• Introduction to the Philosophy of

the Human Person

• Unit I: The Human Person in the Twenty-First Century

• Lesson I: Pursuing Wisdom and Facing Challenges in the Twenty-First Century

• The Meaning of Philosophy

 The word “philosophy” comes from two Greek words, philo, meaning “to love”,” and sophia, meaning
“wisdom.”

 Love of wisdom and in a broad sense, wisdom is still the goal of philosophy.

 defined as the attitude of the mind that by natural light of reason or the highest principles of all things.

• The Meaning of Philosophy

 Scientific Approach

 It uses scientific approach because the investigation is systematic.

 It follows certain steps and procedures.

 In other words, it is an organized body of knowledge just like any other sciences.

• The Meaning of Philosophy

 Natural Light of Reason

 Philosophy investigate things, neither by using any laboratory instruments or investigative tools, nor
on the basis of supernatural revelation; otherwise it becomes theology.

 Philosophers uses his natural capacity to think or observe the world and people.

• The Meaning of Philosophy

 Study of All Things

 This set the distinction between philosophy and other sciences.

 All other sciences concern themselves with a particular object of investigation.

 Anthropologists study human being in relation to the society.

• The Meaning of Philosophy

 Study of All Things

 Sociologists study society, its form, structures, and functions.

 Botanists focus their attention to plants.

 Theologians investigate God.

• The Meaning of Philosophy

 Study of All Things

 Philosopher studies human beings, society, religion, language, God, and plants.

 Philosophy is not one-dimensional or partial rather is a multidimensional or holistic.

 First Cause or the Highest Principle

 An idea which means something is the main and first cause why an event or situation took place.

 It is a principle because everything in the world and every situation has a starting point or a beginning.

• The Meaning of Philosophy

 First Cause or the Highest Principle

 Principle of Identity

 It means a thing, idea, or person always has a name, a concept, and a characteristics for that
thing to exist.

 Principle of Noncontradiction

 It is impossible for a thing to be and not to be at the same time, and at the same respects.

• The Meaning of Philosophy

 First Cause or the Highest Principle

 Principle of Excluded Middle

 a thing is either is or is not; between being and not being. There is no middle ground possible.

 Principle of Sufficient Reason

 Nothing exists without a sufficient reason for its being and existence.

• The Branches of Philosophy

 Metaphysics

 An extension of the fundamental and necessary drive in every human being to know what is real.

 Metaphysician’s task is to explain that part of our experience, which we call unreal in terms of what you
can accept as real.

 Reality referred to in metaphysics as “true reality”, meaning, it is the fundamental source and basis of
all reality in the world and in existence.

 Metaphysics assumes that the reality we see with our eyes is just temporary cover of the true reality
that exists beyond what our senses could perceive.

• The Branches of Philosophy

 Ethics

 How do we distinguish good from evil or right from wrong?

 a branch of philosophy that explores the nature of moral virtue and evaluates the morality and virtue
of human actions.

 They use ethical theory in the analysis and deliberation of issues.

• Five Main Frameworks of Ethics

 Divine Command
 • What does God ordain us to do?

• In this framework, a strong sense of individualism does not exist, but rather, the collective is
emphasized.

• Five Main Frameworks of Ethics

 Utilitarianism

• What is good for the greatest number of people is the best choice and the moral choice.

• For example, if killing a cow is the only way to save seven children from starvation, killing the cow is
moral.

• Five Main Frameworks of Ethics

 Deontological Ethics

• This means that a person has a moral duty to do what is right regardless of what the person thinks or
feels about the situation.

• For example, when a person sees Hitler drowning, he must save him because letting a person die
without helping is wrong.

• It only means that despite of his evilness, saving is a moral duty every human being has an obligation
to do.

• Five Main Frameworks of Ethics

 Virtue Ethics

• It focuses on character development of individuals and their acquisition of good virtue ethics.

• Five Main Frameworks of Ethics

 Relativism

• actions are morally right within a particular society when they approved by law, custom, or other
conventions of the society.

• Closely related to ethical relationalism which is making judgments based on a context while ethical
pluralism affirm cultural diversity and respect differences among individuals or groups.

• Five Main Frameworks of Ethics

 Relativism

• Human right is a moral entitlement that places obligations on other people to treat one with dignity
and respect.

• International rights include the right to physical movement, the right to ownership of property, the
right to freedom for torture, and the right to a fair trial.

• Five Main Frameworks of Ethics

• What does God ordain us to do?

• What has the most desirable consequences?

• Whatever is my moral duty to do.

• What does my culture or society think I ought to do?

• The Branches of Philosophy

 Epistemology

 deals with the nature, sources, limitations, and validity of knowledge.

 Epistemological questions:

• how we know what we claim we know.

• how we can find out what we wish to know.

• how we can differentiate truth from falsehood

• The Branches of Philosophy

 Epistemology

 Human knowledge may be regarded as having two parts.

 he sees, he hears, and touches; other hand, he organizes in his mind what he learns through the senses.

 They believe that general ideas are formed from the examination of particular facts this method called
Induction.

• The Branches of Philosophy

 Epistemology

 A philosophers who feel that knowledge is acquired in this way is called Empiricists.

