SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

INTRODUCTION TO THE
PHILOSOPHY OF THE
HUMAN PERSON
Quarter 1 – Module 4:
THE HUMAN PERSON IN THE
ENVIRONMENT
 What I Know

Matching Type. Match column A with column B. Write the letter of your answer.

Column A Column B
__1. It is the capacity to direct and discipline one’s a. Anthropocentrism
activities and the behavior using reason that is b. Ecofeminism
cautious and, as much as possible, keeps c. Economic Efficiency
away from any risks. d. Environment
__2. It assumes that male-centered view of nature Aesthetics
is the root cause of ecological problems. e. Environmental
__3. “Development that meets the needs of the Integrity
present without compromising the ability of f. Environmental
future generations to meet their own needs.” Philosophy
__4. It refers to conserving our natural resources g. Equity
so that the future generations will still be able h. Frugality
to use it i. Prudence
__5. This view believes that humans are the most j. Social Ecology
important species on the planet and they are k. Sustainable
free to transform nature and use its resources. Development
__6. It means that any human activities or
economic advances should not unduly disrupt
the environment and human communities
located in the area.
__7. The discipline that studies the moral
relationship of human beings with the
environment and its non-human contents.
__8. It believes that ecological problems can be
traced to social problems.
__9. It is the quality of being thrifty. It is the
careful supervision of one’s resources
__10. A philosophical view that believes in
maintaining order in the environment will
bring out the natural beauty of surroundings
and contribute to the well-being of the people
and other organisms living in it

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 Lesson
The Human Person in the
1 Environment
Have you ever realize the changes in our environment? Do you observe the
weather in your place? It seems that summer is hotter now compared to the past,
the typhoons are stronger and more frequent, floods are everywhere and our
surroundings have become dirtier and more chaotic. How can we address these
problems? In this lesson, you will discover different views on how human deals with
the environment, proposes ways to address environmental issues, upholds its
preservation and sustainability, and appreciates the beauty of nature.

What’s In

Write T if the statement is TRUE, F if the statement is FALSE.

____1. A human person has dignity which is the recognition that each person has a
worth and value that go beyond quantifiable terms.
____2. Not only are the body and spirit are united, but they are also disintegrated.
____3. Our human nature makes transcendence impossible.
____4. Man is a social being and has a natural capacity to establish relationship with
others.
____5. Each person is indispensable and irreplaceable.

Notes to the Teacher

What’s In is based on the previous lesson which is The Human Person as
an Embodied Spirit.

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 What’s New

Read and analyze the lyrics of the song, “Oyayi sa Mundo” by Buklod. Answer the
following questions.

Oyayi sa Mundo
ng: Buklod 1. What do you feel when you
read/ hear the lyrics of the
Aking mundo song?
Ihimlay ang pagal mong katawan ___________________________
Sa duyan ng kalawakan ___________________________
Hayaang ___________________________
Maghilom ang mga sugat sa iyong dibdib 2. What do you think is the artist
Na likha ng mga tao intention/ inspiration in
At itigil ng isang saglit writing the song?
Ang iyong paggalaw ___________________________
Pagkat sa muli mong pag-inog ___________________________
Ay may bago nang buhay ___________________________

You can also hear the song through this link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUqPzSCalM8

3. Do you agree that the world needs healing? Why? Why not?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________

What is It

The Human Person in the Environment

Have you ever wondered what happens to the things you throw away? Did you
ever think of the effects of these things on our surroundings? If not, it is time for you
to reflect. As the popular saying goes, “what goes around comes around,” it tells us
that for every action there will be effects to it. Blocked drainage, wastewater flooding,
diseases, and different kinds of pollution are some of the consequences we are
experiencing because many people show no concern for our environment. Aside from
the loads of waste that we are creating, inefficient and negligent use of natural
resources like electricity and water are also major problems we are facing right now.

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Human beings as a steward has to show care for the environment and not destroy
it. The earth’s future is our responsibility, so let’s find out how to take care of it!

I. ENVIRONMENTAL PHILOSOPHY

Environment philosophy is the discipline that studies the moral relationship of

human beings with the environment and its non-human contents. Philosophers
believe that the human person has the ability to change the environment to suit his
purposes. This means that as human person, we interact not only with our fellow
human beings, but also with other living and non-living elements in our
environment. Humankind is a part of the world, and we significantly affect our
environment in the same way that changes in our environment affect us (Ramos,
2015)

Let’s take a look on these three views of philosophical environment.

1. Anthropocentrism – focuses on the significant role of humankind in the world

and considers nature as the means by which humans are able to meet their needs
and survive. This view believes that humans are the most important species on
the planet and they are free to transform nature and use its resources.

