INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON

Lesson: DOING PHILOSOPHY

Learning Activity Sheet 1,3RD Quarter of Second Semester SY 2021-2022

I.MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCY: The Meaning and Method of Doing Philosophy
Objectives:
After going through this module, you are expected to accomplish the following Most Essential Learning
Competencies:
1. Distinguish a holistic perspective from a partial point of view.
2. Realize the value of doing philosophy in obtaining a broad perspective on life.
3. Do a philosophical reflection on a concrete situation from a holistic perspective.

II. INTRODUCTION:
More than 2500 years ago a sage in South Asia named Gautama Buddha declared that “Life is suffering.”
This is the first of his Four Noble Truths. And indeed if you look at your life you will see that it is a series of
challenges that you have to overcome if you want to survive. It feels like you are competing in a race in which you
are required to successfully jump hurdles in order to win. And each challenge in life is really a question or a bunch
of questions that you have to answer. If you are not feeling well for example you might ask, Why am I feeling this
way (cause)? How can I overcome it (process)? How it will affect my life and the people around me (consequence)?
Philosophy, our subject matter for this course, is really all about questions and answers. And since by now
you already asked and answered hundreds of questions your life experienced already prepared you to take our
philosophical journey starting now.
Imagine that a vaccine for Covid -19 is already available and therefore the community quarantine was
lifted throughout the Philippines. Freedom at last! You decided to travel the country. However during one of your
travel adventures you come upon an unfamiliar area and therefore as much as you hate to admit it you have to
accept the truth: you are lost.
Obviously the very first question you want to answer is the question Where am I? However to answer this
question another question needs answering: How can I discover it? Or How do I know it? Should you ask a stranger
for directions?
Should you consult Google Map? Should you look for clues on road signs and street names? Answering
these questions are important because knowledge is not automatic. There is a method in knowing something
including knowing your present location.
When you answer the first two questions successfully you will discover your location. You are no Longer lost. Still
you need to answer one remaining question: What should I do? Should you walk, take a bus, wait for someone to
fetch you? You need to take one of these actions to arrive successfully at your destination.
You might not realize this but you are already doing philosophy when you are answering these three questions:
-Where am I?
-How do I know it?
-What should I do?
The reason is that these three questions are the primary questions of philosophy. Let us now turn our
attention to philosophy.

