MAN AS A PERSON

The word “person” comes from the Greek word prosophon, meaning mask that
which is used by stage actors. Its Latin equivalent, personare, refers to the mask
through which an actor forcefully projects his voice. We may, therefore, speak of a
person as a human being, hidden by the mask.
As concludes, a person exists distinctly and independently from others and is
capable of knowing and loving in an intellectual way, and of deciding for himself the
purpose or end of his actions. He has his own set of values and work ethics.
Hence, man has to be respected as a being who can think and act as a person.
Every values teacher must address himself to the processes of thinking (cognitive or
acquiring knowledge), feeling (affective or forming attitudes and values) and acting
(psychomotor o acquiring skills).
Certain Philosophies of Man
All men share the same basic anatomical and physiological features. One may
expect a physician to treat every man, regardless of race and color, using the same
prescription. That all men have the same human nature is the premise of both
Buddhist and Judaeo – Christian philosophy.
1. For Buddhism, all men are subject to the same psychic laws, since the
human condition is the same for all. However, man lives under the illusion of
separateness and indestructibility of ego due to human greed and pride. It is only
when man conquers his greed and pride that he discovers the fundamental truths of
life.
2. In the Judaeo-Christian thought, man is the "image of God." All men belong
to one family. They share the same basic features that make them human and enable
them to know and to love one another. The Messianic prophesy speaks of peaceful
unity of all men.
3. The idea of a human nature common to all men is being eroded by that
concept which suggests human nature to be a blank sheet (tabula raza) on which each
culture writes its text. While the oneness of human nature is not totally ignored, it
conjures man to be merely the product of social interaction so that human nature is
nothing more than a reflex of social conditions.
4. Human nature is a given potential, a set of conditions, the human raw
material, which cannot change. Yet man does in fact change in the courage of history.
Man, therefore, is the product of history, becoming what he is potentially. History is
the process of human developing those potentialities which are given him when he is
born.
 5. Existentialism considers that the existence of man as an individual endowed
with free-will is the fundamental fact of life. There is no universal essence shared by
all men. Man is what he does with his freedom on his situation and situation varies.
Man is not a “finished” thing, but a reality undergoing perpetual remaking.

MAN AS A RATIONAL BEING

Man is an organism composed of body and soul. The human body is the
material shell within which the soul operates. The soul is the principle of life. It is
that by which we live, sense, and reason.
Man is not the soul, neither is he the body. Man is the substantial union of
body and soul. The soul, even as it is the source of vital functions, needs the support
of the body. Thus, while the soul has its own peculiar functions, certain acts are
shared by then soul (psyche) and the body (soma). Thus, these actions are called
psychosomatic.
Man is the wholeness of his materiality and spirituality. But the spirit with its
insights into value, and on account of its freedom, assume responsibility over the
totality. Human nature is the intrinsic principle of movement of man. The basic
operational tendency of human nature is called natural law.
Man is a rational being, gifted with intellect and free will. Hence, he (1) is able
to distinguish good from evil, right from wrong and moral from immoral; (2) desires
within himself an obligation to do what is good and to shun what is evil; and (3)
feels himself accountable for his actions, expecting rewards, praises, incentives or
punishments or rejections for them.
Man, therefore, is exceptional for he has a moral sense, an obligation to do
what is good and a duty to preserve his life through his own effort and in accordance
with the dictates of reason. If a person has a right to life, he is duty-bound to look for
means that would sustain that life. He is obliged to look for his own living through
productive effort with the use of his knowledge, skills and positive values and
attitudes toward such effort. As a rational being, he acts within the context or true
essence of an educated man.
The Intellectual Virtues
Virtues pertain either to the intellect or to the will. Those that pertain to the
intellect are called intellectual virtues. They help man acquire knowledge and
perfection on that aspect only. Those that pertain to the will are called moral virtues.
They dispose the will towards proper conduct and contribute to the perfection of the
whole person,
The intellectual virtues are:
 1. Understanding which is the habit of the first principles, such as, do good
and avoid evil and the whole is greater than the sum of any of its parts;
2. Science which is the habit of proximate causes, such as concluding from the
facts of experience or inference;
3. Wisdom which is the habit of the ultimate causes, such as, being aware that
the ecosystem binds both man and lower creatures;
4. Art which is the habit of making or producing things, such as, paintings,
music, sculpture;
5. Prudence which is the habit of doing or choosing from alternative values,
such as saving for the rainy days.
Understanding, science, and wisdom pertain to speculative intellect. Art and
prudence pertain to practical intellect.
The Moral Virtues
The moral virtues are those that build the character of a person. These are
justice, temperance, and fortitude.
1. Justice is the virtue which inclines us to render to another what is due to
him. The biblical “just man” is one who respects himself, worships God, and helps
others.
Justice is the foundation of any interpersonal relationships. It is the basis of
every reasonable law and promotes peace and harmony within a community of
persons.
2. Fortitude is the virtue which gives us the strength in facing dangers and
vicissitudes of life. In Filipino we refer to it as tatag ng kalooban so that we describe
a man of fortitude as matibay, matatag, or malakas ang loob.
Fortitude must be tempered by prudence. It belongs to the prudent man to
decide whether to assume a risk or to avoid it.
3. Temperance is the virtue which helps us regulate our passions and our use of
earthly goods. Temperance or moderation provides the golden mean so that nothing
is done in excess or in defect. Because anything excessive or defective constitutes a
vice, it has been said that virtue stands in the middle of both extremes.
The Person that We Ought to Be
Character points the direction of becoming the person that we ought to
become. As human beings, we do not lack the talent nor the power to shape our
character. A person is never a finished product but the finishing touches that bring
out character are not to be found in a modelling school.
 Character is not the product of society's approval nor of high-fashion's
sophistication. Character is a creating process involving prudent choices of values. It
is the tenacious adherence to these ideals which molds our character. Character is the
force of our will compelling us to draw out the best in us.
As pointed out by Jose Rizal, men are not turtles to be valued according to
their shells. Persons should be valued according to their character, whether they are
just, moderate in their wants, and optimistic in their attitude.

