Scribd
Upload
374 views2 pages

Week 15 Handout

The document discusses how people can live purposefully in light of death. It notes that death is certain but indefinite, belonging only to the individual. To define happiness, the document distinguishes between noble, useful, and pleasurable goods. Noble goods like love and friendship are pursued for their own sake, while useful goods serve means to ends and pleasurable goods provide temporary pleasure. Overall, the document provides guidance on finding meaning and happiness by embracing aging, pursuing noble purposes, and properly defining life's goals in the face of death's inevitability.

Uploaded by

Rosa Divina Item
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
374 views2 pages

Week 15 Handout

The document discusses how people can live purposefully in light of death. It notes that death is certain but indefinite, belonging only to the individual. To define happiness, the document distinguishes between noble, useful, and pleasurable goods. Noble goods like love and friendship are pursued for their own sake, while useful goods serve means to ends and pleasurable goods provide temporary pleasure. Overall, the document provides guidance on finding meaning and happiness by embracing aging, pursuing noble purposes, and properly defining life's goals in the face of death's inevitability.

Uploaded by

Rosa Divina Item
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 2

Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Region VII – Central Visayas

Division of Bohol

INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON


QUARTER 2 – WEEK 15

LESSON 1 THINGS THAT YOU WANT TO DO AND ACHIEVE IN LIFE

CONCEPT NOTES

How does the reality of Death define our lives?


Death is commonly understood as the end of bodily functions which signal the end of a person’s life. It also
refers to the separation of the body and the spirit.

How should I live my life before it finally ends?


It has been discussed previously that the essence of freedom is self-determination. Self-determination is the
capacity to choose and act for oneself. While there is no freedom in the inevitability of death, a person can still
exercise freedom in choosing how to face the reality of death in their life.
For example:
A person cannot stop himself from growing old. However, he or she can choose to embrace aging gracefully. You
may have seen older people who take pride in their gray hairs, wrinkles, and the fact that they have grandchildren.
Other people, however, take a different path and use any means to mask their physical aging such as getting cosmetic
surgery or availing of “age-defying treatments.

Phenomenological Notion of Death


According to Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) in his book Being and Time, death is (a) certain, (b) indefinite, (c)
one’s property, (d) non-relational, and (e) not to be outstripped.

Death is certain. As part of humanness, we are all born (in the Heideggerian sense, we are “thrown”) in the
world. The world is governed by time. We, humans, are existing in time, thus, as being thrown in the world, we
have a beginning and since we are finite beings, we also have an end – death. Birth and death are two things we
cannot remove from our existence. Whether we like it or not, we will die.

Death is indefinite. While death is sure to come, it is, however, indefinite as to when it will come. Death is
impending, meaning to say, it can happen anytime. We do not know exactly when. That is why we should try to
live the best life that we can for we never know the day of our end.

Death is one’s property. The death of the person belongs to him. Nobody can experience his death except
himself. There can be no proxies or substitutes for a person is experiencing death.

Death is non-relational. This means that when we die, we die alone. We have no choice but to face it on our own.
Death also removes all our relations to others. In contemplating death, we realize our individuality and
independence from the world.

Death is not to be outstripped. Death cannot be taken away from a person. Even the person himself cannot
remove the possibility of death in his life. One cannot make himself live forever. Even though we see in fiction
movies the idea of immortality, death in real life is a definite reality which we have nothing to do to outstrip it.

What makes you happy? How do I define true happiness?


As we understand ourselves better, we also come to realize that HAPPINESS is a state of being not merely an
emotional experience or a chosen mental attitude. We do not choose happiness because we all tend to have it, but our
choice of the means to achieve it is really important.
Sources of Happiness:

Noble good
It is pursued for its own sake; it is good in itself. Example: Love and friendship.
Useful good
It is considered good as it serves as a means to an end; its goodness is found only from what it can provide.
For example, Money is good as it can buy you something.
Republic of the Philippines
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Region VII – Central Visayas

Division of Bohol

INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON


Pleasurable good
It is good as long as it provides some form of pleasure, though it does not have to be physical. It must be
understood that a specific good cannot be categorized strictly under one kind. For example, friendship may be a noble
good because it is good to be a friend to someone. However, pursuing it with incorrect intentions (e.g., befriending
someone for academic or career advancement) makes it only useful good.

You might also like