Unit 4

The Human Person as Unity

Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person

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LEARNING TARGETS

At the end of this unit, the learners should be

able to do the following:

● Recognize their own limitations and possibilities for transcendence.

● Evaluate these limitations and possibilities from the subject’s point of view.
● Determine the qualities and characteristics that help define the self.
● Recognize the different ways in which they are able to go beyond their
limitations.

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VALUES AND ATTITUDES

In this unit, the learners should be able to do the

following:
● Treat themselves with love.
● Accept their limitations.
● Build a positive relationship with others.
● Accept/understand differences with an open mind.
● Recognize other people’s strengths and abilities.
● Create purpose in life by making contributions to the society/community
through their abilities.
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Lesson 6
Human Objectivity

Unit 4| The Human Person as Unity

Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person

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What is human experience?

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Human Experience
Human experience refers to an
individual experience of being
mentally, emotionally, physically,
psychologically, and spiritually
alive in this world.

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Some examples of human experience are
scratching your head when it is itchy,
jumping when you see a spider, feeling
joy when you receive a gift, greeting
someone familiar, getting burned after
touching a hot surface, and feeling
happy when eating ice cream.

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Maurice Merleau-Ponty

For Maurice Merleau-Ponty, a set

of stimuli must be assembled into
experiences to gain knowledge. He
pointed out that perception is vital
to gain knowledge.

An example of a reaction to a stimulus (plural

form is stimuli).
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Maurice’s Study on the Injured Soldier

Maurice’s first observation was the

soldier could not locate his forehead
whenever Maurice asked him to.

Maurice’s second observation was

the soldier kept on slapping or
shooing the fly on his forehead.

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Contrast Between Abstract and Embodied Knowledge

ABSTRACT KNOWLEDGE EMBODIED KNOWLEDGE

a type of knowledge that a type of knowledge or action

enables the person to behave that comes from sensory
or react on a command experience
because of an idea that has
already been formed

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The Role of Instinct in Embodied Knowledge

An instinct allows a person to react in

such a way without observation and
instruction.

For example, the soldier Maurice

knew he needed to shoo the fly without
any instructions from Maurice.

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Understanding Embodied Knowledge

What will you do when you see

someone who is crying?

What will you do when you are

hungry?

What will you do when the sky

turns dark?

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Stoplight

STOP CONTINUE START

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PHOTO CREDIT

Slide 9: Fly with big eyes by OpenClipArt is Public Domain via Public Domain Vectors.

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REFERENCE
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Maurice Merleau-Ponty." Encyclopedia Britannica, April 30, 2022.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Maurice-Merleau-Ponty.

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