Lesson 2: MAN AS A PERSON

Reporters:
Ricky Abaquita
Margarette Payad
 Lesson 2: Man as a Person

01 02 03 04
Filipino Moral Rational A Moral Man As A Person
Beliefs Animal Being

05 06 07 08
Personality and Moral Social Dimension The Purpose of Man
Character Character of the Person
 Introduction
Ethics is the study of man as a moral being. What
goals we assign to ourselves, what actions we choose
to do, and how we treat others- depend on how we
understand ourselves as human being. Socrates is
wise indeed for proposing that the starting point of
wisdom is “to know oneself.”
 Objectives:
At the end of the chapter, the learner is expected to:

1. Describe man as a person.

2. Explain on what makes man a rational animal.

3. Discuss the different components of a human nature/person.

4. Show tolerance on the different personality and character of

man.
 Man As A Person
What is a person?
•“ any entity that has the moral right of self-determination”
•The kind of being that has the moral right to make its own life- choices
and to live its life without being provoked/interfered by others

There is a distinction between man and a person…

Man ascribed to mean human population which is the male and female
population.

Man be the person who controls or is in charge of.

Person is a concrete man, concrete is a way that he is unique. An
individual whose nature is rational.
FILIPINO BELIEFS….
Filipinos believe that ….

1. Man is a creature of God.

2. Man has an immortal soul.
3. Man has an assigned destiny in life.
4. Man must do good or else be punished by God.
5. Man by nature is good but is morally weak.
Regarding morality,
Filipinos believe
that …..

1. Morality is “batas ng Diyos”

2. A person should respect his humanity, “pagkatao”
3. A person should love and care for his family.
4. A person should strive to live peacefully with others.
5. A person should fear God and His punishment.
 Rational Animal
Man is an organism composed of a material body and a spiritual
soul. He is the whole of his materiality and immateriality, the
substantial union (hylomorphic) of body and soul, matter and spirit. This
essential wholeness is what we call human nature.

Aristotle defined man as… Rational animal.

Rationality is what separate man from all other animals. It us what makes
us unique.
2 reasons:
1. Man has Intellectual Faculty originating from our mind
2. Moral Faculty originating from our conscience
The definition is unique to man and that no other animal is
rational.
• Aristotle believed “man as a rational animal “
• While animals express pleasure or pain with their cries, man
and only man is able to speak.
• Ability to speak allows man to be able to determine the
difference between what is right and what is wrong, what is
beneficial and what is harmful.
So, how are these skills and knowledge acquired? It is through
education.
Human Nature is made up of man’s biological, psychological, and
rational powers.

1. Biological powers – are nutrition, locomotion, growth, and

reproduction.

2. Psychological powers – include those of the senses, such as

smelling, tasting, seeing, hearing, perceiving, imagining, and
remembering and those acts of emotions, such as love, hatred,
desire, disgust, joy, sorrow, fear, despair and courage.

3. Rational powers - are those of the intellect and the will –

comprehension and volition, respectively.
● Human nature is a bundle of characteristics, including
ways of thinking, feeling, and acting, which humans are
said to have naturally.

Human Nature: Six things we all do

1. Being legislative
2. Being playful
3. Being scientific
4. Being epicurean
5. Being gossipy
6. Being clandestine
Before looking at natural law in more detail
consider this statement.

1. Is it natural to be homosexual
2. Is it natural to be violent
3. Is it natural to be prejudice
4. Is it natural to commit suicide
5. Is it natural to be monogamous
NATURAL LAW
Von Hildebrand said that…
"Natural law is the reality of moral values as these
impinge upon our consciousness.“
In Rm 2:15, the natural law is not a written law. It does
not exist in books or in official pronouncements but
rather it is "written in our hearts."
 All human powers or faculties are operational
tendencies towards what is good to man as a rational
animal. In this sense, human nature is the natural law
because like the laws of society, it directs man in all his
activities. Natural law differs from the so called laws of
nature which are the forces governing the material
universe, including man. Natural law applies only to man
as a rational animal. When we speak of an act as
“contrary to natural law”, we mean the act to be against
human nature or humanity.
 The foundation of the natural law is the
eternally established order of God. It is a special
kind of knowledge, not about bad but about
human being and human nature. Though
human reason reflecting on human nature,
human beings can determine what is for their
own good and at the same time what God
requires.
 The natural law, the Creator's very good work, provides
the solid foundation on which man can build the structure
of moral rules to guide his choices. It also provides the
indispensable moral foundation for building the human
community. Finally, it provides the necessary basis for civil
law, which is connected, weather by a reflection that draws
a conclusion from its principles, or by additions of a
positive and juridical nature. (CCC 1959)
Channels of Natural Law
 Examples of Natural Law:

1. Parents should care for his children

2. One should try to preserve one's life

3. People should do no harm to others

4. We should help the vulnerable and disadvantage

A MORAL BEING
Three Characteristics reveal man’s moral nature:
1. Man by natural insight is able to distinguish between good and
evil, right and wrong, moral and immoral. All people, including
those we regard as primitive, have an understanding of what is
right or wrong, of what is permitted and prohibited behavior.

