Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
National Capital Region
DIVISION OF CITY SCHOOLS – MANILA
Manila Education Center Arroceros Forest Park
Antonio J. Villegas St. Ermita, Manila

Introduction to the
Philosophy of the
Human Person
Lesson 6: Intersubjectivity

Quarter 2
Module 2

Most Essential Learning Competencies:

1. Realize that intersubjectivity requires accepting differences and not
imposing on others;
2. Explain that authentic dialogue means accepting others even if they are
different from themselves; and
3. Performs activities that demonstrate an appreciation for the talents of
persons with disabilities and those from the underprivileged sectors of
society.
 HOW TO USE THIS MODULE

Before starting the module, I want you to set aside other tasks that will disturb
you while enjoying the lessons. Read the simple instructions below to successfully
enjoy the objectives of this kit. Have fun!

1. Follow carefully all the contents and instructions indicated in every page of
this module.
2. Write the concepts about the lessons in your notebook. Writing enhances
learning that is important to develop and keep in mind.
3. Perform all the provided activities in the module.
4. Let your facilitator/guardian assess your answers using the answer key card.
5. Analyze conceptually the posttest and apply what you have learned.
6. Enjoy studying!

PARTS OF THE MODULE

 Expectations - These are what you will be able to know after completing the
lessons in the module.
 Pre-test - This will measure your prior knowledge and the concepts to be
mastered throughout the lesson.
 Looking Back to Your Lesson - This section will measure the learnings and
skills you understood from the previous lesson.
 Brief Introduction - This section will give you an overview of the lesson.
 Discussion - This section provides a short discussion of the lesson. This aims
to help you discover and understand new concepts and skills.
 Activities - This is a set of activities you will perform with a partner.
 Remember - This section summarizes the concepts and applications of the
lessons.
 Check Your Understanding - It will verify how you have learned from the
lesson.
 Post-test - This will measure how much you have learned from the entire
module.

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 EXPECTATIONS
You will understand intersubjectivity and how it explains human
interactions and relationships.

Specifically, this module will help you to:

 realize that intersubjectivity requires accepting differences and not imposing
on others;
 explain that authentic dialogue means accepting others even if they are
different from themselves; and
 performs activities that demonstrate an appreciation for the talents of persons
with disabilities and those from the underprivileged sectors of society.

Let us start your journey in learning more on Intersubjectivity. I am sure you are ready and excited to
answer the Pretest. Smile and cheer up!

PRETEST
Directions: Choose the letter of the best answer. Write your chosen letter on a
separate sheet of paper.
1. It refers to shared meanings constructed by people in their interactions with
each other.
a. Actions b. Communication
c. Intersubjectivity d. Relationship
2. It is a major philosophical branch that devotes much discussion on the
concept of interpersonal relations, self-awareness, and transcendence.
a. Existentialism b. Idealism
c. Pragmatism d. Realism
3. It is a form of interpersonal communication which occurs when people
recognize that they are part of a greater whole and can relate with others
within the whole.
a. Authentic Dialogue b. Deceptive Dialogue
c. Exploitative Dialogue d. Inauthentic Monologue
4. It arises when a person ceases to view the other as a distinct or authentic
person and merely considers the other person as a mere object or a means to
satisfy personal interests.
a. Alienation b. Authentication
c. Discrimination d. Separation
5. The following are considered as underprivileged EXCEPT __________.
a. Children b. Women
c. Tycoons d. Members of the LGBT Community

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Great! You have accomplished answering the questions. You may request your facilitator to check your work.
Congratulations and keep on learning!

LOOKING BACK TO YOUR LESSON

FREEDOM OF THE HUMAN PERSON

Directions: WORD HUNT. Find and encircle the words inside the box that are
defined and described in the statements below. Write your answers in the space
provided before the number.

Q E D H E P V Q G Y J A U Z N
H B B E C W Z R H G Q Z I I I
P M M M T O L D W U P X A Q G
E X I S T E N T I A L I S M F
F O T U G T R N E R T R A S R
S S K W U F A M W X M A F X E
Y P Y R B S H U I R P A T M E
M C T W K I I T Y N E R E L D
O Y I P P P D Y Q M I W W P O
N F S Q D L B W V S P S L T M
Z T B X X B G I Y J K P M W Q
X Q M R F S Q L Q R H G D M A

1. It is an idea or view that everything has been “determined”

or set up before human existence.

2. It is a philosophical movement known for its inquiry on

human existence, hence the word “to exist.”

3. It is the act or not, or the ability to choose or not to choose

in any situation.

4. According to this philosopher, freedom is the manner

intellectual beings in which they seek universal goodness.

5. This philosopher emphasizes the importance of free

individual choice, regardless of the power of other people
to influence and coerce our desires, beliefs, and decisions.

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 BRIEF INTRODUCTION
The COVID-19 pandemic forced us to be literally distant to other people.
Health measures such as social or physical distancing became a hindrance for us to
interact with the outside world. As human beings, we have the natural tendency to
establish relationships, connections, and create bond with other people. We are
bound to interact with them in meaningful ways.

