a high division of
labor.
Social Structures:
• Hunting-Gathering Societies
➢ People were scavengers and hunters; Humans
were the apex predator.
• Pastoral Societies
➢ People learned domestication of animals and
stayed in an area.
• Horticultural Societies
➢ Humans learned to cultivate lands and to
grow plants.
• Agricultural Societies
➢ Food became an important component.
➢ Systematized planting of crops, irrigation,
farming techniques, and others were
implemented.
• Industrial societies
➢ Factories became common with the advent of
reliable energy sources.
➢ Labor now became the primary resource to
satisfy the production of the ongoing demand for
technology.
• Post-Industrial Societies
➢ Also known as the Information Age, wherein
more people became connected via the internet.
➢ Service-oriented industries are now more
conventional such as call center agents.
➢ Globalization made a borderless economy.
Social institutions- are those that are needed to help a
society function.
5 Basic Social Institutions:
1. Religion
o Provide structure to the spiritual/supernatural beliefs
of the society. This would almost always correlate to
dates that pose great importance to the community.
o Ex. Celebrating Christmas & Attending Simbang-
gabi
2. Government
o Tasked to regulate the behavior of the citizens by
providing laws that address the community. The
government also dictates who should be in control of
the community through systems agreed upon by the
country such as elections.
o Ex. RA 10175 was implemented to regulate the
activities of people online.
3. Economics
o to distribute resources within the community. This
would allow the community to decide which
particular resource they should be focusing on to best
maximize their economic output and make their
community better.
o Ex.A coastal city would choose to focus on improving
its fishing industry to improve its economy.
4. Education
o Knowledge, in all its forms, must be transferred to
preserve our cultural identity – and that is the main
purpose of education. This education does not only
refer to school systems but also cultural systems
o Ex. Act of ‘mano po’ – which is putting the hand of
the elder onto your forehead.
5. Family
o Basic unit of society. Through a family, society will
continue to exist through procreation.
o Ex. In a Japanese family, the tradition of leaving your
shoes before you enter the house proper.
Human Social Systems and How They Change:
1. Interpersonal Level
➢ Primarily deals with changes as humans interact with
one another.
2. Constructive Level
➢ Deals primarily with how we interact with society at
large and therefore are changed by it.
3. Systematic Level
➢ Deals with how we, as a collective unit, maintain our
society.
Importance of Discourse (debate)
Discourse and its use in society are both wide-ranging
and simple. Discourse and communication can help the
maintenance of social order by making sure the following
are achieved:
❖ Discourse is necessary for the attainment of justice.
The process of actual and real discourse is needed in
sifting out the facts of a given case or scenario.
❖ Discourse is necessary for keeping up with the times.
Being a close-minded person and society may allow
us to miss out on the changes occurring around us.
❖ Discourse ensures a just and fair society. This is not
just to ensure that justice is given to those that are
guilty – but it also a preventive measure to avoid
being placed in a situation that will demean our
integrity.
Human Person and Imminent Mortality
Death- end of the biological functions, physical
systems, and mental activity in a human being;
irreversible state of biological and mental decay that is
permanent by all scientific and medical means.
Philosophically, death is not the end of a person’s
influence.
The Absurdity of Life – Life’s Greatest Challenge
- Life will end – that much is sure.
- Humans are typically inclined towards self-
preservation, so no matter what, we would
instead continue living.
- “Knowing my time is limited, shouldn’t I make
the most of it?”.
- This is the greatest challenge to any person – to
rebel against the absurdity of life by making most
out of its limitedness.
To leave a legacy to the world, one must understand that:
- One must conquer the fear of death by accepting
that will get there eventually.
- Carpe Diem- To enjoy life, we must be able to
work towards a legacy that does not just envelop
materialism but also something that benefits
others.
- Death is a test of love. It is a reminder that this
is a person worth our love and affection—that
everything this person is reminds me of times of
positivity and value.
- Death is also a reward to some. Especially for
those who work in the military, dying for
something far more significant than yourself is a
great honor and reward.
- Death is a test of hope. Despite its eventuality,
we must accept death can give hope to someone
else.
Carpe diem, most commonly known as ‘seize the day,’
is a concept wherein one must live his life to the fullest by
creating a legacy.
- Seizing the day is not living life by however
means you desire – it is essentially a violation of
your freedom and as such an irresponsible way of
using your life and your liberty.
- Seizing the day is not achieved by collecting
material things and riches. Even billionaires
now continue to donate their money, for they
know fortune does not make a lasting legacy.
- Seizing the day is not about yourself – it is
about making a life that is worth emulating.