Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person

Philosophy begins with a sense of wonder. Human being wonders at God, the world and his/her very
being. Among the ancient Greek thinkers, philosophy was mainly a wonder at the cosmic realities
around them. However, in the medieval times, the focus of philosophy was shifted to God. But with
Renaissance and Reformation that ushered in the next phase of philosophical thinking, and more
especially with the philosophy of Descartes, the main object of philosophy became human being. This
does not mean that early philosophers were unaware of the importance of appreciating the human
person. In fact, we find Socrates and few other thinkers attempted at understanding human person.
With the rise of experimental sciences in the modern times, human person has become the primary
and exclusive object of many disciplines like psychology, psychoanalysis, sociology, anthropology,
political science, etc. Now-a-days even in theology, there is an anthropological trend. However, the
approach and object of Philosophy of Human Person is quite different from these sciences as we shall
discuss them at a later stage.

Etymological Meaning of Philosophy

The word philosophy is derived from the Greek “philla” meaning “love”, and “sophia", meaning
“wisdom” or “knowledge”. The literal definition of philosophy is therefore, “love of wisdom”.
[Zulueta, 2010]

Philosophy is the study of things and its ultimate causes, principles, and reasons under the light of the
human reason.

Philosophy can be considered as a way of life wherein every individuals acts according to their nature
as human beings – endowed with intelligence and freedom.

Branches of Philosophy
1. Cosmology – studies its origin and the structural order of the universe with its parts, elements,
and laws that governs its existence.
2. Logic – refers to correct inferential thinking or good reasoning
3. Aesthetic Philosophy – it studies beauty and taste
4. Social Philosophy – discussed social institutions, human behaviors, human nature and socio-
political movements
5. Metaphysics – studies the concept of being, its essence, the problem of evil and freedom, space
and time, reality, etc…
6. Epistemology – comes from Greek word, ‘episteme’ which means knowledge or
understanding. It is the theory of knowledge and its concerned with the mind’s relation to
reality.
7. Ethics – comes from the Greek word ‘ethos’ – means characteristics way of acting; it is also
referring as the philosophical study of the concepts of moral right and wrong and moral good
and bad. It also includes bioethical issues such as:
 Suicide Contraceptives Human Cloning
 Abortion Tubal Ligation Stem Cell
 Euthanasia/Mercy-Killing Sterilization Surrogacy
 Three Types of Lovers According to Pythagoras
According to Pythagoras, there are 3 kinds of people: the lover of pleasure, the lover of
success/wealth and the lover of wisdom.

Therefore, you must first find pleasure on the road to success and when you become successful, you
will be surely wise. Wisdom is accumulated through experience and each perspective of each
individual. Success is the crowning glory of wisdom itself. Pleasure is gained through success;
nonetheless, one must choose first his choice on the road of life

Philosophical Figures and their Contributions to the Development of Early Philosophy