In times like these, physical interactions are very limited which will most likely
affect our social relationships. We may find ourselves asking questions like: are
people feeling more or less attached to others? How are families feeling about working
or studying from home together? What are the effects of people working full time from
home while also caring full time for their children? How will this situation affects
those who are living alone right now?

In this module, you will learn that human beings are primarily intended to
exist with others and described as relational beings. This will also give you a
thorough explanation on how to treat your “kapwa” as persons. Sharing same
situations wherein we can create, relate and understand shared meanings that will
lead us to study the concept of Intersubjectivity.

DISCUSSIONS

Lesson 1: INTERSUBJECTIVITY
I. Intersubjectivity
As human beings, we are social in nature, so we are bound to relate with
others. Each person has a subjective experience of the world. However, because of
this subjective experience, one cannot know which events occur in reality or which
products of self-perception are. Social interactions among individuals through
comparison, agreement, and confirmation of each other’s perceptions make it easier
to determine real events occurring in society. This concept is called intersubjectivity,
the shared perception of reality between or among two or more individuals.
Intersubjectivity is an interaction between self and other which mutual
recognition of each other as persons is. A unique relationship between distinct
subjects. In everyday social interaction, persons have the ability to agree and
cooperate with each other. It is the condition of a man, a subject among other men,
who are also subjects. It refers to the shared awareness, and understanding among

5
persons. It is made possible by the awareness of the self and the other (Delgado,
2018).
Intersubjectivity is the shared or mutual understanding among agents.
Edmund Husserl first developed the concept of intersubjectivity as a critique of René
Descartes’ problem of other minds where each of us is distinct individuals and we
have to use medium (language) to understand each other. Husserl argued that the
problem of other minds portrayed human interaction as inappropriately solipsistic.
More recently, the concept of intersubjectivity has played a role in phenomenological
accounts of social cognition, embodied and enactive cognition, debates about
whether we can directly perceive others’ mental states, collective intentionality, and
group minds.

How does an individual relate with other person?

Existentialism and phenomenology are the major philosophical branches that
devote much discussion on the concepts about interpersonal relations. These
philosophies relate the concept of interpersonal relations to self-awareness and
transcendence. The individual is primary himself aware of himself, or herself, and it
is an egocentric perspective that defines how he or she perceives and relate to reality.
This awareness of individuality is called the “self”. Existentialist defines
interpersonal relations as the “self” being aware in himself or herself. The “other”
generally refers to the objects outside of the personal experience. Philosophers refer
to other individuals part from “self”. In other words, an individual is naturally aware
of himself as a distinct being (self) and yet he is also aware that there are other being
apart from him (the other).
It means that intersubjectivity is a philosophical concept that refer to
interaction between the self and the other which is the shared awareness and
understanding among persons. Social-interaction is evident such as ability to agree
and cooperate, shared common knowledge, consensus and shared emotions. The
table below shows the level of self-other interaction and its deeper level. (Salegon
2017).

Levels of Self-Other Interaction Deeper Level

Simple awareness of the existence of Awareness of being seen by others
others.
Uniqueness from other beings Strangers looking at your direction
Exist outside of our own awareness or Someone is staring at you is aware of
perception you as a person.

Self-consciousness is considered by philosophers as a defining characteristic

of the self-other relationship. The awareness of the person staring at you will initially
result in feelings of consciousness. Philosophers have different view of human
interaction and believe that humans seek and are able to achieve and maintain
genuine relationship.

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Jean Paul Sartre

Jean Paul Sartre, in his book 1943, Being and

Nothingness, explains that when you look at a person, the act
of objectification allows you to capture that person’s freedom
to be what he or she wants to be. That is, you are limiting a
person’s possibilities by a look. This is evident when you
stereotype or label a person based on his or her appearance
or certain actions. Sartre argues that a human person has
many possibilities, but when you label a person through a
look, you take away that freedom of becoming (Abella, 2016).
For instance, when you label a person “stupid” because of his
action, you take away from him the possibilities to do good https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Paul-
Sartre

and right.

Edmund Husserl

Edmund Husserl believes that intersubjectivity is

more than just shared understanding, but it is the
capability to put oneself in the place where the other is.
According to him, intersubjective experience plays a
vital role in the constitution of the self as subjects that exist
objectively. Intersubjectivity occurs when people undergo
acts of empathy because an intersubjective experience is
highly empathic. This is because it occurs in the course of
person’s consciousness and conscious attribution of acts
that are intentional and directed towards other subjects.
https://www.thetablet.co.uk/books/10/17050/edmund-husserl- This happens when people put themselves in the shoes of
s-legacy-catholicism-and-the-spread-of-phenomenology
others and studying this experience using a
phenomenological attitude calls for bracketing of beliefs (phenomenological
reduction) in the existence of the very targets of a person’s acts ascription through
the experiencing subject and ask questions whether internal belief justify our
underlying intersubjective experience (Carrs, 1999). For instance, have you tried to
introduce yourself in a first day of school? When your classmates can relate somehow
in your life, they are the one who always come and talk to you. It means that their
perspective on you allow them to go into your life.
This means a person would look at another and the things the other one does
from their own perspective allowing them to go into other persons.

