Lesson 4 B

The Human
Person in the
Environment

Prepared by : Mrs. Marilyn E. Dimaano

INTRODUCTION

This lesson highlights the early Greek thinkers

and Taoist views that the human being is merely a part
of nature. Many environmentalists argue for limiting
all types of consumption and economic activity when
these damage the environment. Care and respect for
all life forms should not be seen as a fad but as a
imperative.
As humanity becomes ever busier, we are
reminded of our dependence on other life forms.
Coexistence with community and re-examining
INTRODUCTION

our attitude to nature calls for a new order.

Finally, this lesson adheres to coexistence with

all things, thus, enlarging our awareness of the
universe. This lesson concurs with Taoist belief and
other thinkers who view humanity as merely one
element, no more and no less important than all the
other elements of the natural world.
OBJECTIVES :

At the end of the lessons, students are

expected to:

• Notice things that are not in their proper

place and organize them in an aesthetic
way;
• Show that care for the environment
contributes to health, well-being and
sustainable development;
OBJECTIVES :

• Demonstrate the virtues of prudence and

frugality toward environment
LESSON PROPER

The speculation of the pre-Socratic

philosophers represent paradigm shift – a
change from the mythical explanation of the
origin of the cosmos to a more rational
explanation.
According to Payne, there are two
frameworks where humans can be related:
Anthropocentric and
Ecocentric
Lesson Proper

Human
Culture
Individualism

Anthropocentric Model Mind

• humans are Calculative
superior and central to Human
the universe over/against
environment
Global/Techno-
logical
Lesson Proper

Nature
Wild
Individ
ualism
Holism
Ecocentric Model
• puts the ecosystem Nature/Cosmos
first and assumes that Relational
the natural world has Earth/Wisdom
intrinsic value Ecology
over/against
human
How do they describe the universe/
nature?

Early Greek philosophers, the Milesians,

regarded Nature as
spatially without boundaries
between the warm and cold or the moist
and dry regions are originally present
within it.

infinite or indefinite in
extent
How do they describe the universe/
nature?

Creation according to Anaximander

Anaximander employed the term “boundless’

to convey the further thought that Nature is
indeterminate – (meaning, boundless in the
space that no boundaries between the warm and
cold or the moist and dry regions.
How do they describe the universe/
nature?

Creation according to Anaximander

According to him, the sketch of the

genesis of the world (cosmogony), the
evolution of the world begins with the
generation of opposites in a certain region ofr
Nature.
How do they describe the universe/
nature?

Pythagoras

He described the universe as living embodiment

of nature’s order, harmony, and beauty. He sees
out relationship with the universe involving :
biophilia – love of other things

and cosmphilia – love of other living

things
How was disorder occurred?

Destruction according to Anaximander

According to Anaximander, the evolution of the

world begins with the generation of opposites in
a certain region of the Nature: a portion of the
boundless first differentiates itself into a cold-
moist mass surrounded by a roughly spherical
shell of the warm-dry.
How was disorder occurred?

Destruction according to Anaximander

The separation of these opposite forces

caused an imbalance that necessitated
their ultimate destruction.
Modern Thinkers for Man and Nature

Immanuel Kant

For him, beauty is ultimately a

symbol of morality. He believes
that the orderliness of nature and
the harmony of nature without faculties
guide us toward a deeper religion
Modern Thinkers for Man and Nature

Herbert Marcuse

For him, humanity had dominated

nature. They can only be changed if we will
change our attitude towards our perception of
the environment.
Modern Thinkers for Man and Nature

George Herbert Mead

For him, as human beings, we do not

have only rights but duties. We are not only
citizens of the community but how we react to
this community and in our reaction to it,
change it.
Show that Care for the Environment Contributes to
Health, Well-Being, and Sustainable Development

Theories showing care for the environment

Ecological crisis is an
Deep Ecology outcome of
anthropocentrism.

The controlling attitude of human kind is extended to

nature, when in fact, humanity is part of nature.
Deep ecologists encourage humanity to shift
away from anthropocentrism to
ecocentrism.
Show that Care for the Environment Contributes to
Health, Well-Being, and Sustainable Development

Theories showing care for the environment

Ecological crisis results

Social Ecology from authoritarian social
structures.

Destroying nature is a reflection wherein few people

overpower others while exploiting the environment
for profit or self-interest
Show that Care for the Environment Contributes to
Health, Well-Being, and Sustainable Development

Theories showing care for the environment

Ecological crisis is a
Ecofeminism consequence of male
dominance.

