CHAPTER 2

THE NATURE OF

THE HUMAN PERSON

 LEARNING OBJECTIVES

• Describe the nature of the human person

• Identify the importance of a person’s ability and capacity
• Describe a person’s unique qualities that make him/her a
productive human being
 THE HUMAN FERSON

‘the human person as having physical, spiritual, emotional and intellectual

attributes”
- Estañol (2007)

“ the human person as having physical and spiritual substance because he/she has
a soul and is created by Superior being with a driven purpose”
- St. Thomas Aquinas

- Dictionary defines the human person as “self-conscious animal

CHARACTERISTICS
OF A HUMAN
PERSON
 BABOR (2007) Rational being
THE HUMAN Born free
PERSON: NOT REAL,
BUT EXISTING Unique

A social being

sexual by nature
BIBLICAL VIEWS
the human person has superiority and dignity inherited from the
supreme being

• Genesis 1: 26-27
“GOD created man and woman in HIS own image and likeness and
made them masters of the fish of the sea, the birds, the earth, the
wild beasts and all the reptiles crawl upon the earth”

He/she is designated by GOD to exercise dominion over other

creatures in his/her everyday use of freedom, search for happiness,
and openness tp the world around him/her
PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWS

PROTAGORAS, A HUMAN
PERSON IS “MAN IS THE
MEASURE OF ALL
THINGS.”

PLATO CLAIMED THAT THE

PERFECT HUMAN BEING
DOES NOT EXIST IN THIS
WORLD.
 PARMENIDES “A PERSON
HAS KNOWLEDGE OF
SOMETHING THAT EXISTS,
FOR
A PERSON WHO DOES NOT
EXIST IS NOTHING

•
PHILOSOPHICAL VIEWS
• Conservativism
-All human persons may not be of equal
value to society: Some men are intended to PHILOSOPHY
rule, some to obey OF HUMAN
• Liberalism BEING
MAGUIGAD (2006)
- believes that all men are capable of
reason and rational action and have
capacity to live satisfactory and productive
lives if the given opportunity.
 • Socialism
- The human being readily engages in
cooperative social activities when given the
PHILOSOPHY OF
HUMAN BEING opportunity
MAGUIGAD
(2006) • Fascism
-The human being can foster only when the
nation prospers his/her fate is merely secondary
when it comes to the country.
 CLASSICAL VIEWS

RATIONAL ANIMAL
- vegetative sensory and rational element integrated
within his/her being. He/She is a material (body) and spiritual
(soul) being
- vegetative creature, have food to grow, develop and
reproduce
- sentient being, need sensory perception to gain
knoeledge
SOCIOLOGICAL
VIEWS

A perspective is a particular
way of looking at and seeing
something.
Salcedo (2004) states that
people look at this social world
or at the various ways that
human beings behave in a
social way.
 Human persons are social animal.
SAN JUAN
(2007) Human person’s social behavior is learned not
PROPOSES instinctive.

COMMON
IDEAS OF To understand the human person social
behavior, we have to focus our attention on the
HUMAN groups to which people belong.

PERSONS
Sociology is a discipline that looks into the
totality of relationship in an individual’s life.
 HIERARCHY OF NEEDS

Maslow's hierarchy is most often displayed as a

pyramid. The lowest levels of the pyramid are
made up of the most basic needs, while the most
complex needs are at the top of the pyramid.
Needs at the bottom of the pyramid are basic
physical requirements including the need for
food, water, sleep, and warmth. Once these
lower-level needs have been met, people can
move on to the next level of needs, which are for
safety and security.
 LEVELS OF HIERARCHY OF NEEDS
Physiological Needs - the things that are vital to our survival. Some examples of
physiological needs include: Food, Water, Breathing, Homeostasis

Safety Needs – includes security and protection from physical and emotional harm.

Social Needs – includes affection, sense of belonging, and friendship, which people
seek to overcome feelings of loneliness and alienation.

Self Esteem Needs – include achievement, mastery and confidence derived from
recognition, respect and attention.

Self-actualizaion – means a person has reached the peak of his/her potential