2. Man feels himself obliged to do what is good and to avoid

what is evil. He is moved by the inner force of his being
demanding that what is good “ought” to be done, and what is
evil “ought” to be avoided.
 3. Man feels himself accountable for his actions so
that his good deeds merit reward, while his evil deeds
deserve punishment. Man feels content with himself for
doing a good deed. Or he feels remorseful for doing an
evil deed. All cultures have a system of reward and
punishment based on the concept of justice.
MAN AS PERSON
• Man is born as an individual, or person. Person is human
nature actualized and manifested in the history of place
and time.
• Etymologically, the word “person” comes from the Greek
“prosophon” which is the mask worn by stage actors.
• The Latin “personare” alludes to the mask which is
constructed so as to project forcefully the voice of the
actor. Underneath the person is the principle of human
activity.
Person – is defined as “an individual, existing
separately and independently from others,
capable of knowing and loving in an intellectual
way, and of deciding for himself the purpose or
end of his actions” (Brennan: 280)

- We also refer to person as “self” or “ego”.

 The Human Person

• The person is a rational being. His / Her nature

emerges and is fulfilled in one’s various
relationships.

A. IN RELATION TO THE SELF

1. He has intellect and free will
- Everyone is endowed and blessed with natural capacities and
abilities. Primarily, the ability to reason and decide freely.
2. He has dignity
- Everyone is bestowed an inherent dignity
which demands unconditional respect.
3. He is created in the image and likeness of
God
- He is both mind and spirit.
4. He is ambivalent
- Man has the capacity for both good and evil.
5. He is limited
- Man’s life is limited.
6. He is unique
- Human person are sufficiently diverse.
7. He is embodied subject
- The person is in charge of his or her own life.
8. A historical subject
- Every movement of life is in compulsion with the past and
the future.

B. IN RELATION TO OTHERS
1. Each person is a social being
- Every individual is oriented towards other people and needs their
company.
2. Each person is of equal value with other persons
- Although natural inequalities may exist, God has gifted all with
equal dignity.
C. IN RELATION TO SOCIETY

1. Man is intervenor
- Man creates the structures of society by actively sanctioning/strengthening them.
2. Man as Patriot
- The country is considered a person’s bigger family, since he/she is inextricably
linked with others and society.

D. IN RELATION TO THE WORLD

1. Work
- The person interacts with the world through his / her work.
2. Caretaker
- The things of the world are for all people to use – not adored or amassed.
3. Voluntary Simplicity
- The things of the world were given to us to help us know, love and serve God.
E. IN RELATION TO GOD

1. Person as Transcendent
- The person needs to relate to a Greater Being.

2. Person as having a Conscience

3. Person as a Child of God

- By virtue of the Incarnation and Redemption, people
have earned the right to the kingdom of God.
PERSONALITY & CHARACTER
The person is an individual human being.
Personality – is the sum of those physical attributes and
tendencies which define a person’s distinctive behavior.

- the sum of a person’s physical constitution,

talents, abilities, and habits which define characteristic
behavior.

- in layman’s terms, personality consists of the

physical qualities and mannerisms of an aesthetically
refined person.
 A person, all men and are equal regardless of race.
However, one person may have more personality than
another. Brennan observes:

“The person does not grow in stature, but personality

develops and enlarges itself according to the pattern of
his actions, the mature use of his powers, and the
scheme of his habits. There is no such thing as
cultivating a person, but we speak of cultivation of
personality. Hence, personality is the result of one’s
achievement.” (Ibid: 291)
Character – is often taken as synonymous with
personality. This is correct if personality is taken as
the sum-total of the psychological systems in an
individual which enable him to adjust to his
environment.
- refers the person’s choice of values and
his intelligent exercise of his freedom. (Vernon
Jones, Meaning of Character, Collier’s Encyclopedia,
V-708)
 While personality is an aspect of the body,
character is an aspect of the human soul. We
describe personality as pleasant or unpleasant,
but we speak of character as good or bad in the
moral sense. Personality Brennan says, “the
principle of rational action, character is the
principle of moral action.” (Ibid: 292)
 MORAL CHARACTER

● Character is the will of the person directing him towards a

recognized ideal. This is how human actions are significant
because they actualize man’s potential to be what he truly is as a
rational being. When a person falls short of the expectation, he
said to have bad character. On the other hand, a person who lives
up to the ideals of his humanity is said to have a good character,
or moral integrity.

● Character is not the product of a moment’s inspiration, but a

disciplined tendency to choose the right thing in any given
circumstance. It is adherence to what is true, beautiful, and good
in us.
History counts men of great character who acted
against and above the prevailing beliefs and
practices of their day like

 Jesus Christ
 Sakya-Muni or Buddha
 Confucius
 Gandhi
 Martin Luther King
 Jose Rizal
 Ninoy Aquino
 Pope John Paul II
 “Do not do unto others what you don’t want
others do unto you”

Moral character is formed by one’s actions. The

habits, actions, and emotional responses of the
person of good character are all united and directed
toward the moral and the good.
SOCIAL DIMENSION OF THE
PERSON

• Society is but an extension of the person. Ethics is

particularly relevant because of man’s social nature. The
golden rule, for that matter, is concerned about the
other person.
• Among modern thinkers, George Hegel teaches that
man is fully developed in his participation in family life,
civic community, and in the State. Likewise, Thomas Hill
Green (1836-1832) expresses the conviction that a
person’s morality must identify itself with public welfare.
• Paul Tillich puts it more clearly and emphatically when
he says natural law is the demand for us, “to be a person
in the community of other persons.”

It provides for communication and association

between individuals and groups. The effect of people
upon one another, their behavior, the development or
breakdown of their relationships, the requirements of
their communities and their organization as a society,
their culture, and the environment they exist in, and
generate; all these give rise to the social dimension into
which the other dimension mesh.
 Thank You for Listening!
Hope you all learn something new today, God bless us
all, stay safe!