HUMAN AS AN

EMBODIED SPIRIT
MODULE 3
MAN
• The general term commonly used refer to the entire
human race

Human
• Refers to man as a species

Human Being
• Used to distinguish man from other animals
Person
• Refers to a human being granted recognition
of certain rights, protection, responsibilities,
and dignity above all.
• It is the totality of an individual, possessing
awareness, self determination, and the
capacity to interact with others and with
himself/herself.
Personhood
• Refers to the state of being a person

Human Nature
• Refers to the characteristics (thinking, feeling, and
acting) that distinguish humans from all other
creatures. These traits are considered to form the
essence of humanity, and without them, an individual
may not be considered a human person.
What is human person?
PERSON
• Has awareness of his/herself
• Has self determination
• Is able to reach out and interact with other
• Has dignity
 Self awareness
• Refers to the person having a clear perception of
oneself, including his thoughts, emotions, identity
and actions.
• We have deeper awareness that is driven by
rationality or human thought.
• A person is aware of both his surroundings and
himself.
• He knows that he is living an experience and is
an active participant in this experience.
 Self Awareness
• notion of the “self” which the philosophers
describe as the person who is actively aware
that he is perceiving and experiencing reality.

• This awareness of the self also enables us to

experience an “inner world” that is defined by
our personal thoughts and ideas.
 Self Awareness
• We experience interiority, that is, the quality of being
focused on ones inner life and identity.

• This interiority enables us to practice creativity.

• Creativity also means that a person can create within

himself what is not yet existing outside.

• Having an inner world allows a person to create goals,

dreams, and plans which may be realized through activity.
 Try saying these

• I am a person
• I am alive
• I exist
• I am here. I am present
• I am living at this very moment.
 Let’s examine
• Little Carlo is playing in the living room while his
mom is in the kitchen. He accidentally bumps into
a table, causing a vase to fall. Upon hearing, his
mom went to living room and saw him standing
near the broken vase. She asked, “Did you break
the vase?”

• What do you think Carlo’s answer will be?

•I broke the vase, Mama.
•I bumped into the table and the vase
fell , Mama.
•No. I did not break the vase, Mama.
 Self Determination
•Capability of a person to make choices
and decisions based in their own
preferences, monitor and regulate their
actions ng goal oriented and self-
directed.
•We act and we are aware of our actions.
 Free will
•enables us to do actions whenever we
want to and make various alternatives.
The existence of free will enables a
person to act willfully, control his actions,
and recognize himself as the source of
action.
Consequences
•is the result or effect of an action or
condition. Philosophers believe that a
person acts freely and with due regard for
the consequences of his actions.
Morality
•goodness or badness of an act.
 Human Action
• Important aspect of the person that many
philosophers consider human action as a way to
reveal a persons true nature.

• Human acts complete the person, as it is through

his actions that his inner self is revealed to
others, and it is through action that a person is
able to explore and fulfill his potential.
 Try saying these
• I am a person
• My actions are my very own and are made
freely.
• I know that I am the cause of my actions.
• I know that my actions have consequences.
 Externality
• Capability of a person to reach out and interact with
others and the world.
• The realization that we are not alone and that there
are indeed other people around us to reach out and
establish meaningful relationships with others.
• Philosophers consider man as a social being and that
a person never exist in isolation.
• Man has the natural tendency to seek out fellow
human beings, and the relationships established by
this interaction as a vital component for survival.

• Our interactions with others define our existence as

persons. We grow and develop not only through our
thoughts and actions , but also through the influence
of other people in our lives, and the individuals we
meet and interact with.
 TRY SAYING THESE
• I am a person.
• I value others.
• I interact with others in meaningful ways.
• I value my relationships with others.
• I have grown as a person because I’ve had
meaningful interactions with people I’ve met
in life.
 DIGNITY
•Refers to the innate right to be valued and
respected.
•Philosophers consider all humans as having
an inherent worth or value. “You’re
worthless!” is an insult since it attacks the
very notion of a person having value or
worth.
• Each person is worth the same as another
person in the sense that very person is priceless,
unique, unrepeatable and irreplaceable.
• No person is dispensable or interchangeable.
This is the reason why separation from the
people we love and value is a difficult and
painful experience.
• Human dignity is rooted in the nature of the
human being, meaning a person has dignity
simply because of the fact that he is human.
• Dignity is not defined by outside factors like
intelligence , beauty , skills and etc.
• A person retains his dignity in spite of his
actions or behavior.
•Dignity also drives us to seek what is good.
• Doing good deeds upholds and promotes
dignity of human person.
•This recognition of dignity is also the basis
for the recognition of human rights.
 Try saying these
• I am a person
• I am a person with dignity
• I recognize that others have dignity, as well
• I must uphold human dignity in my thoughts and
actions
 What is in our human
nature that enables us
to become persons?
 SPIRIT
•Another aspect of human that defines us
as a person.
•This is an intangible element that enables
us to exercise thought, posses awareness
, interiority and the capacity to reach out
to the outside world and other persons.
How are the body and
spirit related?
• Philosophers consider the human person as defined by
the union of the body and the spirit.
• THE HUMAN SPIRIT AS THE EMBODIED SPIRIT.

• The body and the spirit are not only united , but they
are integrated with each other.
• Embodiment enables us to do and experience all the
things that makes us human persons.
• Science: • Philosophy
love is a result of Human persons do not
various biological love just with the heart
reactions associated nor the brain. We love
with an increase in another person with
our entire being.
hormones, which may
Embodiment is the one
have certain effects on
thing that enables us to
the body. feel and love others.
 Embodiment
• The human body stands as the mediator
between the material world and spiritual world.
• Being an embodied spirit, the person is able to
encounter the world of objects (and other
personal subjects) in a manner that transcends
the physical. This feature allows him to form
intimate relationship with those outside him.
• Human embodiment allows persons to attach
certain feelings or ideas not only to people but
also to objects. (pair of shoes as a present from a
loved one)

• With human embodiment, physical acts are no

longer purely physical acts, because the body
conveys something from a person’s inner world.
• A pat on the shoulder from your idol, a smile
from your crush, a kiss from your partner will
create intense emotional reaction in you.
These examples show that it is through
embodiment that a person in able to have a
very unique relationship with the world. And it
is this unique relationship that defines us as
humans.
How does my human
nature enable me to
explore my limits?
• Human nature still has limits despite being an
embodied spirit. It can be said that the person is
very biologically deficient being.
• Example:
• We do not have the natural ability to fly.
• We cannot breathe underwater without using
breathing apparatus.
• We cannot survive in certain environments like
other animals.
•Despite this limitations, we have used out
intellect to devise means to achieve several
feats.
•The ability to surpass limits is called
transcendence, and it is also one important
trait that distinguishes the human person
from other beings in existence.
 Transcendence
• Our mind is an important tool that allows us to go
beyond many of our physical limits. Although we
have these physical limitations, we can transcend
them because of our spiritual dimension.

• As human persons, we have natural tendencies or

inclinations. Some of these are felt bodily
functions like hunger, fatigue etc.
• Transcendence means overcoming
oneself or being in control even if the
body reminds us of person can govern
them and ensure that they are exercised
within the bounds of reason.

• Each individual carries within himself the

possibility of transcending his limits by
exerting enough effort and perseverance.
• Philosophy gives us useful tools to explore our limits and
possibilities. These essence of transcendence is to
acknowledge our limitations, identify possibilities for
development and change ourselves for the better.

• Opening yourself to new experiences and ideas is another

aspect of transcendence.

• Our capacity for transcendence give us the opportunity to

work toward becoming better versions of ourselves.
THANK YOU!