Rene Descartes

Rene Descartes was an advocate of individualism. As a proponent of the

doctrine of individualism, he resolved to doubt absolutely everything that could
possibly be doubted--in the hope of thereby finding something that was beyond
doubt. Whatever he would find would be the basis for a new body of solid knowledge.

7
His plan, in other words, was to doubt his way to a new
certainty. Since Descartes' program of radical doubt
requires that he doubt not only those things that are
obviously dubious, but everything that can be doubted at
all, Descartes has to suspend his belief in the reality of
the external world--everything which we perceive with our
senses. This includes the reality of his own body. Thus,
for the time of his philosophical reflections he will assume
that the seemingly material world around him is not real,
but something like a collection of impressions that an
"evil genie" has put in his mind (Bramann, 2004).

He contended that all extended beings including https://theelectricagora.com/2015/10/23/this-weeks-special-

man’s body are uncertain. To get rid of this illusion in meditation-one-in-rene-descartes-meditations-on-first-philosophy/

order to secure the foundation of inquiry, he introduced

methodic doubt which claimed that whatever doubt it is, there is one thing that
cannot be doubted, that he is thinking. Under this theory, the body is just a window
of our sense organs, in which human consciousness secure the possibility of
intersubjectivity (Fulbrook, 2004).

Most human interactions, however, are not based on deception. Since our
human nature derives us to uphold dignity and goodness, our interactions with
others are also geared towards what is good and beneficial. These lead human to
strive to achieve deeper and more substantial interactions and relations with other
people. This deeper and more genuine interaction is called dialogue.

II. Recognizing and Relating to Others

Martin Buber, a Jewish philosopher had a great

interest in the study of relating ourselves to others. He said
that “I” or yourself, can only be realized through
recognition of “others.” “I” cannot be aware of its
uniqueness and existence without encountering the
“other.” Also, it is important to note that we cannot realize
our uniqueness by just simply meeting with “others.” For
Buber, there are several ways by which we relate to others,
it gives us perspectives on how people generally interact
with others. First is the “I-I” relationship in which people
make themselves the center of their world. Talking to other
people do not interest them and if they talk to others, it is
the “I” who will be the center of the conversation. They
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Martin-Buber-German-
don't really listen to what others are sharing. They are
religious-philosopher
close-minded and only participate in conversations either
to let others know how good they are, or to influence others that their ideas are better
and must therefore be accepted. The aim is for the other to be transformed into
his/her image—the reduction of the other to and “I.”

8
 “I-It” relationship is the second type of relationship. There are people that
more concerned about the other than themselves. However, their treatment with the
other is concentrated into the status of an object—an It. The I who is connected to
an It is not necessarily a bad person in the sense that he has no good intentions in
treating the other. For instance, researchers who have indigenous people as their
participants. They are very prone to reducing the other into mere It, i.e. as mere
objects of investigation. This may also be seen in the medical field when practitioners
look at their patients as objects of investigation. Again, these people do not really
have bad intentions. They may actually have good intentions most of the times when
they treat others (as objects). Perhaps it is just simpler and easier if they treat others
as objects. However, there are also I-It relations where the I clearly has bad intent
on the other, treating the other as mere It or object; examples of which are plentiful
when we observe at how many oppressive employers treat their workers like
machines or robots who are immune to physical, verbal, psychological, and
emotional abuse; or any relationship which has one party reducing the other to a
status of an object— bully who treats a person with disability as an object of his
amusement, a liquor company using body of women as their advertisement to
improve sales, partners or friends treating each other as objects and means to satisfy
their self-interest and desires in so-called "friends with benefits" type of relationships.

This kind of relationship results into what we call alienation. It happens when
human relationships are inauthentic, deceptive and exploitative. It arises when a
person ceases to view the other as a distinct or authentic person and merely
considers the other person as a mere objector a means to satisfy personal interests
(Abella, 2016). Alienation is a disorientating sense of exclusion and separation and
if left unaddressed, will discount the humanity and dignity of a person that leads to
dehumanization.

Lastly, there is the “I-Thou” relationship. It is in this kind of human relations

that genuine sharing of one another takes place. There are people who treat other
people sincerely as persons. They do not and will not lessen the other into either
their own image or into the status of an object. It is in this type of relationship that
the other is treated as distinctly other, the I treats the person as a Thou (You)—-as
another person who is different from the I; one has a different set of interests, visions,
beliefs, values, and characteristics. The center of this relationship is a genuine form
of conversation: a dialogue (Sioco & Vinzons, 2016).

In Filipino values, “I-Thou” relationship can be seen in the meaning of our

“kapwa.” Virgilo Enriquez (1978) presented that as a translation of kapwa, Filipino-
English dictionaries usually offer the term "both" and "fellow-being" (qtd. in
Panganiban 1972, de Guzman 1968, Calderon 1957).

