Senior High School

Introduction to the
Philosophy of the
Human Person
Quarter 2 – Module 4:
Death and the Meaning of Life
Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person – Grade 12
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 2 – Module 4: Death and the Meaning of Life
First Edition, 2020

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Introduction to the
Philosophy of the
Human Person
Quarter 2 – Module 4:
Death and the Meaning of Life
Introductory Message
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:
Welcome to the Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person
Grade 12 Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on Death and the Meaning of
Life.

The activities in this module are arranged sequentially to help the learners
understand the topic and develop the desired skill or learning competency.

As a facilitator, you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this
module. You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them
to manage their own learning.

Remind the learner that if there are things he/she doesn’t understand,
he/she must not hesitate to call for your help and assistance.

For the learner:

Welcome to the Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person

Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on Death and the Meaning of Life.

The activities in this module are arranged sequentially to help you

understand the topic and develop the desired skill or learning competency.

As a learner, you must learn to become responsible of your own learning.

Take time to read, understand, and perform the different activities in the module. If
there are things you don’t understand, do not hesitate to call your facilitator /
teacher for assistance.

The following are some reminders in using this module:

1. Use the module with care. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the
exercises.

2. Do not forget to answer Let us Try before moving on to the other activities
in the module.

3. Read the instructions carefully before doing each task.

4. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking your
answers.

5. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.

6. Return this module to your teacher/facilitator once you are through with
it. We hope that you will find meaningful learning as you go through
the different activities in this module.

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 Let Us Learn!

Understanding the human person in its entirety would lead us to

the realization of how complex the subject is. Inexhaustible and
incomprehensible we may say, what lurks in the abyss is the mystery that
encompasses the subject. This is affirmed in man’s quest for the meaning of
life and the impending death. There are life’s realities that are obviously
inevitable but man chose to be in the state of oblivion. In which case,
though pretentious to be unaware but life in its self leads to the path of
certainty – death. This confronts us to ask not only what death is but also
what the meaning of life is amidst the cosmic uncertainties.

MLEC:
• Enumerate the objectives he/she really wants to achieve and to define
the projects he/she really wants to do in his/her life (PPT11/12-IIh-
8.1)
• Reflect on the meaning of his/her own life (PPT11/12-IIi-8.2)

Going in-depth to the matter, this module intends to:

a. explicate the existential condition of man towards death by

understanding life’s meaning;
b. enumerate the objectives and projects to be achieved in life; and,
c. reflect on the meaning of life.

Let Us Try!

How we live life is manifested with how we respond to the various

circumstances in our surroundings. Most often, we experience being
dragged by our company or friends because they wanted us to join their
fellowship. At times, we choose option B instead of A because the former is
more pleasurable than the latter which could be the best choice. Think,
then, of the various pictures indicated below. These depict various human
activities. Categorize these activities based on the three (3) types of life
namely: life of pleasure, life of practicality, and life of giving and give a brief
explanation. Write your answers on the space provided after each picture
and explain in two (2) or three (3) sentences why you think the picture
depicts such kind of life.

a. Life of ________________________________
WHY? ___________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________

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 _________________________________________
gle.com
b. Life of ________________________________
WHY? ___________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
www.google.com

c. Life of
________________________________________
WHY?
________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
www.google.com

d. Life of
________________________________
WHY? ___________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
www.google.com

e. Life of ________________________________
WHY? ___________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
www.google.com

To further expound the concepts of the three kinds of life, a short exposition
of its meaning is indicated below.

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 • Life of Pleasure refers to leisure or something that one consumes
providing a momentary or short-term “happiness.”
• Life of Practicality refers usually to work or hobby. Sometimes this
kind of life is chosen as it provides a beneficial effect or result for the
self or for a group of people like family.
• Life of Giving refers to an action that implicates positive effect/s on
others.

Let Us Study

It is said that one of the best ways to talk about “what is” is to talk
about “what is not.” This module’s primordial concern is to have a critical
understanding of an inescapable reality known as death to understand life
and its meaning. In fact, in the succeeding contents you will be led to the
various positions of the topic based on the philosopher’s distinct ideas. In
which case, there is this hope that all of you would become familiar of the
philosophers and their ideas on the matter. However, beyond mere hope it is
also expected that you, through the contents of this module, would be able
to reflect and discern about your own life and your relationship with others.
In this way, a better grounding of ideas will be achieved.