2. Biocentrism – believes that humans are not the only significant species on the
planet, and that all other organisms have inherent value and should be protected.
This view advocates ethical treatment of animals.

3. Ecocentrism – places great value on ecosystems and biological communities. This

view believes that humankind is a part of a greater biological system or community
and that we have a significant role as stewards or guardians of nature. This view
promotes the idea that order and balance in nature brings about stability and
beauty. The influence of humanity on the environment can be best understood if
we consider the individual person as a dynamic source of change within his
particular environment.

People may treat environment as source of raw materials to be used in any way he
pleases and as something that envelops and surround him thus, have a unique

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relationship with it. This means that people can help solve environmental issues and
problems. We can apply our philosophical investigation aesthetically to appreciate
our nature. But how can we aesthetically organize the place that are not in order?

Let’s understand the ancient and modern thinkers’ concepts on how to appreciate
nature.

II. ENVIRONMENTAL AESTHETICS

A philosophical view that believes in maintaining order in the environment will
bring out the natural beauty of surroundings and contribute to the well-being of the
people and other organisms living in it (Endriga, 2017).

ANCIENT THINKERS (Mabaquiao, 2016)

Anaximander Pythagoras
According to his He described the
“Creation-Destruction”, universe as living
the sketch of the genesis embodiment of
of the world (cosmology), nature’s order,
the evolution of the world harmony, and
begins with the beauty. He sees our
generation of opposites in Photo from:
https://philosophy.redzambala.com/milesia relationship with the
a certain region Nature. universe involving
n-school/anaximander-by-ancient-
philosophers.htmlhttps://philosophy.redza Photo from:
mbala.com/milesian-school/anaximander- https://mathigon.org/course/triangles/pythagoras
Nature is indeterminate- by-ancient-philosophers.html
biophilia (love of
boundless in the sense that no other living things) and cosmophilia
boundaries between the warm and or the (love of other living beings).
moist and dry regions are originally
present within.
MODERN THINKERS (Wang, 2017)
Immanuel Herbert George Herbert Mead
Kant Marcuse “Man have duties and
“The “Human have responsibilities in nature”
orderliness of power over
nature and the nature.”
Photo from: https://gohighbrow.com/philosophy-
of-immanuel-kant/
Photo from:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Herbert-
harmony of nature with Marcuse

our faculties guide us

toward a deeper religious Photo from:
https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/georg

perspective”
e-herbert-mead-10022.php

III. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

According to the World Commission on Environment and Development,

sustainable development defines as: “Development that meets the needs of the

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present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own
needs.” To put it simply, the idea of sustainable development is any environmental,
economic and social advances can be realized within the carrying capacity of earth’s
natural resources. (Sioco & Vinzons, 2016) It is reconciling human activities and
economic advances while protecting our environment. Sustainable development
upholds on the following principles:

PRINCIPLES OF SUSTAINABILITY

 Environmental Integrity- means that any human activities or economic

advances should not unduly disrupt the environment and human communities
located in the area. The environment should not be drastically impacted by
human activities (Abella, 2016).
 Economic efficiency- this is to ensure that there is minimum to zero waste in
using our natural resources (Abella, 2016).
 Equity- it refers to conserving our natural resources so that the future
generations will still be able to use it (Abella, 2016).

The influence of humanity on the environment can be best understood if we

consider the individual as a dynamic source of change within his/her particular
environment. There are theories that can explain how the humanity address
environmental problem. These theories offers ways to value care, conservation, and
preservation of nature and humanity.

IV. THEORIES IN RADICAL ECOLOGICAL PHILOSOPHY

 Deep ecology- Arne Naess, proponent of Deep ecology, assumes that all living
things possess equal value and intrinsic worth regardless of their usefulness or
utility to other beings. This is experiencing ourselves as part of the living earth
and finding our role in protecting the planet. It highlights the shifting away of
approaches to environment from anthropocentrism to ecocentrism (Sioco and
Vinzons, 2016).
 Social Ecology- Murray Bookchin, proponent of Social ecology, believes that
ecological problems can be traced to social problems. Societies that are
structured around hierarchies as well as economic classes use their authority
to dominate natural resources and exploit the environment for profit and self-
interest. (Sioco and Vinzons, 2016).

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  Ecofeminism- It assumes that male-centered view of nature is the root cause
of ecological problems. To address environmental problems humanity has to
remove the superior vs. inferior in human relations. Ecofemimism also believes
that a society that tolerates the oppression of women is directly linked with its
tendency to tolerate the abuse of the environment and the degradation of
nature. It also features the existing patriarchal and capitalist systems in our
society as social and economic exploitative to the detrimental of women and
nature. This theory benefits the social and political agenda of both female and
nature. (Sioco and Vinzons, 2016).