Usually, the word “kapwa” is being equated to the English word “others,”
however, they are very different. “Others” is the opposite of the “self” that implies
separate identity. In contrast, kapwa is a recognition of shared identity and
pakikipagkapwa refers to "humaneness to its highest level.”

A person starts having a kapwa not so much because of a recognition of status

given him by others but more so because of his awareness of shared identity. The
ako (ego) and the iba-sa-akin (others) are one and the same in kapwa psychology:

9
Hindi ako iba sa aking kapwa (“I am no different from others"). Once “ako” starts
thinking of himself as different from kapwa, the self, in effect, denies the status of
kapwa to the other.

Presumably because of the importance of kapwa, the Filipino language has

two pronouns for the English “we”: an inclusive "we," tayo and an exclusive "we,"
kami. Tayo includes the listener; kami excludes him.

Authentic dialogue

A simple talk does not qualify as a dialogue. In most cases, people just engage
in a mere monologue. Basically, an I-I type of relationship cannot be classified as a
dialogue. The I never really hears what the other is saying because, in the first place,
I never wants to listen. The I convince others to see the world in their own
perspective. Thus, it results in a monologue. Moreover, I-It relationship does not also
engage in a dialogue. The I in this relationship treats the other as an object and
therefore detach themselves from the It. The I listens to the It, however, I treats It
as an object that needs to be addressed as a thing and not as a human. In our
example earlier, academicians are prepared to listen to the indigenous people for
their research. Nevertheless, their listening is simply part of trying to comprehend
the object of the research. In worst cases, I-It relationships totally ignore the voice
of the other, for instance, abusive employers. The I in this I-It relations is the only
valid voice, and the other is literally reduced into a thing which cannot speak for
themselves.

For Buber, I-Thou relationship is the key for dialogues to take place. In a
dialogue, the I recognizes the other as a distinct person—as Thou. Accepting the
otherness of the other allows us to enter a dialogue. We do not control and influence
the revelation of the other, just as what happens in I-It relationships. When Buber
speaks about a dialogue, he stresses the importance of silence, of listening, of
sensitivity. A dialogue does not always have to be talk of words. Dialogical relations
are expressed in ways more than the use of words: the exchange of glances, the
appropriate pauses, body languages, powerful silence, etc. In some cases, non-verbal
dialogical relations are not only the more appropriate means of conversation, but
considered as a more profound form of conversation. In the I-Thou relationship, we
do not experience the other as distant, but as an existing embodied subject. But this
experience of the embodied subject of the other is not just some physical appearance.

I-Thou relationship for Buber is the experience of being through conversation

in communion with the other; and here, the other may not necessarily be a human
being. It could be your dog, or your tree, or God. In line with this, we must remember
that a privileged form of relationship is the I-Thou relationship. We cannot regard
each person we meet as being associated with us in an I-Thou way. This relationship
involves effort, and the aim is never to turn the other into anything that we want it
to be; but to maintain and embrace the otherness of the other as it is. Having a
dialogical relationship with another does not imply that anything that the other
states, or vice versa, must be acknowledged. There will always be disputes, and the
viewpoints and opinions will vary. The argument, however, is to understand the

10
other; and understanding is not tantamount to agreement. Genuine dialogue calls
for genuine listening. The one I have to listen to and hear necessarily what the other
is thinking, and really must be open to the other's difference. Only then will we have
a real relationship with anyone on I-Thou. Buber does not insist that everyone
should have a dialogical relationship with anybody. That would be impossible. He
does not say that we are to regard others as Thou; but that we are capable of
considering others as Thou. The I-Thou relationship is thus a matter of who is able
to give himself, and who is not; for the I-Thou relationship is genuinely a self-giving,
opening to the other, and letting the I immerse the Thou.

Authentic dialogue is a form of interpersonal

communication which occurs when people recognize that
they are part of a greater whole and can relate with others
within the whole. There is authentic dialogue when
individuals know how to set aside their personal biases and
put themselves into the situation of others through
communarization. This is a social process wherein the
members of the community are seen as rooted within the
https://medium.com/@differengenera/reading-lessons-
self. The self and others are considered as a pair that shares from-martin-heidegger-416f8ea10dc7

each other’s lived experiences and embodied the concept of empathy or “being in the
shoes” of others (Quipper, 2020).

Martin Heidegger argued that humankind is a conversation. Conversation is

more than just a simple talk but rather a dialogue. It means that humanity is
gradually accustomed to communication about Being. Language, as one of the
controls of human, creates human world. Language is a tool for communication,
information, and social collaboration (Ramos, 2016). For Heidegger (1997), all
conversations are really one conversation, the subject of which is Being. A
conversation is creative, expressive, and profound that allows humanity to exist as
more than objects. We are human beings who sincerely care more than acquiring
information and satisfaction.