In this view, whatever is “superior” is entitled to

whatever is “inferior”/
Demonstrate the Virtues of Prudence
and Frugality toward Environment

Erich Fromm

Function of Fromm’s envisioned society

• The willingness to give up all forms of having, in
order to fully be.
Demonstrate the Virtues of Prudence
and Frugality toward Environment

• The willingness to give up all forms of having, in

order to fully be.
• Being fully present where one is.
• Trying to reduce greed, hate, and illusions as
much as one is capable.
• Making the full growth of oneself and of one’s
fellow beings as the supreme goal of living.
Demonstrate the Virtues of Prudence
and Frugality toward Environment

• Not deceiving others, but also not being

deceived by others: one may be called
innocent, but not naïve.
• Freedom that is not arbitrariness but the
possibility to be oneself, not as a bundle of
greedy desires, but as a delicately balanced
structure that at any moment is confronted with
the alternatives of growth or decay, life
• or decay
GENERALIZATION

Man and the Environment were created to

interact with each other on balance basis.
Whiles the natural environment is to create a
fair decent shelter and to provide food
supplements including economic resources of
gold, oil, and so on, man on other hand is
suppose to care and protect
the environment from destruction.
Man and His Environment

Lao-Tzu
• Like Confucius, Lao Tzu believed that
“poverty and starvation in the society were
caused by bad rulers, that greed and avarice
caused wars and killings; and that desires for
wealth, power, and glory were bringing about the
destruction of society.
• He also believed that human life is constantly
influenced by outside forces. Hence,
Man and His Environment

in order to acquire truth and freedom, one

should practice humility.
• He believed that man has to help nature in order
to work in its natural order. This can be done by
letting the whole of nature transforms
spontaneously.
Man and His Environment

Taoist Philosophy
• Taoism (pronounced as Daoism) finds the
guidelines for morality in nature
• Also known as “the other way” as it offered a
range of alternatives to the Confucian way of
life and point of view
• Taoism developed the notion of the Tao
(Dao), as the origin of all creation and the
• force – unknowable in its essence but
•
Man and His Environment

Taoist Philosophy
observable in its manifestations- that lies behind
the functioning and changes of the natural world.
• Tao refers to a path or a way or it means the
source and principle of whatever exists
• Taoists saw in the Tao and nature the basis of
spiritual approach to living and the means
towards the attainment of order and
harmony in nature
Man and His Environment

Taoist Philosophy
• Taoist gave importance to the harmony and
perfection of nature. They believed that in order
for a human person to find peace and
contentment, each and everyone should follow
the Tao or the Way of Nature and they become
one with the Tao.
Man and His Environment

Taoist Philosophy
• Taoism sees nature and humanity as a unity and
does not see any difference between the two.
Therefore, the principle that should guide life and
regulate the actions of human beings is the same
principle that regulate the nature.
Taoist Philosophy (Yin and Yang)

In Taoism, the yin-yang classification

suggests the idea that opposites are needed in order
for harmony to exist. To put it simply, we all need
balance in our lives. To explain this further, let's take
a closer look at the yin-yang symbol. As we do,
notice that the black and white portions of the symbol
are equal to one another. The black doesn't get more
space than the white. The white doesn't get more
space than the black. They are equally important. Yes,
they are opposites, but
they are both equal and needed.
Taoist Philosophy (Yin and Yang)

YIN YANG
• the dark side, is • the light side, is
associated with associated with
everything hard, things soft, positive,
negative, cold, wet, warm, dry, and
and feminine. masculine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ezmR9
Taoist Philosophy (Yin and Yang)

To explain this in more Western terms, many

scholars choose to use the analogy of day and night.
Yes, day and night are seen as opposites, just as are
black and white, but both are extremely necessary
for the survival of the world. For instance, without
day, there would be no light to grow our natural
world and all the world would starve. In the same
manner, without dark there would be no rest from the
beating sun and all the world would sort of wilt
away.
Taoist Philosophy (Yin and Yang)

Fortunately for us, and fitting very nicely with the

concept of the yin and the yang, the opposites dark
and light exist together in a perfect balance that
keeps our world nicely humming along. In the same
way, we as humans should seek balance in our own
lives. We should not lean toward extremes, nor
should we live a life of avoidance. We should be
moderate in our approach. To put it in Western
terms, too much
of even a good thing, is a bad thing! Life
takes both sugar and spice!
The Wu-Wei Principle

• It is believed to be the key to Chinese

mysticism
WU WEI

negative expression do or act

doing without doing or acting by not acting

The Wu-Wei Principle

Putting this idea positively, it means to get

along as nature does: the world gets created,
living things grow and pass away without any
sign of effort.

Example : the wu-wei of the snake is to crawl.

Therefore, it should not attempt to walk or fly. In
attempting to fly, it would be a forced action on
the part of the snake. Consequently.
The Wu-Wei Principle

for people to act so as to fulfill their desires is the

way of greed and corruption. Hence, to live simply
without desires in non-action in accord with their
nature
END OF THE
LESSON

Thank
You
Supplementary Video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRYyYViq1Ig
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