I. The Nature and Functions of Philosophy

DEFINITION OF PHILOSOPHY
Traditionally philosophy is defined as love of wisdom because it came from two Greek words philos (love) and
Sophia (wisdom). You might find it strange to connect love to philosophy. You might think of philosophy as a
purely intellectual discipline which has nothing to do with love. You might believe love is romance, poetry, intense
passion in which you are willing to lay down your life. But you will see that philosophy can also be pursued
passionately. In fact some people like Socrates died for truth. It is this centrality of love to philosophy that we call
people who engages in philosophy as philosophers (lovers of wisdom).
ORIGIN OF PHILOSOPHY
Greece is the birthplace of philosophy in the West. To be more precise it is the ancient Greek city of Miletus in the
Western coast of what is now Turkey that gave birth to philosophy. It is in this city that the first philosopher in
the West, Thales, lived. Thales is the Father of Philosophy in the Western civilization. He lived between 624 and
546 BCE a contemporary of the Lydian king Croesus and the statesman Solon (Stumpf and Fieser,2008).
What made Thales a philosopher is his desire to know the ultimate stuff that makes up the different things we
perceived. You see when we look at the world we encounter different things: people, trees, clouds, mountains,
rivers, etc. Now Thales believed that despite the different things we encounter there is one underlying stuff or
substance in which everything is composed. He believes that there is One in the Many. Thales was the first
individual who tried to reduce the multiplicity in to a unity (Jones,1969).
But his explanation of natural phenomena is devoid of gods and goddesses of the old religion of Greece. It is
completely rational. It represents a departure from the mythological religion of Greece. Thales approach highlights
the difference between religion and philosophy. Religion rests on faith while philosophy rests on reason.
PHILOSOPHICAL ACTIVITY
Thales greatest contribution to philosophy is not his identification of water as the ultimate stuff of the universe.
His greatest contribution is the problem he posed “What is the ultimate stuff of the universe?” and his approach
in solving that problem. Studying Thales makes us realize that philosophical activity is characterized by three
things:
First, in terms of scope philosophy involves the widest generalizations (Rand, 1982). While people concern
themselves with shoes and clothes, the latest gossip about their favorite celebrities, their crushes, philosophers
concern themselves with big issues pertaining to the truth, , the good, the just, the beautiful, and the existence
of practically all things. While scientists concern themselves with scientific knowledge, historians with knowledge
of the past, economists with knowledge of supply and demand, philosophers concern themselves with the nature
of knowledge as such (which embraces all types of knowledge previously mentioned and more).
Second, philosophy is all about fundamentals. A fundamental is the root cause that explains almost everything in
a given context. To understand this imagine that knowledge is like a building with levels. Now the higher level
depends on the lower levels (Peikoff, 1991). If somehow the lower level crumbles then all the higher levels that rest
upon it will collapse. A fundamental is like the lower floor that supports everything above it. That kind of support
is exactly what philosophy provides. If somehow philosophical ideas like consciousness and existence disappear
then knowledge of any kind will not make any sense because there will be nothing to know (existence) and no one
to know (consciousness).
Third, philosophy is driven by the desire to integrate things in to a one coherent whole. As the celebrated
philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel said “The true is the Whole (Peikoff, 1991).” If you notice Thales wants
to reduce the multiplicity of things into a single stuff. He desires to find the One in the many.

BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY
Since philosophy’s concern is vast, we have to divide it into different branches. Each branch will focus on
a specific area of philosophy. To understand the branches of philosophy let us return to the three central
philosophical questions we explored earlier.
First the question, Where am I? By the time we reached adulthood we believe we know the answer to this
question. In fact we believed that the answer is obvious that we don’t bother to look closely at the question itself.
Where am I? Well let’s say I’m in Manila. You don’t need philosophy to answer that one. But if you ask a series of
where questions (Where is Manila? Where is the Philippines? etc.) which at first seems childish you eventually
end up with the universe. And here we have to stop asking the where question (Where is the universe is an absurd
question. The universe does not exist in a place). What kind of place is the universe? Is it governed by laws? If so
what laws? The study of the universe as a whole is the province of metaphysics. Metaphysics is further subdivided
into ontology which studies existence as such and philosophical anthropology which deals with the
fundamental and essential characteristics of human nature (Gotthelf and Salmieri, 2015).
The second question, How do I know it? concerns the nature of human knowledge and the way to obtain
it. How do we obtain knowledge? Do we obtain knowledge by revelation, intuition, instinct or reason? Can we
achieve certainty or are we doomed to suffer perpetual doubt? Is knowledge based on the things we perceive or
from something else? This is the concern of epistemology which can be defined as the “branch of philosophy that
studies the nature and means of human knowledge.” We need epistemology to guide us in knowing since we
make mistakes from time to time.
The first two branches of philosophy, metaphysics and epistemology, are called cognitive branches. These
branches provide a description of being (existence) and knowing. They are the foundations of understanding any
philosophical system.
The next three branches of philosophy (ethics, politics and aesthetics) can be classified as the normative
branches of philosophy because they are concerned with the standard of the good. If the cognitive branches are
concerned with what “is” the normative branches are concerned with what “ought” to be.
The most basic normative branch of philosophy is ethics or morality (I used this two concepts
interchangeably). It is concerned with the last of the three questions central to philosophy: What should I do?
Ethics can be regarded as the technology of philosophy (I owe this analogy to the philosopher Ayn Rand) because
it tells us how human beings ought to function as a human being. But in order to describe how human beings
ought to act we must first know what a human being is. These last is provided by metaphysics and epistemology.
(This is especially true of philosophical anthropology a sub-branch of metaphysics which studies the
metaphysical nature of man (see discussion above). Metaphysics and epistemology are the foundations of ethics.
What then is ethics or morality? According to Ayn Rand ethics or morality is a branch of philosophy that
provides a human being with a “code of values to guide man’s choices and actions - the choices and actions that
determine the course of his life (Rand, 1964).” It is concerned with the values man ought to pursue, the
interrelationships of those values and the means to obtain them (virtue).
The last two normative branches of philosophy, politics and aesthetics, are derived from ethics. Ethics is
concerned with the good for human being as a human being. If we apply ethics in a social context then it becomes
politics. The concern therefore of ethics is broader than politics. It studies the “good” for human beings in any
setting (whether society is present or not). An individual who is alone in an island still has to follow ethical
principles if he wishes to survive (Peikoff, 1991).
So what then is politics? Again following Rand’s definition politics is a branch of philosophy “which defines the
principles of a proper social system.” According to Rand “proper” means proper for human beings which
presupposes that one knows what a human being is. Since knowledge about human being is provided by the
cognitive branches of philosophy, the foundation of politics ultimately rests on metaphysics and epistemology.
The last of the normative branch, aesthetics studies the nature of art. It is concerned with the nature and
the objective judgement of beauty.
II. Philosophical Tools and Processes
Philosophy as a science is also a systematized body of knowledge but unlike other sciences which employs
observation and experimentation to prove their theories, philosophy uses reason to arrive at a certain knowledge
or truth. At the onset Greek philosophers gave us a hint on how to use our intellect to understand realities around
us. The tools that they frequently utilized are the following:

1. Philosophical Questions. Philosophy was born because of ignorance. If one is ignorant, he asks
questions and if he keeps on questioning the more knowledge, he acquires. Once a person stops
questioning, he ceases to become a philosopher. In our daily struggles, one needs to ask questions simple, serious
and deep questions that we have to grapple with. A philosopher is like a child who has an inquisitive mind who
never stops asking questions and finding answers.

Socrates went further not just asking questions for himself but poses questions to people which
is the beginning of series of questions and responses from participants. This philosophical questioning can
be best described from an excerpt from Plato’s apology of Socrates below:
“…But let us examine each one of the parts of this charge. Now he asserts that I do injustice by corrupting
the young. But I, men of Athens, assert that Meletus does injustice, in that he jest in a serious matter,
easily bringing human beings into trial, pretending to be serious and concerned about things for which he
never cared at all. That this is so, I will try to display to you as well. Now come here, Meletus, tell; do you
not regard it as most important how the youth will be the best possible?” (Plato’s apology of Socrates, 24C)

His method is called dialectics. The Socratic Method, also known as method of elenchus, elenctic method,
or Socratic debate, is a form of cooperative argumentative dialogue between individuals, based on asking and
answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and to draw out ideas and underlying presuppositions.
(Google.com/search) Aristotle said that it was the pre-Socratic philosopher Zeno of Elea who invented dialectic,
of which the dialogues of Plato are the examples of the Socratic dialectical method. According to Kant, however,
the ancient Greeks used the word "dialectic" to signify the logic of false appearance or semblance. Dialectics is
a term used to describe a method of philosophical argument that involves some sort of contradictory process
between opposing sides. As a dialectical method, it is a discourse between two or more people holding different
points of view about a subject but wishing to establish the truth through reasoned arguments.
th
18 century philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel expounded dialectics which later influenced Karl Marx,
the father of communism.
2. Logical Reasoning. In philosophy reasoning is the process of thinking about something in a logical way in
order to form a conclusion or judgement. It has been the method institutionalized by the triumvirate Greek
philosophers specially Aristotle. Philosophy is about answering questions. Reasoning is the method we use in
doing philosophy. However, although it is necessary for any competent engagement with philosophy, it is not the
end all and be all of philosophy. All branches of philosophy employ reasoning in explaining their arguments. For
example the concept of right or wrong which is the domain of Ethics based their arguments in human reason
alone in contrast with theology which is dependent from the Bible as the source of its moral teachings. Reasoning
however is the domain of one branch of philosophy which is Epistemology. One type of logical reasoning is the
deductive reasoning:

Example:
Premise 1: All human beings are mortal
Premise 2: But the President of the Philippines is a human being
Conclusion: Therefore, the President of the Philippines is mortal.