In chapter 3 of Paolo Freire’s “Pedagogy of the

Oppressed” (1970), he explored the term dialogue. Freire
said that dialogue is the encounter between men,
mediated by the people in order to transform the world.
Thus, dialogue cannot be reduced to the act of one person
“depositing” ideas to others, nor can it become a simple
exchange of ideas to be “consumed” by the people in a
conversation. For him, we cannot just view dialogue as
simply as an interaction between people to explore the
world together, it is also a sign of freedom, equality, and
https://brazilian.report/opinion/2018/08/24/paulo-freire-pedagogy-
opressed/
responsibility in discovering and transforming the world
of every human being.

True dialogue cannot exist unless the partners engage in love, humility, faith,
trust, hope, and critical thinking. This view shows that dialogue demonstrates not
only the positive connection between people but also the constant drive to transform

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themselves as well as reality. Therefore, dialogue becomes the sign and the central
concept of the true education, “without dialogue there is no communication, and
without communication, there can be no true education (Nguyen, 2019).

III. Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and Underprivileged Sectors of the Society

We are living in an extremely diverse world. Each person has his/her own
uniqueness. From physical traits all the way to cultural aspects, we are completely
different from one another. Although there are few similarities in some areas, no two
persons on this planet can be considered as identical. Because of this diversity,
conflicts and misunderstanding among people often emerge and these issues impede
the formation of intersubjective relationships. To avoid such, we must establish
friendly associations and mutual understanding with other people, and these can be
initiated by accepting differences and embracing diversity since these values are two
of the several significant virtues connected to intersubjectivity. We must respect
others who are different from us and accept that these people have their own views
and opinions on various matters. We need to avoid making premature judgments,
gain new insights, and live in peace and harmony with others while upholding
diversity. Silencing our minds and opening our ears are greatly beneficial to all,
especially to the individuals who are experiencing different forms of discrimination
and burdens in life and are stuck inside our preconceptions such as the persons
with disabilities (PWDs) and the underprivileged.

Persons with Disabilities (PWDs)

According to the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities, the term “persons with disabilities” is used to apply to those persons
who have long-term physical, psychological, intellectual, or sensory impairments
which in interaction with several unreasonable or discriminatory barriers may
obstruct their full and active participation as equal members of the society. What
does this imply? It means that different types of disability should not be considered
as difficulties that exist in the people. Rather, these disabilities should be viewed as
the products of the interaction between individuals and their surroundings; that
these disabilities reside in the society.

In most parts of our society, negative attitudes and perceptions toward

persons with disabilities are existing. Many people consider persons with certain
conditions as lesser human beings. Also, parents whose children were diagnosed
with disabilities think that their children will become lifetime burdens. Moreover,
these negative judgments and stereotypes themselves have contributed to the
hardships that the persons with disabilities are experiencing such as poor academic
and vocational outcomes.

Therefore, elimination of these discriminatory impairments in our society is a

must so that the persons with certain conditions and differences will be able to
unleash their potential and become effective and happy members of the society.
Furthermore, the promotion of positive and supportive attitudes toward the persons
with disabilities should be done in order that these people will be able to live their
precious lives as fine as the people who are fully able in body and mind live theirs.

12
Much like us, persons with certain conditions have also dreams and ambitions in
life. Some of them wants to become teachers, lawyers, artists, athletes, and many
more. And you know what the good news is? Many of them have successfully
surpassed their physical limitations to have a productive life and become victorious
in their respective fields. Roselle Ambubuyog, Arnold Balais, and Fatima Soriano are
some Filipinos who have successfully risen above their disabilities and are making
waves in their own arenas.

Underprivileged Sectors of the Society

One more group of individuals that experiences various forms of

discrimination and hardships in life is the underprivileged. The underprivileged is
being described as the group of people that is suffering from different forms of social
deprivation such as denial of the enjoyment of similar level of comfort and/or
fundamental rights as most of the members of a civilized society due to several
economic and social circumstances. This group is less in terms of material
possessions and basic social benefits, like education and health services, in
comparison to most of the people in a certain society. Furthermore, this group of
individuals is facing various dimensions of poverty, such as income poverty, health
deprivation, human rights violations, gender inequity, and many more. These
dimensions have incapacitated many members of the human society like women,
children, and the LGBT community, wherein all are classified as underprivileged.
Aside from these groups of people, marginalized sectors, which include jeepney
drivers, farmers, fisherfolks, and many more, are also considered as underprivileged.
From its name itself, marginalized sectors are the groups of individuals that are
experiencing the so-called marginalization, which is the act of downgrading a
person, a class of people, or a concept to an insignificant, secondary, or powerless
situation in a society.