Life and Death in Question

Joseph Campbell, in his book the Power of Myth, once said, “Life has
no meaning. Each of us has a meaning and we bring it to life. It is a waste to
be asking the question when you are the answer.” This idea of his is very
humanist in its perspective. It puts man in the control of providing meaning
to one’s own existence. Just by this quotation alone independent of its
context, we might understand it as something egoistic or individualistic in
its approach of constructing an understanding of life. The idea of life
becomes relativistic in a sense. Though this affirms on what Campbell would
like to say, the author opines that seeking the meaning of life is not what we
are tending towards to. It is all about seeking an experience to be alive. It is
an experience that resonates with our innermost being, our reality. This
means that life is all about the here and now. It is not about the yesterday
and the future, nor the eternity that we thought we are to be with. He calls
this experience of the here and now as eternity. It is within this eternity that
one’s existential condition will realize its possibility of one’s own truth and
being.

To speculate further on what life is, religions would always have a

special place on the table. In fact, the palatability of its ideology has
influenced so many people especially in understanding the world and one’s
place in the world. While most religions believe in the Absolute Deity, the

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faithful are taught that life’s meaning is found in one’s relationship with the
Absolute or God and one’s relationship with others. This idea reflects the
horizontal (man to God) and the vertical (man to others) bond of man. Such
relationship implies ethical conditions such as following the commandments
and other statutes and precepts as pronounced by the church.

Within the bounds of one’s existential condition, Martin Heidegger

thought about the fundamental questions of existence. According to him,
“existence is a way of understanding what constitutes his own existence.”
One might find this idea parallel with Joseph Campbell. However, the
quotation is a reaction to philosophers who thought of inexistence as
something abstract and against reality. Existence for this great thinker,
therefore, is the awareness of one’s continuous self-awareness.

Furthermore, Heidegger opines that the human person realizes

himself by being-in-the-world. It is by being-in-the-world that man discovers
his full potential, his possibilities. This only means that man is an
unfinished project. He calls this as the “not yet” which is the nothingness of
human existence. Nothingness, however, does refer to man’s possibilities
which are only realized in the world. The world, then, is the place where
fulfillment of one’s being is realized with no finality. Finality is only possible
in death. It is in death that we become complete. Thus, it is the fulfillment of
man’s being.

Jean-Paul Sartre, a known postmodern philosopher, negates the idea

that life’s meaning can better be grasped in one’s relationship with God. He
believes that to be good is not dependent on following the commandments.
For him, to be good is to choose to be good. If we are to be good by following
God’s precepts, then, man is not good at all, not free. Therefore, man is what
he makes of himself following his existential principle “existence precedes
essence.”

What does this mean? To say, we are the one creating our own
essence means we are the one’s creating a meaning to our own lives.
Freedom is, thus, an important concept in Sartre’s speculation on living an
authentic existence. In fact, it is considered as the core and the portal to
authentic existence as this makes us truly human.

With all these, the human person is always confronted with all life’s
realities like death of which the question arises about life. These realities
might be too daunting for man to bear making some of them at a loss to live
life to the fullest. Happiness is what we seek and this is what we thought to
bring us to the fullest extent. Yet, happiness in the secular context is only
limited to what is pleasurable, a selfish and egoistic view of life. This is
critical. What is, then, to live? What is to die?

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Life and Man’s Condition

It is an illusory to say that death can be avoided. Death is an

inescapable reality though incomprehensible when asked why we die. Of
course, such question goes beyond the scientific parlance. The question is
something beyond the phusis (physical world), transcendental in a sense.
Yet, the world seems to depict that to evade death is possible. For some,
furthermore, to escape and eradicate the reality of death in one’s
consciousness is to “live” life with all the pleasures and enticements the
world could offer. However, to live and believe in this illusion is to believe in
the immortality of life. Do you believe in this notion?

We know for certain of the existence of death because of others. It is

when others die that we are aware that it exists. It is in the death of others
that we are reminded of life’s temporality and that we are called to be fruitful
with how our lives should be lived. Instead, however, of being aware of these
inevitabilities, at times man falls in delusion. Man tends to depart from life’s
true purpose and succumbs to vices and other worldly pleasures as if
incarcerated in the mundane desires. Most often than not, this affects man’s
relationship with his/her friends and family and squandering the value of
oneself and others. How can this distended thought be resolved?