Here we are taught to arrive at a certain truth or knowledge in a logical process. In contrast, Inductive reasoning
begins with a particular to universal argument.

Example:
Premise: Student A, B, C, D, E, F….. are wearing School ID.
Conclusion: Therefore, All students are wearing ID

The above examples show the logical process wherein by reasoning one arrives at a certain truth or
knowledge. Logic starts with the origin of ideas, terms, propositions or premises, syllogism, etc. These terms are the
basic structure of argument. Unfortunately, this branch of philosophy is equivalent to one-subject requirement in
any course in the tertiary level.

III. Philosophical Reflection

In the midst of our present crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, consistently, the government kept on reminding
us the ‘essentials’ of things and concerns that are necessary during the quarantine period whether under ECQ,
GCQ, or MECQ. In our case, we changed our competencies and emphasized the most essential ones. This is the
essence of philosophy. It tries to separate the essences of things versus accidentals and necessary versus
contingent. It is concern of what is the substance and ultimate causes of things.
When we venture into philosophizing we see the greater perspective of all things and see the ultimate purpose or
reasons for our existence. Most of us are so engross with individual trees and we miss the whole forest as the
saying goes. We are always predispose to attend to the details of the problem rather than look at the situation as
a whole. This is true in our understanding of the objects, events, realities and situations around us. Reflection is
the process that would aide in understanding the holistic point of view of what is going on around us.
Reflection is an activity that requires a person to examine his or her thoughts, feelings and actions and
learn from experience. (Abella, 2016). . Philosophers always search for the essence of things and the ultimate
reasons for our existence.

Its trajectory is to see the bigger picture about everything. This process is called philosophical reflection.
According to Gabriel Marcel, philosophical reflection is the act of giving time to think about the meaning and
purpose of life. He mentioned two types, namely: Primary Reflection- which is the ability to think logically. The
ability of the mind to construct and evaluate arguments. It examines its object by abstraction, by analytically
breaking it down into its constituent parts. It is concerned with definitions, essences and technical solutions to
problems. The second type is Secondary reflection. According to Marcel this type of reflection enables us to look
deeper into our experiences and see the bigger picture of reality. It integrates the fragmented and
compartmentalized experience into a whole. It is the idea that various systems (e.g. physical, biological, social)
should be viewed as wholes, not merely as a collection of parts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holism In effect we
see the broader perspective of life.
Reflection is not exclusive for philosophy in fact it is employed in any endeavour, research or disciplines.
In research it is called methodological approach. Moral theology employs the STOP sign as guidepost of moral
decision making. S= Search out the facts. It is necessary that all means should be exhausted to better understand
the issue. T=Think, reflect and analyse the facts, its negative or positive effects, advantages or disadvantages. O=
How it affects Others. We should always consider others in every decision that we make. Every action that we
take has always a social dimension. It affects ourselves, others and community where we belong. Lastly P= stands
for Pray. We are human beings with limitations. If our best effort are not enough, then there is no way but look
up for divine or God for enlightenment and guidance. Praying is a unique tool of theology which is in the realm of
faith but philosophy’s reasoning helps in undergoing a theological reflection as St. Anselm said, “its faith seeking
understanding.” St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the great theologian of the church quoted in latin the relationship
between philosophy and theology; ‘philosophia ancilla theologiae’ or philosophy is the handmaid of theology the
former is there to serve theology. Reason is also important in theology not just faith. Whether in philosophy,
sociology or other sciences, reflection is very useful in understanding our daily experiences to broaden our
perspective of life.
In order to reflect philosophically we need to use a framework. A framework is a conceptual map consisting
of our views and beliefs which affects the way we view the world (Abella 2016). The framework were going to used
is called AQAL. It is an acronym that stands for All Quadrants All Levels first formulated by an American
philosopher/psychologist Ken Wilber. Wilber first introduced AQAL to the world in his book Sex, Ecology,
Spirituality.
According to Wilber everything can be analyzed using a vertical line. The line divides
space into two sides: left and right. The left side represents the interior, subjective, aspect of
everything. The right side represents the exterior, objective, aspect of everything. The interior
(or “loob” in Filipino) if applied to human beings, includes one’s values, dreams, ideas, emotions,
beliefs. It basically consists of one’s inner life. It cannot be seen or measured but can be
experienced directly. The exterior side of everything are the things that we can see, measure and
touch. They include the physical objects around us including our own bodies.