Globally, women and children are being subjected to oppression and different
forms of exploitation, such as prostitution and pornography that assault human
dignity and violate human rights. They have turned into slaves of these criminal
activities because of different social and economic conditions like poverty and lack
of opportunity. Also, women and children have become victims of domestic and
sexual violence. According to the Philippine National Police's - Women and Children
Protection Center (PNP-WCPC), 602 incidents of sexual assault were recorded from
March 17, 2020 to May 23, 2020 or an average of eight cases a day. These were the
times when Luzon and other parts of the country were on enhanced community
quarantine because of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Aside from the women and children, the members of the LGBT community are
also victims of different types of violence. Many of them are experiencing numerous
adverse treatments like bullying, discrimination, physical violence, and even sexual
assault because of their sexual orientations and gender identities. Moreover, they are
facing work-related issues. Based on the first-ever Corporate SOGIE Diversity and
Inclusiveness (CSDI) Index, a study that was administered by the Philippine LGBT
Chamber of Commerce and research firm Cogencia and was participated by 100
Philippine-based companies, not a single Filipino company has any implementing

13
policy that will protect their employees who are members of the LGBT community
from various forms of discrimination within the working environment.

According to Emmanuel Levinas (1905-1995), a French philosopher, we must

go beyond ourselves and concentrate more on rendering assistance passionately and
acting with concern toward others, particularly to the members of our society who
have become victims of different dimensions of poverty (concept of face-to-face). We
should have the courage to defend them from any form of social deprivation and
discrimination. We can do this by voicing out our concerns and obligating our
government officials to enact bills and ordinances, or strictly implement the laws that
we already have, that aim to protect the underprivileged from several oppressive
treatments and make these people enjoy the same social services, such as education,
employment, and health care, as most of the members of the society. Also, we can
help the underprivileged by sincerely and consistently joining in campaigns or
movements that seek to empower them. It is our obligation to help the
underprivileged, since they are considered as vulnerable to different forms of human
rights violation and social deprivation. Most importantly, it is our moral duty to
uphold human dignity and importance of life, because even though we are totally
different from each other, our shared dignity and humanity is the thing that unifies
us all.

ACTIVITIES
Activity 1.1. CROSSWORD PUZZLE
Objective: To identify main concepts in understanding intersubjectivity.
Directions: Complete the crossword puzzle by filling in a word that fits each clue.
Match the number of the sentence to the boxes placed across or down the grid. If
filled out correctly, the words will fit neatly into the puzzle.

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Across

7. It is being described as the group of people that is suffering from different forms
of social deprivation such as denial of the enjoyment of similar level of comfort
and/or fundamental rights as most of the members of a civilized society due to
several economic and social circumstances.
9. He explained that when you look at a person, the act of objectification allows you
to capture that person’s freedom to be what he or she wants to be.
10. It is a shared perception of reality between or among two or more individuals and
an interaction between self and other which mutual recognition of each other as
persons is.
Down

1. It is a social process wherein the members of the community are seen rooted within
the self.
2. This will be the result if alienation will not be addressed.
3. He believes that intersubjectivity is more than just a shared understanding, but it
is the capability to put oneself in the place where the other is.
4. A Jewish philosopher had a great interest in the study of relating ourselves to
others.
5. It is more than just a simple talk but rather a dialogue. It means that humanity is
gradually accustomed to communication about Being.
6. We must go beyond ourselves and concentrate more on rendering assistance
passionately and acting with concern toward others, particularly to the members
of our society who have become victims of different dimensions of poverty.
8. It is used to apply to those persons who have long-term physical, psychological,
intellectual, or sensory impairments which in interaction with several
unreasonable or discriminatory barriers may obstruct their full and active
participation as equal members of the society.

ACTIVITIES
Activity 1.2. TYPES OF RELATIONSHIP
Objective: To cite situations/ examples demonstrating types of relationship
according to Martin Buber.
Directions: Think of situations, real or fictitious, that portray different types of
relationship. Fill the table below with two situations/ examples for each type and
answer the guide questions that follow.

I-I Relationship I-It Relationship I-Thou Relationship

1. 1. 1.

2. 2. 2.

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Guide Questions
Directions: Read and answer the questions comprehensively. You may write your
answers on a separate sheet of paper.
1. How does the “I-I” relationship in your cited situations/examples
transformed the “other” into their likeness?
2. Do you think the situations/ examples you cited under the “I-It”
relationship caused alienation? How?
3. Do you think the situations/ examples you cited under the “I-Thou”
relationship led to an authentic dialogue? Why?

ACTIVITIES
Activity 1.3. PERSON FOR OTHERS
Objective: To appreciate persons who embody and engage in a genuine relationships
with others.

Directions: Today, as our nation grapples with the threats of a villain - an invisible
enemy that is the COVID-19 - we realize that being a hero does not necessarily mean
having superpowers. We realize that our modern-day heroes no longer wear capes
but rather they wear lab suits or any personal protective equipment. Our modern-
day heroes are those who choose to work despite the danger of the pandemic, those
who continue to serve the Filipino people. In this activity, identify a front liner whom
you consider embodying the concept of “a person for others.” Write a profile of your
chosen individual, highlighting his or her unconditional love for others.