MAN AND HIS VALUES

We cannot discuss the nature of man without discussing his values. We can say
that the worth of a man lies in his values. The values inherent in man show the kind
of person that he is. One is judged by his or her actions and the kind of values he or
she manifests.
Values is closely related to one’s search for meaning in human life. Life
becomes meaningful when a person finds something to which he could commit
himself to, something from which he could be commended because of his best
efforts, something worth living for and if necessary, worth dying for.
Values are the goals or end-products of man’s motivation. They render human
survival meaningful and achieve the complete fulfillment of man’s personality as an
individual and as part of a community. Values enable man to change and to establish
self-control and self-direction.
Core Values of Filipino
Moral maturity is a process of conversion. It means shedding off the old self
and putting on the new self. For the conversion to be total, it must work from within
the person. This involves a new way of thinking, a new perception of realities. This
conversion begins with the fresh view of human dignity while the significance of
human dignity has always been part in our Filipino tradition, somehow its true
meaning was lost in our national consciousness.
On the basis of human dignity, Fr. Gorospe explores the potentials of values
which he considers “core” or central to the education and eventual transformation of
the Filipino. These core values are: TRUTH, LOVE and FAITH; INTEGRITY;
HARD WORK, and SOCIAL JUSTICE.
1. Truth, Love, and Faith. There is a need for intellectual conversion. One
should be ready to deny what is false and to accept what is true. This involves
genuine concern for study and research, denying tsismis or guesswork as reliable
sources of information. It means developing creative and critical thinking in order to
transform our environment and develop a culture expressive of the ideas and
aspirations of the Filipino people and build structures for a just and humane society.
There is a need for moral conversion in love. Love for the good should be the
basis of decisions and choices. One should be ready to choose not on the basis of
what is pleasant or unpleasant, convenient or non-convenient, but solely on the basis
of what is objectively good under the circumstances.
Religious faith is needed too. Reason and good intention are not enough. There
must be that faith in the Almighty God who holds us in the palm of his hand. If
indeed we came from God, then God will see to it that we find our way home. Only
we will have to listen to him speaking in our hearts.
2. Integrity. The word stands for wholesomeness or completeness. It connotes
perfection of the whole from the perfection of its parts. In the language, integrity
means honesty. It means the repudiation of lying, deceit, cheating, stealing, fraud,
hypocrisy and dishonesty in all its forms.
The Filipino should learn to hate lagay, padulas, areglo, puslit, and palusot. He
should protest a system that institutionalizes palakasan and padrino. He should
refrain from paki-usap.
Integrity is the essence of self-respect. One should love himself and keep his
dignity. To be able to assert oneself without being arrogant is not diplomacy but the
art of self-respect. This is being honest to oneself.
3. Hard Work. Filipinos are hard-working. Many Filipinos have left their
families and homes for work abroad proves that Filipinos are not afraid of work. And
yet, there is a need to develop the proper attitude towards work. Work indeed is a
means to a comfortable life, and many workers from the Middle East and the United
States have proven this for a fact. But the inordinate desire to get rich quickly and
too much is an entrapment of the soul. When materialistic goals become the primary
and sole reason for working, work becomes an excuse for greed and contention.
Often, strikes and lock-outs are fights over wages that are cither unjustly withheld or
unjustly deserved.
Work for the sake of salary kills creativity. Permanent or tenured employees,
secured in the thought that they may not be dismissed easily and "without due
cause", become lackadaisical towards their work. And there are those who equate
gambling with work since they are motivated by pecuniary gains.
Along with the proper attitude towards work, Filipinos must be educated in the
wise use of money. “Money does not grow on trees” – this the Filipinos understand.
But many are profligate, assuming the role of a one-day-millionaire on payday.
“Naghihirap na kung wala, maghihirap pa kung mayroon” partly explains why many
Filipino families remain poor
 4. Social Justice. Social justice requires that we share our talents and material
possessions with those who are unfortunate and poor. The concept that giving alms,
donations and assistance to the poor is only a demand of charity and therefore,
voluntary, must give way to the concept of social justice.
Social justice is founded on the principle that all earthly goods belong to all
men, for them to share equally: not in the mathematical sense of equality, but in the
prudential sense, that is, that all have the right to a decent life. But since people are
not similarly gifted with the tools of productivity (intellect), it becomes an obligation
for those gifted to care for those less endowed. All men must share proportionately
the goods of the earth.
Social justice requires that we live only simple lives and that we should not
flaunt our wealth, especially in the midst of so much poverty and deprivation. It
urges us to feed the hungry and to clothe the naked, not because it is the "pious"
thing to do, but because it is our obligation to do so on account of our fortune.