THE HUMAN PERSON intellectually or by engaging in
FLOURISHING IN TERMS OF
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Happiness
● In Psychology, happiness is
a mental or emotional state of
well being which can be
defined by, among others,
positive or pleasant emotions
ranging from contentment to
intense joy.
● To behaviorists, happiness is
a cocktail of emotions we
experience when we do
something good or positive.
● To neurologists, happiness is
the experience of a flood of
hormones released in the
brain as a reward for
behavior that
prolongs survival.
Is Happiness a destination or a
journey?
● The Hedonistic view of well-
being is that happiness is the
polar opposite of suffering;
the presence of happiness
indicates the absence of pain.
● Because of this, hedonists
believe that the purpose of
life is to maximize happiness,
which minimizes misery.
● Eudaimonia, a term that
combines the Greek words
for "good" and "spirit" to
describe the ideology.
● Eudaimonia defines
happiness as the pursuit of
becoming a better person.
● Eudaimonistic do this by
challenging themselves
activities that make them spiritually
richer people.
Eudaimonia
● "Good-spirited"
● Coined by Aristotle.
● Describes the pinnacle of
happiness that is attainable by
humans.
● "Human flourishing"
- According to Aristotle, there
is an end to all of the actions
that we perform which we
desire for itself - eudaimonia,
flourishing, or happiness,
which is desired for its own
sake with all other things
being desired on its account.
- Eudaimonia is a property of
one's life when considered as
a whole. Flourishing is the
highest good of human
endeavors and then toward
which all actions aim. It is
success as a human being.
The best life is one of
excellent human activity.
Flourishing
Flourishing is a state where people
experience positive emotions,
positive psychological functioning
and positive social functioning, most
of the time, living within an optimal
range of human functioning.
Human Flourishing
● (philosophical inquiry into
the nature of the good life for
a human being.)
phro -ne• sis [froh-nee-sis]
noun-philosophy
- The habit of making the right
decisions and taking the right
actions in context, and
relentless pursuit of
excellence for the common
good.
● From Nicomachean Ethics
(philosophical inquiry into
the nature of the
good life for a human being).
Written by Aristotle's son,
Nicomachus.
● Human flourishing arises as a
result of different
components such as:
● Phronesis - the habit of
making the right decisions,
and taking the right actions in
context, and relentless pursuit
of excellence for the common
good.
● Friendship
● Wealth
● Power
● In Ancient Greek society,
they believe that acquiring
these will surely bring the
seekers happiness, which in
effect allows them to partake
in the greater notion of what
we call the Good.
● As time changes, elements
that comprise Human
Flourishing changed.
● People found means to live
more comfortably, explore
more places, develop more
products, and make more
money.
● Humans of today are
expected to become "man of
the world.
● Supposed to situate himself
in a global neighborhood,
working side-by-side among
institutions and the
government to be able to
reach a common goal.
● Competition as a means of
survival has become a passé.
● Coordination is the new
trend.
Eastern vs Western conception
regarding Society and Human
Flourishing
EASTERN CONCEPTION
● Focus is community-centric
● Individual should sacrifice
himself for the sake of
society
● Chinese Confucian system
● Japanese Bushido
● Encourage studies of
literature, sciences, and art
for a greater caus
WESTERN CONCEPTION
● More focused on the
individual
● Human Flourishing as an end
● Aristotelian view
● Aims for eudaimonia as the
ultimate goal.
Science, Technology, andHuman
Flourishing
● Every discovery, innovation,
and success contributes to our
pool of human knowledge.
● Human's perpetual need to
locate himself in the world by
 finding proofs to trace
evolution.
● Elicits our idea of self-
importance.
● Technology is a human
activity we excel in as a
result of achieving science.
(Heidegger)
Science as Methods and Results
● Science stems from
objectivity brought upon by a
rigid method
● Claim to reason and
empiricism
Steps in Scientific Method
1. Observe
2. Determine the Problem
3. Formulate hypothesis
4. Conduct experiment
5. Gather and analyze
6. Formulate conclusions and
provide recommendations.
Verification Theory
● A discipline is science if it
can be confirmed or
interpreted in the event of an
alternative hypothesis being
accepted.
● Premium on empiricism
● Take into account those
results which are measurable
and experiments which are
repeatable.
Falsification Theory
● As long as an ideology is not
proven to be false and can
best explain a phenomenon
over alternative theories, we
should accept the said
ideology.
● Allowed emergence of
theories otherwise rejected by
the verification theory.
● Encourages research in order
to determine which among
the theories can stand the test
of falsification.
KARL POPPER
- aim at the production of new,
falsifiable predictions
- Scientific practice is
characterized by its continual
effort to test theories against
experience and make
revisions based on the
outcomes of these tests.
SELECTED VIEWS ON
TECHNOLOGY
ARISTOTELIANISM
- This views technology as
basically a means to an end.
- To Aristotle, technology is
the organizing of techniques
in order to meet the demand
that is being posed by
humans.
- This may seem that
technology is primarily
concerned with the product.
TECHNOLOGICAL PESSIMISM
- This view is extremely
supported by French
philosopher Jacques Ellul
(1912-1994).
- Holds that technology is
progressive and beneficial in
many ways, it is also doubtful
in many ways.
TECHNOLOGICAL OPTIMISM

- Is strongly supported by
technologists and engineers
and also by ordinary people
who believe that technology
can alleviate all the
difficulties and provide
solutions for problems that
may come.
- The extreme version of this
philosophy is technocratic
which holds technology as
the supreme authority on
everything.
- Holds that even though
technological problems may
arise, technology will still be
the solution to it.

EXISTENTIALISM

- The main concern of this

view is the existence or the
mode of being of someone or
something which is governed
by the norm of authenticity.
- This view basically
investigates the meaning of
existence or being and is
always faced with the
selection must make with
which the existent will
commit himself to.
- Martin Heidegger, a
philosopher, is one of the
most known supporters of
this philosophy.