The Human Person as an Embodied Spirit

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 Mammalia
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 behavior 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?
- From the definitions provided in the table, the human and the person, respectively,
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: Mammalia.
Two general kinds to distinguish a human person:
The Cognitive Self
- 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.
The Physical Self
- 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.
Three (3) non-bodily human components that a human person has
1. Soul - life giving function
2. Spirit - nonphysical nature
3. Mind - Consciousness
WHAT IS EMBODIED SPIRIT?
- 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.
WHAT IS HUMAN PERSON AS EMBODIED SPIRIT?
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.
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)
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).
THREE ASPECTS OF HUMAN NATURE
1. Somatic
• Refers to the body, material composition or substance of a human person.
• It is a view that stems from the advances made in science and biology.
• In this view, any interpretation of what happens to the human person is
physiological.
2. Behavioral
• Refers to the human person’s mode of acting.
• Burrhus Frederic Skinner, an American psychologist known for the theory of
behaviorism, stated that any condition or event which may be shown to take an
effect on behavior must be taken into account.
• If the nature of the human person is behavioral, the human person acts in
accordance to his or her condition as human distinctly unique from any other
beings- irrespective of culture, religion or race.
3. Attitudinal
• Refers to the human person’s inclinations, feelings, ideas, convictions and
prejudices or biases.
• Attitude is a person’s mental reactions to stimuli or tendency to act. It is a certain
inclination, bias, or disposition toward a certain type of activity.
• These tendencies may define a person’s future and what he or she values as right
and wrong.
• It reveals the importance of the attitude toward a behavior or action done or to be
done by a human person.