___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

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 ACTIVITIES
Activity 1.4. PROJECT EMPOWERMENT
Objective: To contribute in helping marginalized sectors in community.
Directions: Imagine that you are a leader of an organization and you are tasked to
come up with a project that will help the marginalized sectors in your community.
Develop your own project proposal that will benefit the persons with disabilities
and/or the underprivileged. Write your project proposal on a separate sheet of paper.
Follow the template below:

Project Specific Budget

Activities Time Frame Networks
Name Breakdown

This refers These refer to This refers to This refers to the These refer to the
to the title the programs the budget allocation companies/organ
of the or activities implementatio of the project (for izations that will
project that will be n period of auditing be tapped to
itself. implemented. the programs purposes). make the project
or activities. possible.

Point System:

Criteria Highest Possible Points

Content (presence of ideas) 40 points

Feasibility (practicability) 30 points

Originality (uniqueness) 20 points

Organization (order) 10 points

Total 100 points

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 CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
How to be Humane?

In this module, you have learned that the values of acceptance, openness, and
respect will result in having meaningful and beneficial human relationships.
Humans are motivated by having shared dignity to treat each other with respect and
acceptance no matter what differences they have. By doing the task below, we can
confirm that awareness of each other’s presence will only occur if we treat others as
equals and accept them for who they are.

Directions: Answer the question: how will you show genuine human relationship
and/or engage in an authentic dialogue with the group of people shown below? Write
your answer inside the box provided.

https://www.rappler.com/corruption/57063-ph-govt- https://theaseanpost.com/article/indigenous-people- https://mpasho.co.ke/36c7be6b00000578-3718631-image-

struggle-home m-45_1470075475988/
support-pwd

https://makingitfuninthephilippines.blogspot.com/2015/06 https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/04/28/philippines- https://www.marketwatch.com/story/1-in-5-americans-

/failipinos-and-their-utak-squatter.html prison-deaths-unreported-amid-pandemic now-personally-know-someone-with-the-coronavirus-2020-
04-08

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 REMEMBER
 Intersubjectivity is an interaction between self and other which mutual
recognition of each other as persons is. A unique relationship between distinct
subjects.
 We have different modes of relating to others according to Martin Buber. First
is I-I relationship, there are people whose world revolve around their own
selves. They have no real interest in other people and things. Second, there
are people who develop interest in others they will never attempt to reduce the
other into their own likeness-into another I. Lastly is the I-Thou relationship.
There are people who treat other people genuinely as persons. It is in this type
of relationship that the other is treated as distinctly other.
 Authentic dialogue occurs when people recognize that they are part of a
greater whole and can relate with others within the whole. There is authentic
dialogue when individuals know how to set aside their personal biases and
put themselves into the situation of others through communarization.
 The term “persons with disabilities” is used to apply to those persons who
have long-term physical, psychological, intellectual, or sensory impairments
which in interaction with several unreasonable or discriminatory barriers may
obstruct their full and active participation as equal members of the society.
 The underprivileged marginalized sectors is being described as the group of
people that is suffering from different forms of social deprivation such as
denial of the enjoyment of similar level of comfort and/or fundamental rights
as most of the members of a civilized society due to several economic and
social circumstances.
 Marginalization is the act of downgrading an individual, a group of people, or
a thought to an unimportant, inferior, or powerless position in a society.
 It is our moral duty to uphold human dignity and importance of life, because
even though we are totally different from each other, our shared dignity and
humanity is the thing that unifies us all.

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 POST TEST
Directions: Multiple Choice. Choose the letter of the best answer. Write your chosen
letter on a separate sheet of paper.
1. It is an interaction between self and the other based on mutual recognition of
each other as persons; a unique relationship between distinct subjects.
a. Intersubjectivity
b. Relationship
c. Actions
d. Communication

2. Jean Paul Sartre explains that when you look at a person, the act of
objectification allows you to capture that person’s freedom to be what he or
she wants to be. It means that _________________________________.
a. When you label a person through a look, you deprive him/her of
his/her freedom.
b. When you greet every person, you get involved with his/her freedom.
c. When you stare at a person, you can read his/her mind.
d. You can control the freedom of the person you see.

3. Buber’s notion of intersubjectivity is best seen in which kind of situation?

a. A firefighter who risked his/her life to save lives of the people trapped in a
burning building.
b. A teacher who passed a graduating working student who has insufficient
funds to support his/her studies.
c. A security guard who greeted a student suffering from depression and made
him/her change mind of committing suicide.
d. A president of a powerful country who allocated a huge number of arms to
reinforce the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

4. In most parts of the world, negative stereotypes and judgments toward

persons with certain conditions are existing. As a person who upholds human
dignity, how will you fight against these perceptions and attitudes?
a. I will think that the persons with disabilities are lifelong burdens.
b. I will consider persons with disabilities as less important human
beings.
c. I will promote supportive attitudes toward the persons with
disabilities.
d. I will live in harmony and unity with persons with disabilities while
maintaining diversity.

5. Juan Dela Cruz, a student, is experiencing several abuses in the school

because of his gender identity and sexual orientation. How can the school
administration extend help in this situation?
a. The school administrators should release an order instructing the
learners to obey school policies like dress codes.

