Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person

Philosophy –‘philo/philia’ (Love)[Desire of an object]

‘sophia/sophy’ (wisdom)[Application of Knowledge]
- Study of general and fundamental problem
- Existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language
- Science that studies beings in the ultimate causes through the aid of human reason alone
Branches of Philosophy
Metaphysics – ‘ta meta ta phusika’ ‘the things after the Physics’
- Branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being,
identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility.
Epistemology – ‘epistasthai’ ‘know, know how to do’, Theory of Knowledge
- Branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge. Epistemologists study the nature, origin, and
scope of knowledge, epistemic justification, the rationality of belief, and various related issues.
Axiology – ‘axios’ ‘worthy’
- Philosophical study of value. It includes questions about the nature and classification of values
and about what kinds of things have value.
 Ethics – ‘ethos’ ‘moral’
- Philosophical study on the morality.
 Aesthetics – ‘aisthesthai’ ‘perceive’
- Sensori-Emotional values, explores the nature of beauty, art, and taste with the creation
and appreciation of beauty.
Logic – ‘logos’ ‘reason’
- Area of philosophy that studies the scope and nature of logic. It investigates the philosophical
problems raised by logic, such as the presuppositions often implicitly at work in theories of logic
and in their application
Material – Earthly matters
Immaterial – God, Soul, Spirit

Ways of Doing Philosophy

Holistic Thinking
 Refers to a perspective that considers large-scale patterns in system
 Often describe as looking at the “big picture”
Partial Thinking
 Focuses on specific aspects of a situation
 Important component of analytical thinking, as an individual focuses on certain areas or
aspects of a problem in order to understand the situation
Truth enables us to live a moral Christian life authentically
Bearers of Truth
 Statements
 Sentences
 Beliefs
Truth – A fact or belief that is accepted as true.
Fallacies – Faulty or errors of reasoning
Fallacies of Argumentation
Ad hominem (“against the person”)
 Attacking the person, focus our attention on people rather than on arguments or evidence
Ad Baculum (Appeal to Force/Appeal to stick)
 Using threat or force or an undesirable event to advance an argument
Ad Misericordiam (Appeal to emotion/Pity)
 Strong appeal to sympathy and pity
Ad Populum (Appeal to the People)
 The idea presented must be true because many or most people believe it
Ad Verecundiam (Appeal to Authority)
 Insisting that a claim is true simply because a valid authority or expert on the issue said it
was true, without any other supporting evidence offered

Appeal to Tradition
 It is assumed that the idea is acceptable because something has been done a certain way
for a long time, or traditionally, so, it is necessarily the right way of doing it.
Begging the Question
 Simply accepts the conclusion without providing real evidence; the argument either relies
on a premise that says the same thing as the conclusion (which you might hear referred to
 as “being circular” or “circular reasoning”), or simply ignores an important (but
questionable) assumption that the argument rests on
Post Hoc
 Cause and Effect; The phrase expresses the logical fallacy of assuming that one thing
caused another merely because the first thing preceded the other
Fallacy of Composition
 Assuming that what is true of a part, is true for the whole
Fallacy of Division
 Assuming that what is true of a whole, is true for the part
Slippery Slope
 Assuming a very small action will lead to extreme outcomes
Hasty Generalization
 Making conclusion for all
Equivocation
 The use of two languages with different meaning
Straw Man
 You are not focusing on the argumentation but you are making the argumentation too
long