A simple example of this inside/outside distinction is when a person smiles at you. You
see the big smile so it is the exterior aspect of an event. But at the same time there is a subjective
meaning behind that smile: let’s say the person is happy. This is the interior, subjective, aspect of the event. So
you see two strands are interwoven behind any human event: the objective and the subjective, the interior and
the exterior.
Another basic distinction was introduced by Ken Wilber using a
horizontal line that divides space into above and below: Above the line represents
what is singular, individual, one. The space below represents what is plural,
collective, many. For example you are an individual but you belong in a family,
community, class (all instances of the collective).
An interesting thing happen when we combine the two lines.

We created what Wilber

calls the quadrants. According to
Wilber quadrants are “the inside
and outside of the individual and
collective (Wilber 2006).”
 There are many ways to describe the quadrants. But what
we are interested is when we apply this to human beings. The
inside of the individual becomes the mind, the outside of the
individual becomes the body, the inside of the collective becomes
culture and the outside of the collective becomes society.

Now when we reflect on Quadrants as applied to human beings

the nature of any concrete issue like
poverty, corruption, prostitution,
global warming we can just put the issue at the center of the quadrant and
analyzed its mental, physical, cultural and social components. This is looking at
an issue from all quadrant, multiple and holistic perspective.
Multiple Perspectives
Let’s take for example the issue of poverty. How do we reflect on the issue using
the AQAL framework? Well we know that poverty has a
psychological aspect (UL quadrant) to it. It affects the way we
think, feel and even what we value. But it does not stop there. SELF-PITY Malnutrition
Poverty also affects bodies (UR quadrant). It affects our
nutrition, our medication and immune system. Some children POVERTY
have stunted growth due to poverty. And who could deny that
poverty also affects the culture such as arts, religion and even Collective
Inflation
the way we dress. Religious feast such as the procession of the aspiration for a
Black Nazarene is in part motivated by poverty. And of course better life
it is obvious that poverty has an economic, political and even
technological components (all parts of the social LR quadrant).

What I Can Do
Direction: Do a quadratic analysis on COVID-19 pandemic using the diagram below:

COVID
19

Assessment:
Direction: Choose the letter that corresponds to your answer from the statements below. Write
your answers on the sheet of paper.

_____1. It is an activity that requires a person to examine his or her thoughts, feelings and actions and learn from
experience.
A. reflection C. wondering
B. questioning D. reasoning

______2. What is the science and art of correct thinking?

A. Ethics C. Metaphysics
B. Aesthetics D. Logic

______3. The type of philosophical reflection which trains the mind to think logically. Also, it is the ability of the
mind to construct and evaluate arguments
A. Secondary reflection C. Primary reflection
B. Tertiary reflection D. all of the above

______4. One of the triumvirate Greek philosophers who pioneered a method of argument called dialectic.
A. Plato C. Pythagoras
B. Socrates D. Aristotle