V. PRUDENCE AND FRUGALITY

How can one lessen the waste he/she is making? How can one be more efficient
and more responsible in using natural resources? These questions can be answered
by observing prudence and frugality towards the environment. Prudence and
frugality are two of the many virtues that can help us in addressing various
environmental problems and solving the challenges these problems have created.

Prudence is the capacity to direct and discipline one’s activities and behavior
using reason. It is the behavior that is cautious and, as much as possible, keeps
away from any risks. Prudence is considered as the first and most vital among the
four cardinal virtues, which include justice, fortitude, and temperance. According to
Adam Smith’s The Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759), a truly righteous person
embodies the value of prudence since it controls one’s overindulgences and as such
is vital for a certain society. As St. Thomas Aquinas argued, prudence is not purely
an individual virtue, but concerns the social dimension too. It means that prudence
favors not only the private good of a certain person, but also the common good. Now,
the question is: Is prudence applicable to the challenges that the various
environmental problems have brought? Well, aside from being an individual virtue,
prudence is also considered as an ecological virtue since it implies the
acknowledgement of human finiteness, both moral and physical. Human finiteness
is indivisible from the physical environment, which means that we, vulnerable
beings, depend on a no less fragile and vulnerable natural world, the ultimate source
of human well-being and economic prosperity. Prudence can help us become wiser,
more responsible in terms of using our natural resources and, most importantly,
become more appreciative of nature’s essential value.

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On the other hand, frugality is the quality of being thrifty. It is the careful supervision
of one’s resources. Frugality, aside from prudence, is another fundamental value that
can help us develop a sense of right and wrong and attain whatever we want in life.
Moreover, it is a virtue that can guide us in making choices in life and receiving the
most value out of those decisions. Commonly, when we talk about frugality, we are
talking about the cautious management of material resources, especially money. A
frugal person always invests time to think carefully just to save a lot of money and,
therefore, uses far less money compare to an affluent person. However, frugality can
be used in a wider way to practically everything in our lives. It can be considered as
one of the most important parts when it comes to carrying on our responsibilities to
our community and the world. Now, the question is: How can frugality help in solving
environmental problems? Well, one of the main benefits of being a frugal person is
that it is environmentally friendly. When someone is being frugal in using natural
resources like electricity and water, this person is putting lesser damage on our
natural environment. Furthermore, a frugal person usually lives out the idea of
“reduce, reuse, recycle” just to minimize expenses. Yet, this same idea also minimizes
overall environmental impact. Frugality, just like prudence, plays a big role in
protecting our environment. It finds a great deal of value in lessening one’s use of
natural resources and, at the same time, getting as much value as possible out of
the resources that we are using.

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 What’s More

Activity 1: HEAL THE ENVIRONMENT

Direction: Organize the following images in a more aesthetic way and environment-
friendly. Draw your idea and write your explanation on the space provided.

____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
https://www.europeanscientist.com/en/environment/sea-turtles-mistake-the-smell-of-plastics-for-

____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________

https://www sciencefocus com/news/war-on-drugs-is-driving-deforestation/

____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
____________________
https://bethwaldron.wordpress.com/tag/litter/

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Activity 2: CONSERVE AND PRESERVE THE ENVIRONMENT
Direction: Think of two (2) ways on how you can apply prudence and frugality on
consuming each the following item. Fill the table with your ideas.

Energy Plastic Water Paper

What I Have Learned

Activity 3: DEFEND THE ENVIRONMENT

Directions: Read and analyze the situation given. Write a 2-pargraph position paper
regarding the issue. In writing the position paper, include principles of
sustainability and/or theories of radical ecological philosophy to support your stand.
Write your position paper on a separate sheet of paper.

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 Your city is experiencing water interruption from time to time, and to ease this crisis, the
government plans to enter into a contract with a foreign company for the construction of
Php 18.7-billion project called New Hope Dam. This dam will be located in one of the
ancestral domain of Dumagats near your city, also, that land has rich biodiversity and
because of this project, much of the ecosystem will potentially end up being endangered.
What will be your stand about this ecological crisis? Will you pursue the construction of
the dam to ease the water shortage in your city or will you respect the rights of the
indigenous people over their ancestral land and consider the ecosystem that will be
endangered? How will you reconcile development and taking care of the environment and
people living in it?

Follow this format in writing your position paper:

TITLE: ____________________________

I. Introduction (Identify the issue that will be discussed and state your
position on that issue.)
II. Body (Write your central argument. It can be further broken up into three
unique sections:
a) Background information;
b) Evidence supporting your position; and
c) A discussion of both sides of the issue, which addresses
and refutes arguments that contradict your position
III. Conclusion (Restate the key points and, where applicable, suggesting
resolutions to the issue.)

You will be graded using this point system:

Criteria Highest Possible

Points
Content (Relevance to the situation) 40 points

Organization (clear and logical pattern) 10 points

Coherence and Cohesion (connection of ideas) 10 points

Language Use (choice of words) 10 points

Mechanics (capitalization, punctuation, spelling, grammar, 10 points

etc.)
TOTAL 80 points

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 What I Can Do

ACTIVITY 4: DO SOMETHING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

Directions: Your role is an artist commissioned to make a product/ artwork that is
functional using recyclable materials such as paper, cardboard, metal, plastic,
textiles, etc. Take a photo of your artwork and paste it here in the module.

You will be graded using this point system:

Criteria Highest Possible Points

Usefulness 40 points

Use of Recyclable Materials 30 points

Creativity/Originality 20 points

Overall Project Impact 10 points

Total 100 points

Paste the photo of your work here:

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 Assessment

I. Directions: Read each statement carefully and write “KALIKASAN” if your answer
is True and “KASIRAAN” if it is False.
1. Anthropocentrism focuses on the part of humankind as a stewards
or guardians of nature in our greater biological system or
community.
2. Both ancient and modern thinkers believe that man will bring out
the natural beauty of environment if they are capable to govern the
nature.
3. Biocentrism advocates ethical treatment of animals.
4. Deep ecology is a philosophical idea that combines feminism and
ecology concerns, emphasizing that both suffer from their
treatment by a male dominated society.
5. Environmental Aesthetics is a philosophical view all life forms have
an equal right to exist, and human needs and desires have no
priority over those of other organisms.

II. Directions: Identify the correct answer as described in every item. Write your
answer on the space provided.

________________1. Bringing your own cup whenever you refill your coffee in 7-eleven
shows what principle of sustainability?
________________2. A businessman grabbed and bought a vast land from the farmers
and decided to convert it into a subdivision. During the
construction, farmers left without jobs and hundreds of trees were
uprooted and streams were covered in cement. What principle of
sustainability was violated?
________________3.Franciso Moreno, Mayor of Manila, declared Arroceros as a
“permanent forest park” as part of his vision of building a Green
City in Manila’s Lawton area. What principle of sustainability did
he use?
________________4. A factory in a province irresponsibly withdraw their wastes in the
river and hire mostly women because of cheap labor. What theory
in radical ecological philosophy explains this ecological problem?
________________5. Finishing your meal without leftovers shows what principle of
sustainability?

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 Additional Activities

ACTIVITY 5: CAMPAIGN FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

For Online Learners:

Directions: Inside the box below, write a tweet or post for an environmental online
campaign encouraging everyone to take care of the environment. You may create
your own hashtag (#). Be sure to incorporate the principles of environmental
philosophy.

Title of Online Campaign: _______________________________________

Tagline/Call:____________________________________________
Note/ Script for Online
Campaign:________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

For Offline Learners:

Directions: Write a two-stanza poem/song that encourage everyone to take care of
the environment and campaign for its sustainability.

Title: _______________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
_____________________________________
______________________________________

_____________________________________

_____________________________________
_____________________________________
______________________________________

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References
Books
Abella, D. (2016). Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person. Quezon City:
C& E Publishing , Inc.
Caraan, A. (2016). Intoduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person. Makati City:
Diwa Learning Systems, Inc.

Corpuz, B., Corpuz, R., Paclibar, M., & Paclibar, S. (2016). Introduction to the
Philosophy of the Human Person. Quezon City, Philippines: Lorimar
Publishing, Inc.
Mabaquiao, N. (2016). Making Life Worth Living. An Introduction to the Philosophy
of the Human Person. Quezon City: Phoenix Publishing House.

Ramos, C. (2015). Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person. First Edition.
Rex Bookstore. Quezon City.
Sioco, M. & Vinzons, I. (2016). Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person.
First Edition. Vibal Group, Inc. Quezon City.

Websites

Adam Smith Institute. The Theory of Moral Sentiments. Retrieved from

https://www.adamsmith.org/the-theory-of-moral-sentiments
Cambridge Dictionary. Prudence. Retrieved from
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/prudence
Endriga, C. (2017). Human Person in the Environment. Retrieved
from https://www.slideshare.net/ChristineEndriga/human-person-in-the-
environment
Escano, E. (2019, July 20). Mga Suliraning Pangkapaligiran. Retrieved
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TbWu0B8-xg

Garcia J. (2017). The Human Person in the Environment. Retrieved

from https://www.slideshare.net/jomarienel/lesson-4-the-human-person-
in-the-environment
Merriam-Webster. Frugality. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/frugality

Merriam-Webster. Prudence. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-

webster.com/dictionary/prudence
Research Gate. (2017, December). The Relevance of Prudence to Environmental
Ethics. Retrieved from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/330387334_The_Relevance_of_Pr
udence_to_Environmental_Ethics

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