I. Environmental Philosophy
 Environmental philosophy is the discipline that studies the moral relationship of human
beings with the environment and its non-human contents. Philosophers believe that the
human person has the ability to change the environment to suit hit purposes.
Human Person in the Environment
1. Show that care for the environment contributes to health, well-being and sustainable
development.
2. The learner is able to demonstrate the virtues of prudence and frugality towards his on
her environment in everyday life.
 3. Notice things that are not in their proper place and organize them in an aesthetic way.
Views of Philosophical Environment
Anthropocentrism – This view believes that humans are the most important on the planet and
they are free to transform nature and use its resources.
Biocentrism – Believes that humans are not the only significant on the planet, and that all other
organisms have inherent value and should be protected.
Ecocentrism – This view believes that humankind is a part of a greater biological system or
community and that we have a significant role as stewards or guardians of nature. This view
promotes the idea that order and balance in nature brings about stability and beauty.
Environmental Aesthetics – A philosophical view that believes in maintaining order in the
environment will bring out the natural beauty of surroundings and contribute to the well-being of
the people and other organisms living in it
Sustainable Development – “Development that meets the needs of the present without
compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”
Ecological Principles in Philosophy
1. Deep Ecology – All living possess equal value as part of living earth and finding our role
in protecting the planet (ARNE NAESS)
2. Social Ecology – Believes that ecological problems can be traced to social problems
(Murray Bookchin)
3. Ecofeminism – It assumes that male-centered view of nature is the root cause of
ecological problems. (Sloco and Vinzons, 2016)
Ecological Values in Philosophy
4. Prudence – is the capacity to direct and discipline one’s activity and behavior using
reason. It is the behavior that is cautious and, as much as possible, keeps away from any
risks.
5. Frugality – is the quality of being thrifty, we are talking about the cautious management
of material resources, especially money.
Human Person as an Embodied Spirit
Unspirited Body View
- Human person is just essentially just his/her body and nothing more
Disembodied Spirit View
- Human person is just essentially just his/her spirit and nothing more
Embodied Spirit View
- Human person is just essentially the unity of his/her body and spirit
Plato – The nature of the human person is seen in the metaphysical dichotomy between body and
soul
*dichotomy – division or contrast between two things
Physical – Body, Material, Destructible
Parts of Soul Parts of the Body Functions
1. Rational (reason) Head Guides, think and reflect
2. Spiritual (spirit) Chest Emotional want
3. Appetitive (Desire) Abdomen Physical wants
Non-Physical – Soul, Immaterial, Indestructible
Aristotle – There is “no metaphysical dichotomy” between body and soul “inseparable”. The
soul is the principle of life. This suggest that anything has a life, has soul.
Vegetative/Nutritive Soul, Sensitive Soul, Rational Soul
“Man is a Rational Animal” –Aristotle
Thomas Aquinas – Human soul is “subsistent” rather than “substance.”
Transcendence
 Transcendence is the ability to surpass the limitations.

Freedom of the Human Person

Freedom
 The human capacity to act (or not to act) as we choose or refer without any external
compulsion or restraint.
 It is an intrinsic and essential property of a person.
 Important indication of human freedom is the ability to MAKE CHOICES AND
PERFORM ACTIONS.
 Our freedom to act set up apart from other beings
1. Aristotle
The Power of Volition
 The act or power of making choices or decisions without being influenced by other
people
2. St. Thomas Aquinas
Freedom is spirituality and love (Love is Freedom)
 Of all creatures of God, human beings have the unique power to change themselves and
the things around them for the better. St. Thomas Aquinas considers the human being as
moral agent.
  Through our spirituality, we have a conscience. Whether choose to be “good” or “evil”
becomes our responsibility.
3. Jean Paul Sartre
Individual Freedom
 Sartre emphasizes the importance of free individual choice, regardless of the power of
other people to influence and coerce our desires, beliefs, and decisions. To be human, to
be conscious, is to be free to imagine, free to choose, and be responsible for one’s life.
 Existentialism (solely responsible of your own action)
4. Thomas Hobbes, John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Theory of Social Contract
 A law of Nature (lex naturalis) is a precept or general rule established by reason, by
which a person is forbidden to do that which is destructive of his life or takes away the
means of preserving the same; and to omit that by which he thinks it may be best
preserved
 Contract with the LAWS and the fundamental law of the land including the 10
commandments