______5. It is considered as the process of thinking about something in a logical way in order to form a conclusion
or judgement.
A. reasoning C. argument
B. Proposition D. Reflection
_____6. In our daily lives we encounter events, situations or issues that we need to ponder and think deeply. This
activity which requires a person to examine his or her thoughts, feelings and actions and learn from experience is
related to the concept of:
A. philosophical reflection C. philosophical wondering
B. philosophical questioning D. philosophical reasoning

_____7. Imagine that you are in Boracay walking with Thales. He is convincing you that the only reality is water.
Would you believe in him?
A. No, because I had my own belief.
B. Yes, because Thales belongs to the school of monists which believes that only one kind of stuff exists.
C. Either yes or no, I will have my own investigation that is based on the data and reason presented.
D. Neither yes nor no until it is proven true.

______8. According to Gabriel Marcel this type of reflection enables us to look deeper into our experiences and see
the bigger picture of reality.
A. Secondary reflection C. Primary reflection
B. Tertiary reflection D. all of the above

_____9. Identify which statement describes the difference between holism and partial thinking.
A. Holism is a perspective that looks at the “big picture” while partial thinking focuses on the specific aspect of the
situation.
B. Holism is a perspective that looks at the specific aspects of the situation while partial thinking looks at the big
picture.
C. Holism requires us to focus on a certain aspect of the problem while partial thinking requires us to have an open
mindset.
D. All of the above.

_____10. According to the importance of studying philosophy, what can it offer us?
A. Know the different philosophers and their philosophies in life?
B. See the downs and lows in the development and history of philosophy.
C. Survey the achievements of the different philosophers in various periods of history.
D. Enhances our minds, understand what we encounter every day, and value our judgement.

III. References:
Learning Activity Sheet number one is taken from module 1, created by the DepEd Central Office.

INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON

Lesson: METHODS OF PHILOSOPHIZING
Learning Activity Sheet 2 ,3RD Quarter of Second Semester SY 2021-2022

I. MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCIES

1. Distinguish opinion from truth;
2. Realize that the methods of philosophy lead to wisdom and truth

Objectives:
After going through this module, you are expected to:
1. Explore some of the methods of philosophizing that philosophers employed.
2. Identify and give examples of different fallacies.
3. Evaluate truth from opinions in different situations using the methods of philosophizing.

II.INTRODUCTION:
Truth is one of the significant lessons in philosophy. It has been a topic of discussion in its own right for
many years. Moreover, its value and influence to man’s life cannot be denied.

WHAT IS IT
Truth in metaphysics and the philosophy of language is the property of sentences, assertions, beliefs,
thoughts, or propositions that are said, in ordinary discourse, to agree with the facts or to state what the case is.
It is most often used to mean being in accord with fact or reality, or fidelity to an original or standard. Truth is
also sometimes defined in modern contexts as an idea of "truth to self", or authenticity. Propositions is a
statement about the world or reality. Propositions may or may not carry truth. Knowledge is the clear awareness
and understanding of something. It is the product of questions that allow for clear answers provided by facts.
Facts are propositions or statement which are observe to be real or truthful. Claim is a statement that is not
evidently or immediately known to be true. This
means that any claim can be proven by verification and experimentation. Therefore, truthful statements can be
considered as based on facts.
There are several views regarding truth. Philosophers emphasize the importance of
belief as a basis for determining truth. But as a philosopher, we do not assume that every
statement is true. Remember the famous French philosopher, Rene Descartes traced the
need to philosophize to doubt.
In philosophy, systematic doubt is employed to help determine the truth. This means that every statement,
claim, evidence, and experience is scrutinized and analyzed. Philosophers always engaged with the concept of
truth. Philosophers consider truth as a kind of quality or value. Knowledge is the clear awareness and
understanding of something, since it is true knowing that we are able to determine what is true. Doubt has a very
important purpose in philosophy as it drives our desire to discover the truth. In philosophy, systematic doubt is
employed to help determine the truth. A belief is true if it can be justified or proven through the use of one’s
senses. Another basis for determining truth is a belief or statement is true if it is based on facts. Getting consensus
or having people agree on a common belief is another way of determining what is true. Although this approach
has certain limitations. Getting everyone to agree on something may not take that belief true. Philosophers also
believe that claims and belief should also be subjected to test to determine truth. In determining truth requires
also that a person can prove a statement through an action.

