Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region III – Central Luzon
SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE OF BALANGA CITY
INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON
2nd QUARTER

Quarter 2 || Lesson 4: The Human Person in Society

Society is an organized group of people whose members interact frequently and have a common
territory and culture. It was brought about by the human desire to relate with others. Society is
considered a product of deliberate actions by individuals who come together in pursuit of a
common goal.

Society is rooted in the concepts of the common good and general welfare, which refers to the
social conditions that enables human persons and groups to fulfill their goals and achieve well-
being.

Society is a product of a social contract. Social contract is an agreement among individuals to

sacrifice some of their wants and submit to a higher authority. There are various concepts that we
need to learn to fully grasp an understanding of the society and they are as follows;
1. Common Good – this refers to the social condition which enable persons and groups to
fulfill their goals and achieve perfection all together.
2. Social System – this is an organized and patterned set of relationship among individuals
and groups that compose a society.
3. Social Group – these are groups of individuals who have similar backgrounds and
perform similar roles in the society.
4. Social values – these are actions or things that are considered important by the society. It
is also defined as the set of moral principles defined by society dynamics, institutions,
traditions and cultural beliefs.
5. Social norms – these are set of traits and behaviors that society considers acceptable and
are encouraged and passed on others.
6. Laws – these are formal and stringent social norms that establish and define acceptable
behavior of citizens. Laws prescribe the consequences or penalties that will be imposed
on violators.
7. Folkways – these are the less formal norms that arise from tradition and does not result to
distinct punishment when violated.

PHILOSOPHICAL VIEW OF THE SOCIETY

1. Thomas Hobbes - “mankind is governed by desire which lead to conflict among individuals.”
2. John Locke - society is organized based on the “consent of the governed”.
3. John Rawls - humans naturally seek a just and fair society because of self-interest.

TYPES OF SOCIAL RELATIONS

1. PERSONAL SOCIAL RELATIONS. This refers to the interactions with others which are
based on a mutual regard for each other as persons. Hence, interactions are defined by
COOPERATION rather than COMPETITION. It emphasizes the preservation and
development of the mutual regard for each other wherein, the kind of interaction is
COMMUNICATIVE ACTION or intersubjective, which means, a manner of relating with
others as one’s equal, a fellow subject or a fellow person.
 Republic of the Philippines
Department of Education
Region III – Central Luzon
SCHOOLS DIVISION OFFICE OF BALANGA CITY
INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON
2nd QUARTER

2. TRANSACTIONAL SOCIAL RELATIONS. This refers to the interactions which are

based on “a regard for others as a means for attaining one’s goal. In layman’s term, the
“other” is being used to attain one’s goals. It suspends the deeper reality that the “other” is a
person, not just a mere object for usage. Here, personal matters such as feelings and emotions
are put aside in the interactions and is very competitive. The kind of interaction with others is
STRATEGIC ACTION, which means, a manner of relating with others as an object or a
means for attaining one’s goal.

Activity No.

Directions: Answer the following questions concisely and correctly.

1. Differentiate and explain rationally each philosophical views of the society as given by the 3
renowned philosophers. Mention an instance or circumstance that may illustrate their
propositions.

PHILOSOPHER PHILOSOPHICAL VIEW OF THE INSTANCE OR CIRCUMSTANCE TO

SOCIETY (EXPLAIN BRIEFLY) ILLUSTRATE THE PROPOSITIONS
Thomas Hobbes

John Locke

John Rawls

2. Cite 3 circumstances or situational examples for each type of social relations.

Personal Social Relation
Situation 1:
Situation 2:
Situation 3:

Transactional Social Relation

Situation 1:
Situation 2:
Situation 3: