THE HUMAN PERSON IN SOCIETY

We have discussed in the previous module that in the context of intersubjectivity, humans naturally live-in
groups or belong to a society. Hence, they have a sense of shared responsibility with each other. But how did
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societies come to be? What compelled humans to live with each other, and create rules? Do we really need a
government? Is it necessary to have laws?

Learning Objectives:
A. recognize how individuals form societies;
B. generate possibilities for the human person if societies were not formed; and
C. analyze how individuals affect societies and how societies affect them.

MAN AS A SOCIAL ANIMAL | ARISTOTLE

This is one of the many remarkable quotations of Aristotle about the nature of human person. As Aristotle
implies, human beings are compelled to live in a collective life due to their inability to exist alone or be self-
sufficient. We cannot provide all our needs on our own. We rely on other people. If we are to observe our
society, there are many ways by which we provide the needs of each other: goods, services, interaction, among
others. This is a reiteration of the fact that human beings are beings for others. Socialization is our instinct to
survive and be human.

But how are societies formed? Why do societies necessitate political mechanisms like laws and government?
Why do societies have different social and political systems? Let’s take a look at the perspective of social
contact theorists.

SOCIAL CONTRACT THEORY

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Social contract theory views that people live together in accordance with a contract – an agreement that
establishes rules of behavior. Under this contract, people will surrender some degree of their freedom by
following a set of rules, and in return will enjoy security and protection ensured by an authority called
“government.” A government is a body or system of people which has the power to govern the society or state
and perform administrative functions such as creating, enforcing, and applying laws.

The contract is the basis of the notion of moral obligation and duty. If one agrees to give up his right to harm
you, you give up your right to harm him. You have then transferred these rights to each other and thereby
become not obligated to harm each other. From these selfish reasons alone, both are motivated to mutually
transfer these and other rights. But the government adds an additional layer of protection to ensure that the
contract is not violated. Social contract theory, in a nutshell, means that we enter into a contract in which we
trade some of our freedom to enjoy the benefits of cooperation.

STATE OF NATURE

Social contract theorists developed their philosophy on society based on

their own insights about the state of nature. This refers to the condition or
life before the formation of societies, laws, and government. If our world
back then has no rule or law, what would likely be the outcome? What is the
outcome of absolute freedom?

A. Humans are inherently wicked | Thomas Hobbes

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Imagine a world in which there are no rules or

formal laws to follow and humans are condemned to
be absolutely free. According to Thomas Hobbes, a
British philosopher, this abundance of freedom will
uncover the true nature of humans – that we are
inherently evil. We are insecure, destructive, and
always at war with each other. And without laws
that regulate or prevent us from acting on our nature
as evil beings, we can cast the world into chaos and
destruction.

Hobbes argue, however, that while humans are

naturally evil, they are also rational. And as rational
beings, we enter into a social contract. Under this
contract, we will submit to a sovereign entity or
what Hobbes call as “leviathan.”

Leviathan is a large sea monster that rules the ocean.

In relation to society, we need a leviathan or an
authority (in the form of government) in order for the
social contract to be fulfilled. This imply a strong
government. Something that resembles authoritarian government or absolute monarchy. And this government
will be the one to create and enforce rules to give us security and prevent life from becoming “solitary, poor,
nasty, brutish, and short.”

B. Humans have inalienable rights that should be protected | John Locke

John Locke is a British philosopher who had an opposing idea about the nature of humans. He formed concept
called tabula rasa or “blank slate” which states that humans are not inherently good or evil. We are not born
with preconceived notions of what is right and wrong. We develop our morality through our experience. Locke
also said that since humans are blank slates, they are born equal and possess the same natural rights – these are
the rights (life, liberty, and property) that we enjoy regardless of our race, status, sex, gender, age, or wealth. In
the state of nature, there is no assurance that these rights will be protected. As blank slates, we can learn good
and evil things. There is no assurance that our rights will be respected and protected. To guarantee that these
rights are protected, Locke argues that we enter into a social contract. We ensure the protection of our
inalienable rights by sacrificing some of our freedom to establish and follow government.

Locke, however, made an emphasis on the form of

government a society should have. If we go back to
history, many societies were governed by
monarchial governments. The authority of kings and
queens came from divine origin principle which
states that God appointed them to lead the people.
Locke said that monarchial governments could not
guarantee the protection of inalienable rights since
people can’t decide on how their right should be
protected. History had shown that through time,
many kings and queens abused their power and
failed to protect the rights of people. Hence, the

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only form of government that could guarantee the security of inalienable rights is indirect/ representative
democracy.

This is a form of government in which power comes from the people. They can vote representatives to assume
position in the government to serve for the common good. Locke said that if the government failed to serve the
people and protect their rights, they have the power to overthrow it and change representatives.

C. Humans are inherently good: “Noble Savages” | Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Jean-Jacques Rousseau, a French philosopher, also had a different perspective on the state of nature. According
to him, humans are naturally good and enjoyed peaceful and harmonious life before they formed societies.
People lived solitary, uncomplicated lives. Their few needs were easily satisfied by nature. Because of the
abundance of nature and the small size of the population, competition was non-existent, and persons rarely even
saw one another, much less had reason for conflict or fear. Moreover, these simple, morally pure persons were
naturally endowed with the capacity for pity, and therefore were not inclined to bring harm to one another. As
time passed, however, humanity faced certain changes. As the overall population increased, the means by which
people could satisfy their needs had to change. People slowly began to live together in small families, and then
in small communities. Soon, societies are formed. Divisions of labor were introduced, both within and between
families, and discoveries and inventions made life easier, giving rise to leisure time. Such leisure time
inevitably led people to make comparisons between themselves and others, resulting in public values, leading to
shame and envy, pride and contempt. This form of social contract is problematic. So, Rousseau gave his own
solution – a new form of social contract to bring back the harmonious life of people experienced before forming
societies, during the state of nature.

Under this new contract, people will form a civil society where
everyone will unite into one moral person having the general will
or common good. Social institutions will be removed so that evil
notions such as shame, jealousy, and pride won’t arise. All
people will be equal and will have a say on social decisions.

For Rousseau, this implies an extremely strong and direct form

of democracy. One cannot transfer one’s will to another, to do
with as he or she sees fit, as one does in representative
democracies. Rather, the general will depends on the coming
together periodically of the entire democratic body, each and
every citizen, to decide collectively on how to live together, i.e.,
what laws to enact.

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COMPARISON OF THE DIFFERENT SOCIAL CONTRACT THEORIES

Each social contract theory offers insights about how much freedom will be limited and given in a society and
how much power will a government have. This is one of the primary concerns in many modern societies as they
continue to struggle for progress and peace. What do you think is the best form of government? How much
freedom should be given to people?

OTHER PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVES ON SOCIETY

Belonging to a society alone does not guarantee one’s security and protection. Every day, we hear news of
people committing crimes or trampling on other’s rights and liberties. Such horrendous acts do not only involve
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individuals but also social institutions such as the government. Since time immemorial, human beings have
been trying to achieve a just and prosperous society. This is why numerous perspectives on the ideal society
arise among philosophers and intellectuals. Aside from the insights of contractarians, what are the other
perspectives on ideal society?

A. CONFUCIUS’ SOCIAL HARMONY

The fundamental concern of Confucius’ teachings is the attainment of social harmony. Having lived during the
period of warring states in China, Confucius wanted to restore peace and balance by cultivating the morals of
the individual. Two of the highlights of Confucius’ teachings are the junzi and the basic relationships.

THE NOBLE PERSON (JUNZI, CHÜN TZU)

The goal of Confucianism is not just to attain an orderly society,

but also the ideal of a perfect human being – the junzi. The goal
of Confucian education is to produce noble persons for it is only
when rulers and subjects are noble persons that social harmony
would be achieved. In particular, this means that a noble person
knows and does his duties according to his role in the various
relationships he might be in, say in his roles of being a father,
younger brother, son, ruler, or husband.

THE BASIC RELATIONSHIPS

Confucius is known to have identified five basic types of human relationships. A typical list of these
relationships consists of the following:
 Father to son – a parent has a responsibility to his/her child; a child has responsibilities towards his/her
parent.
 Elder brother to younger brother – elder must assume responsibility for raising his/her younger siblings.
 Husband to wife – each of the couple is responsible for the other’s care.
 Friend to friend – mutual respect is expected between them; golden rule.
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 Ruler to subject – a ruler has responsibilities towards his/her subject; and a subject has responsibilities
towards his/her ruler.

The relationships that will grow out of these basic relationships will be the same: the doctor-patient relationship,
the teacher-student relationship, and employer-employee relationship, for instance, will also be defined by
reciprocal responsibilities (each party in a relationship has responsibilities towards the other party). The other
important point is that it is only when the reciprocal responsibilities of a relationship are done that there will
be harmony in that relationship. And if we think of society as consisting of various human relationships, then
society will only achieve harmony if each of the relationships that constitute it is in harmony.

B. PLATO’S PHILOSOPHER KINGS

Plato described a perfect society as one where everyone lived

harmoniously and just which is possible with the leadership of the
philosopher kings. He lived in Athens and witnessed how its
democracy worked. The important functions and decisions of the city-
state were left to the ignorant, ordinary citizens (mostly male adults)
who usually come up with decisions based on their impulses and
feelings. Plato feared that the democracy of the ignorant
(demagoguery) will lead to chaos and fall of the society.

Plato illustrated the flaws of democracy through a metaphor recognized

as the “Ship of State.”

SHIP OF STATE

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In his book the Republic, Plato wrote a dialogue between Socrates and Adeimantus about piloting a ship. Let’s
suppose that you are about to ride a ship. Who would you want to become its captain? Is it someone who
specializes in piloting a ship or the one who is selected through popular vote? If you selected the first, you
chose expertise. What about steering your country’s ship? Who would you want to become your leader?
According to Plato, selecting the best leader is risky because voters can be swayed by other features like
popularity, looks, charisma, wealth, etc. This is what happens in democracy. There are many voters who rely
on their impulses and emotions in selecting their leaders. Voting requires rational thinking to be able to filter
candidates who are fit to rule. While it is truly democratic to allow anyone to run for position and to vote, for
Plato, the risk is too high to pay.

PHILOSOPHER KINGS

Plato has a low regard for democracy because it can produce incompetent and corrupt leaders. This is why he
suggests an alternative – a leadership of philosopher kings. He believes that only philosophers have the
capacity to rule because they are guided by their wisdom and will not allow impulses and emotions to ruin
their rationality. In Plato’s ideal society, there are three major classes, corresponding to the three parts of the
soul, all guide by reason.

1. the guardians - who are philosophers, govern the city;

2. the auxiliaries - are soldiers who defend it; and
3. the lowest class - comprises the producers (farmers, artisans, etc.)

C. ARISTOTLE’S FORMS OF GOVERNMENT

Aristotle’s ideal society is a society that provide the

condition in which their citizens can flourish and attain
happiness. While Aristotle thought government
necessary and good—since humans have a difficult
time living together peacefully—some governments
are better than others. To determine whether a
government is good or bad Aristotle asked three basic
questions:
 Does the government serve the common good or
does it serve the selfish interests of those with
power?
 Does the government rest on the power at the
ruler’s disposal or does it rest on laws that have
been made in such a way that the ruled have agreed
to them and have had a part in making?
 If the government is constitutional, is that
constitution just and are the laws made by that
government just?

Aristotle has a framework of the different forms of

government based on the number of rules categorized
as correct form and perverted form.

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The best government is not tyrannical or despotic and has a just constitution and just laws. Constitutional
government is one of free men and equals; whereas those ruled by a despot are subjects not citizens, and those
ruled by tyrants are no better off than slaves. In short, we have a right to expect to be ruled as citizens under a
government to which we have given our consent and which allows us to have a voice in that government.

REFERENCES:

 Atacador, R et.al (2016). Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person. Malabon City: Mutya Publishing House, Inc.
 Atim, B. C. (2019). Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person. Diwa Learning Systems Inc.
 Friend, C. (n.d.). Social Contract Theory: Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from:
https://iep.utm.edu/soc-cont/#SH2c
 Mabaquiao Jr., N. (2017). Introduction to World Religions and Belief Systems: Phoenix Publishing Houce, Inc.
 Maboloc, C. (2016) Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person. Quezon City: The Inteligente Publishing Inc.
 Ramos, C. C. (2019). Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person. Rex Book Store Inc.

EVALUATION
Name: Date:
Section: Score: /70

A. ESSAY. Construct an essay answering the following questions about the different perspectives on society.
(4 items, 40 points – Performance Check)

1. Among the social contract philosophers, who’s perspective on the state of nature do you think is the most
plausible? Why? If none, what is your own idea of state of nature? Why?

2. In your own words, explain how the five basic relationships of Confucian philosophy help in attaining social
harmony.

3. Why does Plato have a low regard for democracy and pushes for the leadership of philosopher kings?

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4. Among the Aristotelian types of government, which do you think is the best and most appropriate for the
Philippines and why?

Standard for Essay:

Content: 5 points
Clarity: 5 points
Score: 10 points each question

B. EDITORIAL CARTOON. On a short bond paper, create a poster or editorial cartoon illustrating your own
concept of an ideal society and government for the Philippines. Your illustration should present the features of
your ideal society such as how the government works, how much freedom do people have, and how power is
exercised. Below your illustration or at the back of your paper, provide a caption or description of your ideal
society in not less than 5 sentences. (30 points, Written Task)

Illustration:

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Explanation:

Standard for Scoring: Illustration Standard for Scoring: Explanation

Aesthetic Quality and Visual Relevance – 10 points Content – 10 points
Relevance – 5 points Clarity – 5 points
Score – 15 points Score – 15 points

NOTE:
 Part A: Essay will be recorded as performance.
 Part B: Editorial Cartoon will be recorded as written work.

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