20
 b. The school administrators should approve funding for the
implementation of the Reproductive Health Law in the school.
c. The school administrators should celebrate events like National
Women’s Month in the school since this promotes respect for gender
diversity.
d. The school administrators should implement anti-discrimination and
anti-bullying policies in the school that will educate the learners on
how they should report incidents of bullying, discrimination, and other
adverse treatments.

REFERENCES
Online Sources:
Albano, L. (2018, November 20). No filipino company has lgbt-inclusive policy:
1st sogie inclusivity index in the phl reveals. Retrieved from:
https://tinyurl.com/y5vv772l

Bramann J. (2004). Directory of philosophical forum. The educating rita

workbook. Retrieved from: https://tinyurl.com/y4l9swy9

Casal, C. (2018, November 14). Survey finds that filipino companies are not
accepting of lgbtq+. Retrieved from: https://tinyurl.com/y4ubo6ch

Delgado A. (2018). Intersubjectivity. Retrieved from

https://tinyurl.com/y5t6qokq

Human Rights Watch. (2017, June 21). “Just let us be”: discrimination
against lgbt students in the philippines. Retrieved from
https://tinyurl.com/ycjbkyk4

Nguyen, Thuy Lien. (2019). A brief analysis of freire’s dialogue term.

Retrieved from: https://tinyurl.com/y22kklep

PHILO-notes. (n.d.). Intersubjectivity: introduction to the philosophy of the

human person. Retrieved from: https://tinyurl.com/ycohuwrz

Quipper (n.d). The meaning and process of intersubjectivity. Retrieved from:

https://tinyurl.com/yxv92vn8

Salegon I. (2017). Interaction with others. Retrieved from

https://tinyurl.com/yybgecrn.
Tupas, E. (2020, May 25). 8 raped daily during quarantine – PNP. Retrieved
from: https://tinyurl.com/ya953dyn

Underprivileged. (n.d.). In Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved from

https://tinyurl.com/y28wl4v6

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Underprivileged. (n.d.). In Lexico. Retrieved from
https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/underprivileged

Underprivileged. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster. Retrieved from

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/underprivileged

United Nations. (2006, December 6). United nations convention on the rights
of persons with disabilities. Retrieved from
https://tinyurl.com/ya4v8bww

United Nations. (2007). Department of economic and social affairs: disability

[faqs]. Retrieved from
https://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/faqs.htm

Books:
Abella, D. (2016). Introduction to the philosophy of the human person. Quezon
City: C& E Publishing, Inc.

Caraan, A. (2016). Introduction to the philosophy of the human person. Makati

City: Diwa Learning Systems, Inc.

Corpuz, B., Corpuz, R., Paclibar, M. L., & Paclibar, S. (2016). Introduction to
the philosophy of the human person. Quezon City: Lorimar Publishing,
Inc.

Delos Santos, D. L. (2017). Community engagement, solidarity, and citizenship.

Manila: Rex Book Store, Inc.

Enriquez, Virgilio G. (1977) Filipino psychology in the third world. Quezon City:
Philippine Psychology Research House, University of the Philippines.

Mabaquiao, N. (2016). Making life worth living. an introduction to the

philosophy of the human person. Quezon City: Phoenix Publishing
House.

Ramos, C. (2015). Introduction to the philosophy of the human person. 1st

Edition. Quezon City: Rex Book Store, Inc.

Sioco, M.P. & Vinzons, I. (2016). Introduction to the philosophy of the human
person. First Edition. Quezon City: Vibal Group, Inc.

22
 Management and Development Team

Schools Division Superintendent: Maria Magdalena M. Lim, CESO V

Chief Education Supervisor: Aida H. Rondilla
CID Education Program Supervisor: Amalia C. Solis
CID LR Supervisor: Lucky S. Carpio
CID-LRMS Librarian II: Lady Hannah C Gillo
CID-LRMS PDO II: Albert James P. Macaraeg

Editor/s: Paciano B. Ferrer, Gener C. Irinco, Nastasia V. Besin, Ernie Ronel T.

Mabahague, and Paulyne Joanne R. Pascual (Content)
Mhilwin A. Esto (Language)
Writer/s: Nastasia V. Besin, Paulyne Joanne R. Pascual, and Paul Gavasan

23
 REFLECTIVE LEARNING SHEET

Name ____________________________________________ Grade and Section ___________

School: ______________________ Date: _____________ Subject Teacher: ____________
Quarter: 2nd Module No.: 2
MELC: Explain that authentic dialogue means accepting others even if they are
different from themselves.
Objective: To realize that authentic dialogue will eventually lead to a genuine
relationship with others
Topic: Authentic Dialogue

Directions: Read and analyze each question. Answer these 2 questions on a separate
sheet of paper.
1. Is the limited perspective in engaging in an authentic dialogue the main reason
why we sometimes have problems with our relationship with others? Explain
your answer.

2. In 2019, UNICEF released a report that says one in three young people in 30
countries said that they have been a victim of online bullying, with one in five
saying they skipped school. How will authentic dialogue pave the way in
preventing cyberbullying in social media?

24