Acceptance of life’s impending death is the only way for man to realize
the value and true meaning of one’s existence. It is in acceptance that one
will be able to see the value of oneself and others. Living in this state would
imply that one has lived a life with purpose, a meaningful life so to speak. It
is from this value that we can decide better on what is good for ones’ self
and others. And most important, it is in acceptance that we rise above the
fear of death that inflicts suffering within us. Thus, human freedom is
possible out of the limiting conditions of man.

God and Man

It is said that man is the apex of God’s creation as we are created in

His image and likeness. Yet, our existence is not somewhat God-like. It is
not eternal though we seek prolongation for life to sustain. The human
person is vulnerable to many ills that weaken life to thrive. This means that
we are hooked into life’s condition of temporality, of finitude.

While we mentioned in the previous section that acceptance is

important to realize the true purpose of one’s existence, such value also
helps us see what is beyond recognizing our relationship with God. Faith
tells us that death is the portal to be one with the Absolute. It tells us also
that man owes his life from God. These ideas imply the recognition of God’s
magnificence and magnanimity. It also implies God’s control over his

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creation. Yet, fixing our thoughts on to these might put our understanding
on a very deterministic character of the Absolute. Meaning, the human
person has to understand that God’s control does not remove man’s freedom
to live according to what one wills. That is why, on the other hand, we see
the call of God, based on the reality of death, to live our lives with a sense of
purpose. However, would we really be united with the Creator?

Faith leaders would tell us assurances of being united with the

Absolute based on the scriptures and other sources. Indeed, it takes a
fortified faith to be certain of this unity amidst and with all life’s condition
prior to the situation of death. To base in the real sense of the picture, the
question would somewhat be a review of how life is lived – the sinning, the
reconciliation, the treasured relationship, and the love given. Hence, death
becomes the definitive test that everyone shall be confronting.

Let Us Practice
Fill in the blanks. Write the correct answer on the space provided.
A. Heidegger opines that the human person realizes himself by being-in-the-
world. It is by (1) _____________________ that man discovers his full potential,
his possibilities. This only means that man is an (2) ________________. He
calls this as the (3) ____________ which is the nothingness of human
existence. (4) ___________________, however, does refer to man’s possibilities
which are only realized in the world. The (5) _______________, then, is the
place where fulfillment of one’s being is realized with no finality. Finality is
only possible in death. It is in death that we become complete. Thus, it is
the fulfillment of man’s being.
B. (1) _____________ is important to realize the true purpose of one’s
existence. Such a value also helps us see what is beyond recognizing our
relationship with God. (2) _______ tells us that death is the portal to be one
with the Absolute. It tells us also that man owes his life from God. These
ideas imply the recognition of God’s (3) __________ and (4) _________. It also
implies God’s control over his creation. Yet, fixing our thoughts on to these
might put our understanding on a very deterministic character of the
Absolute. Meaning, the human person has to understand that God’s control
does not remove man’s freedom to live according to what one wills. That is
why, on the other hand, we see the call of God, based on the reality of death,
to live our lives with a sense of (5) _________.

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 Let Us Practice More
True or False. On the space provided before each item, write T if the
statement is true and F if false.

______1. Campbell’s idea of life is humanistic.

______2. Campbell refers to the here and now as eternity that realizes the
possibility of one’s being.
______3. Some religions only reflect the horizontal relationship that man
should strengthen.
______4. Heidegger postulates that it is by being-in-the-world that man
realizes his own potentials.
______5. The world is an essential place for man to finalize his own being.
______6. Existence precedes essence refers to the innate value of man by
mere existence.
______7. God is not deterministic as he allows the human person to live
according to what he wills.
______8. Freedom is the price of the acceptance of death.
______9. Human freedom is impossible due to the inescapable realities of
life.
______10. To live a life with a sense of purpose is the recognition of one’s
limitations.

Let Us Remember
Indicated below are concepts based on the inputs given. Explain
these concepts in your own words.