 Knowledge are based on facts and evidence that we can see and perceive in the world.

 Other philosophers think it is more important to find a general law according to which particular facts
can be understood or judged called deduction and its advocates are called rationalists.

• The Branches of Philosophy

 Epistemology

 For rationalist views, is that real knowledge is based on logic, laws, and methods that reason develops.

• The Branches of Philosophy

 Logic

 The term “logic” comes from the Greek word logike and was coined by Zeno the Stoic.

 it means a treatise on matters pertaining to the human thought.

 Logic is not interested in what we know regarding certain subjects. Its concern, rather, is the truth or
the validity of our arguments regarding such objects.

 Aristotle was the first philosopher to devise a logical method.

• The Branches of Philosophy

 Logic
  Logical reasoning makes us certain that our conclusions are true, and this provides us with accepted
scientific proofs of universally valid propositions or statements.

 We are human beings possessed with reason.

 We use it when we make decisions, try to influence other decisions, and engaged in arguments and
debate.

• The Branches of Philosophy

 Aesthetics

 the science of the beauty.

 It vitalizes our knowledge

 It makes our knowledge of the world alive and useful.

 It helps us to live more deeply and richly

 Human needs nourishment.

 It brings us in touch with our culture

 great minds in the past to these problems are part of our culture.

• Filipino Thinking: From Local to Global

 It may sound presumptuous to speak of “Filipino Thought” for the reason that the Philippines could not very
speak of a tradition.

 Like any other people, the Filipino must eventually take consciousness of his own particular life and his world,
his society and his gods in the light of truth,

• Filipino Thinking: From Local to Global

 and thereby realize his proper being.

 Filipino do have their own philosophy.

 The three dimensions of Filipino thought are Loob, Filipino concept of Time, and Bahala Na.

 These attitudes and values constitute the hidden springs of the Filipino mind.

• Filipino Thinking: From Local to Global

1. Loob: Holistic and Interior Dimensions

 Kagandahang-loob, kabutihang-loob, kalooban are terms that show sharing of one’s self to others.

 Loob puts one in touch with his fellow beings.

 Great Philippine values, in fact, are essentially interpersonal.

• Filipino Thinking: From Local to Global

 The use of intermediaries or go-betweens, the values of loyalty, hospitality, pakikisama (camaraderie,
conformism), and respect to authority are such values that relate to persons.

 In short, the Filipino generally believes in the innate goodness of the human being.
  The Filipino, who stresses duties over rights.

• Filipino Thinking: From Local to Global

 The Filipino looks at himself as a self, as a total whole-as a “person,” conscious of his freedom, proud of his
human dignity, and sensitive to the violation of these two.

 A leader or manager with magandang kalooban is not passive but plays an active role in economic
development.

• Filipino Thinking: From Local to Global

 Leaders should not just focus on the impact of job performance but also treats every individual worker as
persons and not as objects.

 Filipinos can attain a sound economy with a support and help among organization within a company.

 Filipino Thinking: From Local to Global

 There is respect among team members, building warm, friendly relations, and recognizing the good
performance of others more frequently than criticizing performance problems.

 Filipino Thinking: From Local to Global

 A good leader motivates people to achieve economic success giving them Lakas ng Loob to regard themselves
in a positive light amid misfortune, obstacles, and unpredictability of the economy.

• Filipino Thinking: From Local to Global

2. Filipino Concept of Time

 Life is like a wheel, sometimes you are up, and while sometimes you are down.

 A human being is like a bird who flies up and goes down.

 It proves that we believes in gulong ng palad (literally, ”wheel of fortune”)

• Filipino Thinking: From Local to Global

 This philosophy of life makes the Filipino an unmitigated optimist.

 When the so-called wheel of life is on the downtrend, he looks to the future with hope because life’s wheel
cannot stay down forever.

 Life may be sorrowful, but precisely because suffering is ultimately salutary, there is hope beyond suffering.

• Filipino Thinking: From Local to Global

 Time considered cyclic.

 Filipino time is mistakenly interpreted as always delayed in the committed time of arrival.

 The concept of “siesta time” or “power nap” is also important for Filipino culture that must be necessarily
considered negative.

• Filipino Thinking: From Local to Global

3. Bahala Na

 The Filipino subconsciously accepts the Bahala na attitude as a part of life.

 The Bahala na philosophy puts complete trust in the divine providence; it contains the element of
resignation.

• Filipino Thinking: From Local to Global

 Thus, the Filipino accepts beforehand whatever the outcome of his problem might be.

 Bahala na (or come what may), nonetheless, is one of the most outstanding Filipino virtues.

 It is in one aspect perceived as courage to take risks.

• Filipino Thought and Values: Positive and Negative Aspects.

 The Filipino gives great value to endurance and hard work as means to economic self-sufficiency.

 Self-sufficiency refers not to individual self, but to the family to which one owes a special debt of gratitude for
having brought him life and nurtured him.

• Filipino Thought and Values: Positive and Negative Aspects.

 Stress other positive Filipino values such as Bayanihan or helping others in times of need.

 Bayanihan is another moving spirit of the Filipino people.

 There is existing belief that whatever good one has done will rebound to one’s benefit.