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PHILOSOPHY IS A
JOURNEY

Aleck Joy G.Carpio

11 A -Information Communication Technology

Dane Julius Daang

JANUARY 18 2020
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CHAPTER: 4

Human person in their

Environment
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REFLECTION
What is human person in environment? How this topic becomes important?
Who are the philosophers?

A human person is a living being that contains a real and existing to

direct its own development toward fulfillment through perfect, unconditional,
and infinite Truth, Love, Goodness, Beauty, and Unity, and will do so if all the
proper conditions are met. While, Environment is the sum total of all
surroundings of a living organism, including natural forces and other living
things, which provide conditions for development and growth as well as of
danger and damage.

The speculation of the pre-Socratic philosophers represent a paradigm

shift– a change from mythical explanation of the origins of the cosmos to a
more rational explanation.
Eastern sages probed nature’s depths intuitively through the eyes of
spiritual sages which Greek thinkers viewed nature trough cognitive and
scientific eyes (Price 2000). This thinkers were looking for the underlying laws
of nature. They wanted to understand the processes of nature by studying
nature itself, not by listening to the stories about the gods.
According to Payne (2010) there are two frameworks where humans
can be related. 1. Anthropocentric Model Based on the Anthropocentric
model, humans are superior and central to the universe, thus it is human
centered.Human Culture Individualism Mind Calculative Human over/against
Environments Global/Technological

Notice Disorder in the Universe

Current researches by Zimmerman (1994), Elgin (2009), and Pettman

(2012) to name a few, exposed the environmental consequence of
international politico-economic specialization for specific countries and global
regions. Research shows implications for both abuses of natural resources
and of the generation of waste and emissions. For instance, the emission of
greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, methane, fluoride,
and nitrous oxide that are part of the production goods and services
consumed in many countries.

Notice things that are not in their proper place and organize them in an
Aesthetic way

A. Ancient Thinkers

Anaximander
Creation and Destruction. According to Anaximander’s sketch of the
genesis of the world (cosmogony), the evolution of the world begins with the
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generation of opposites in a certain region of Nature: a portion of the

boundless first differentiates itself into a cold-moist mass surrounded by a
roughly spherical shell of the warm-dry.

Pythagoras
Phytagoras, described the universe as living embodiment of nature’s
order, harmony, and beauty. He sees our relationship with the universe
involving biophilia (love of other living things) and cosmophilia (love of other
living beings). Perhaps, we could consider the early him as an ecologist.

B. Modern Thinkers

Immanuel Kant
Critique of Judgment, Immanuel Kant expresses that beauty is
ultimately a symbol of morality (Kant 1997). According to Kant, we must
ignore any practical motives or inclinations that we have and instead
contemplate the object without being distracted by our desires (Goldblatt
& Brown 2010).

Herbert Marcuse
For Herbert Marcuse, humanity had dominated nature. There can only
be change if we will change our attitude towards our perception of the
environment.

George Herbert Mead

As human beings, we do not have only rights but duties. We are not
only citizens of 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.

There are numerous theories to show care for the environment aside
from the ecocentric model such as deep ecology, social ecology, and
ecofeminism to name some.

A. Deep Ecology
The controlling attitude of humankind is extended to nature, when in fact,
humanity is part of nature. Deep ecologists encourage humanity to shift away
from anthrocentrism to ecocentrism
B. Social Ecology
Ecological crisis results from authoritarian social structures. Destroying nature
is a reflection wherein few people overpower others while exploiting the
environment for profit or self-interest. Social ecologists call for small-scale
societies, which recognize that humanity is linked with the well-being of the
natural world in which human life depends.
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C. Ecofemenism
Demonstrate the Virtues of Prudence and Frugality toward Environment
Erich Fromm.
Fromm (2013) proposed a new society that should encourage the emergence
human being that will foster prudence and moderation or frugality toward
environment.
These are some of the functions of Fromm’s envisioned society:
1. The willingness to give up all forms of having, in order to fully be.
2. Being fully present where one is.
3. Trying to reduce greed, hate and illusions as much as one Is capable.
4. Making the full growth of oneself and of one’s fellow being as the supreme
goal of living.
5. Not deceiving others, but also not being deceived by others; one may be
called innocent, but not naïve.

What I have found in this chapter is that this subject is very important
because the environment plays an important role in the well-being of human
beings. It's important because it's the only home people have, and it offers air,
food and other needs. The entire life support system of mankind relies on the
well-being of all environmental variables.