1. Life and Death

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

2. Fulfillment of life
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

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3. Acceptance and Freedom
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Rubric: Essay

Criteria Rating
Content and ideas are organized in a clear, logical
1 2 3 4 5
manner.
The essay directly addresses the topic or issue and
1 2 3 4 5
provides adequate discussion supporting the main idea.
The essay employs standard grammar conventions,
1 2 3 4 5
proper punctuation, and proper word choice.
The paper is original and does not contain plagiarized
1 2 3 4 5
content.
TOTAL (20 pts)

Let Us Assess
Based on what you have learned, what advice can you give to the
following persons based on the circumstances indicated?

1. A cousin of yours is battling a terminal illness. The family pours their

support on your cousin to sustain his courage. However, he is anxious
because of his condition.. Depression hovered his mind that made him
sleepless.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2. Your batchmate is experiencing tremendous problems in life. Her
parents encountered a fatal accident leaving her alone, and her
boyfriend decided to end their relationship.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

3. You heard that your friend has blamed God because of the condition
of poverty that they are in. She has resorted to new found friends that
are known for their notoriety. She has forgotten her studies and does
not care of her future.

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 ___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Rubric: Essay

Criteria Rating
Content and ideas are organized in a clear, logical
1 2 3 4 5
manner.
The essay directly addresses the topic or issue and
1 2 3 4 5
provides adequate discussion supporting the main idea.
The essay employs standard grammar conventions,
1 2 3 4 5
proper punctuation, and proper word choice.
The paper is original and does not contain plagiarized
1 2 3 4 5
content.
TOTAL (20 pts)

Let Us Enhance

Think of what makes life meaningful. Draw a symbol that captures

your idea of a meaningful life. Explain the symbol by writing it on
the answer sheet making use of the questions below as guide.

1. Why did you choose that symbol?

2. What experience can you point out that you have realized the purpose
of your life?
3. What experience that triggered or shaken your idea of your life’s
purpose?
Rubric:

Criteria Rating
The drawing resonates with the explanation/experiences. 1 2 3 4 5
The essay directly addresses the topic or issue and
1 2 3 4 5
provides adequate discussion supporting the main idea.
The essay employs standard grammar conventions,
1 2 3 4 5
proper punctuation, and proper word choice.
The paper is original and does not contain plagiarized
1 2 3 4 5
content.
TOTAL (20 pts)

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 Let Us Reflect
Below are reflective questions that invite you to go deeper to your
experiences. Answer the questions making use integrating your
significant experience/s on the matter.

1. What possession in your life is very valuable that taking it away

from you will have a tremendous effect in your life?

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

2. How would you have turned out as a person if you have not
experienced happiness?

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Rubric: Essay

Criteria Rating
Content and ideas are organized in a clear, logical
1 2 3 4 5
manner.
The essay directly addresses the topic or issue and
1 2 3 4 5
provides adequate discussion supporting the main idea.
The essay employs standard grammar conventions,
1 2 3 4 5
proper punctuation, and proper word choice.
The paper is original and does not contain plagiarized
1 2 3 4 5
content.
TOTAL (20 pts)

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 12
Let Us Practice: Let Us Practice More
1. being-in-the-world 1. T
2. unfinished project 2. T
3. “not yet” 3. F
4. nothingness 4. T
5. world 5. F
6. acceptance 6. F
7. faith 7. T
8. magnificence 8. T
9. magnanimity 9. F
10. purpose 10. T
Answer key to Activities
 References

Abella, Roberto D. 2016. “Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person”,

Deped Textbook. C & E Publishing , Inc, Quezon City, Philippines.
Excellence Reporter. (2015) “Joseph Campbell: The Goal and the Meaning of Life”
https://excellencereporter.com/2015/07/21/joseph-campbell-the-meaning-
and-the-goal-of-life/. Accessed December 11, 2020.
Nomos and Phusis. Encyclopedia of Philosophy. https://www.encyclopedia.com,
s.v. Nomos and Phusis. Accessed December 11, 2020.

Polyachka. (2011) “Three Types of Life”

https://theultimateanswer42.wordpress.com/2011/05/27/three-types-of-
life-2/. Accessed December 11, 2020.

Shariatinia, Zohreh. (2015) “Heidegger’s Idea About Death”

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405883116300077.
Accessed December 11, 2020.
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