Thales
 he considered WATER as the main substance and element of everything
 the first to discovered there was a 365 days in calendar year
 he postulated that the earth floats like a leaf on water/rest on water
 that the world is full of gods
 and the soul produces motion
 he believed that earthquake is caused by strong current of waves
Heraclitus
 he considered FIRE as the main substance and element of everything/origin of all things
 he held that everything is constantly changing; that is to say, permanence is an illusion and all
things are in perpetual flux
 that opposite things are identical
 that everything is and is not at the same time
 famous with this saying, “you cannot step twice on the same water.”
Democritus
 known as the ‘laughing philosopher’
 he postulated the so-called ATOMIC THEORY as the source of everything
 he theorized that all material bodies are made up of invisibly small ‘atoms’
 he believed that Atom is indivisible and indestructible by nature; that is to say, it cannot be
destroyed nor divided
Parmenides
 his biggest contribution is the method of reasoned proof for assertions
 known as the Father of Metaphysics
 he postulated that there is an eternal One which timeless, motionless, and changeless
 he believed that ‘what exist, exist; and what is not existing is not.’
 He claimed that nothing could come from nothing and so existence was uncreated and eternal
and what people interpreted as “change” in life was an illusion
Anaximander
 Known as the Founder of Astronomy
 He considered ‘APEIRON’ as the main composition of everything
 He also believed that the world we live on has not always existed and will not always exist; he
believed world had existed before ours and others would exist after ours.
Anaxagoras
 Anaxagoras’s system was his doctrine of nous (“mind” or “reason”)
 He believed that the cosmos was formed by mind in two stages: first, by a revolving and mixing
process that still continues; and, second, by the development of living things. In the first, all of
“the dark” came together to form the night, “the fluid” came together to form the oceans, and
so on with other elements. The same process of attraction of “like to like” occurred in the
second stage, when flesh and other elements were brought together by mind in large amounts.
 The growth of living things, according to Anaxagoras, depends on the power of mind within
the organisms that enables them to extract nourishment from surrounding substances.
Anaximenes
 He is a material monist and best known for his doctrine that the AIR is the source of all things.
 AIR is the only reality, and all other states of matter are really just appearances of AIR.
 That is to say, Fire is rarified (thinned); wind is condensed air; cloud is more condensed air;
water is still more condensed air, and so on - Matter changes through rarefaction and
condensation
 He differed with his predecessors like Thales, who held that water is the source of all things,
and Anaximander, who thought that all things came from an unspecified boundless stuff,
known a ‘apeiron’
 He proposed that the earth was flattened disk floating on AIR at the center of the universe;
 That the sun moved around the Earth (but not under it), and was also a flat body made of fire;
Epicurus
 He was an ancient Greek philosopher and sage who founded Epicureanism, a highly
influential school of philosophy;
 He was born on the Greek island of Samos to Athenian parents;
 Epicurus taught that the basic constituents of the world are atoms, uncuttable bits of matter,
flying through empty space, and he tried to explain all natural phenomena in atomic terms
 His main contribution to Philosophy is the so-called, Epicureanism – he argued that
PLEASURE was the chief good in life. He advocated living in such a way as to derive the
greatest amount of pleasure possible during one’s lifetime, yet doing so moderately in order to
avoid the suffering incurred by overindulgence in such pleasure.
 The Difference between Holistic Perspective and Partial Point of View

Example of Holistic Perspective

Example of Partial Point of View

What is Reflection?
• RECOLLECTION
• RECALLING OF PAST EXPERIENCES
• REFLECTION IN A MIRROR
• EVALUATION OF ONESELF
• VISIONING OF ONE’S FUTURE AFTER A SERIES OF LIFE EXPERIENCES
Philosophical reflection is the careful examination of life situations. This involves the weighing of
several alternatives and using specific standards to evaluate one’s actions. A man reflects
philosophically when he is able to build on previous actions, events, or decisions.
 Reflection is an important aspect of philosophy wherein one can engage in reflection by
examining one’s thoughts, feelings, and actions and the learning experience.
 Reflecting on situations, activities, actions, and decisions enables a person gain insights that
will help in effective decision-making.

What is Contemplative Thinking?

 IT EMBRACES AESTHETIC EXPERIENCE, EXPERIENCE

THAT IS IMMEDIATE RATHER THAN MEDIATING;
 PHILOSOPHICAL CONTEMPLATION MEANS
REFLECTING ON FUNDAMENTAL LIFE-ISSUES FROM
OUR INNER DEPTH;
 IT INVOLVES THINKING DEEPLY ABOUT
INFORMATION, SITUATIONS OR SOME OTHER
CONCEPT; and
 CONTEMPLATION COULD BE USED WHEN DECIDING
WHAT YOUR PERSONAL BELIEF SYSTEM IS AND
WHAT YOUR VALUES ARE.

What about Meditation?

 THE PROCESS OF SILENCING THE CONSCIOUS
MIND ANG GOING WITH YOURSELF, SIMPLY
OBSERVING WHAT IS THERE.
 IT DOES NOT INVOLVE THINKING ABOUT
ANYTHING AND IS MORE ABOUT SIMPLY
EXPERIENCING THE PRESENT MOMENT