DISTINGUISH OPINION FROM TRUTH

Fact is something concrete that can be proven. You can find facts in legal records, scientific findings,
encyclopaedias, atlases, etc. In other words, facts are the truth and are accepted as such.

Opinion is less concrete. It's a view formed in the mind of a person about a particular issue. In other words it is
what someone believes or thinks, and is not necessarily the truth. Also, note in the examples how facts are the
same for everybody, but opinions can differ quite widely.

The facts that form the bases of a conclusion may not be disputed but the conclusion
itself could still be contested or questioned. To judge the truthfulness of belief, we must also
consider things such a person’s experiences and views.
Facts are statements that are observed to be real or truthful. Claims are statements that require further
examination to determine their truthfulness. Some arguments may contain fallacies. We must be aware of the
various kinds of fallacies as these affect the validity of arguments. Opinions are often influenced by bias. We must
be aware of bias so that we can objectively and critically examine points of view.
 Opinion is something intermediary between knowledge and ignorance. While Public opinion is the
intermediate faculty which seizes the things that float between the two extremes (Plato). Opinion applies to what,
being true or false, may be other than it is: in fact, opinion is the apprehension of an immediate and unnecessary
premise (Aristotle). Opinion, founded in the probable, perhaps also the name of knowledge (Leibniz). Opinion is a
belief that is conscious of being insufficient both subjectively and objectively (Kant). An opinion gives for truth
something that has been said, although sometimes they are absurd words, which mean nothing, impossible to
understand (Hobbes). Public opinion is the convergence of the opinions of the greatest number of people in a
community, so that they form a common and dominant feeling, exerting diffuse pressure (Freund).

METHODS OF PHILOSOPHY LEAD TO WISDOM AND TRUTH

The methods of philosophy will help to learn the process of doing philosophy in a systematic way. On the
other hand, philosophizing is to think or express oneself in a philosophical manner.
Although philosophy is an organized body of knowledge, the subject matter of philosophy is questions,
which have three major characteristics.
1. Philosophical questions have answers, but the answers remain in dispute.
2. Philosophical questions cannot be settled by science, common sense, or faith.
3. Philosophical questions are of perennial intellectual interest to human beings.

The methodology or method that philosophers use to address philosophical question is critical thinking.
Critical Thinking is the careful, reflective, rational and systematic approach to questions of very general interest.
Critical thinking means understanding if philosophy and refraining from merely giving claims but through careful
thought, one reasons through to argumentation.

1. The dialectic method

This method of philosophizing was conceived by the Greek philosopher Socrates, (born 470 BCE) one of
the great philosophers of the ancient world. Unfortunately, he did not leave any written words and everything
people know about him came from the Dialogues written by his famous student, Plato. Socrates’ aim was to
achieve what he called the good life which is based on the proper care of one’s soul (psyche in Greek). The soul,
according to Socrates, can be properly taken care of if we make it as good as possible (Stumpf 2008). Since by its
very nature the soul’s activity is to know, the soul can only be good if we employ it in the activity of having a clear
awareness of the meaning of some words (Stumpf 2008). When we have a clear awareness of what justice is, we
harm our soul if we act contrary to what we know, like harming others (which is the opposite of being just).
However, how can we achieve a clear understanding of words? We can achieve this by an act of “disciplined
conversation” (Stumpf 2008) which Socrates compared to an intellectual midwife. Socrates called this method
dialectic. The method appears simple but anyone subjected by Socrates to this method eventually felt its intense
rigor.
The method starts with eliciting the definition of a certain word from a person who appears to be familiar
(or “pretends” to be familiar) with its meaning. Socrates then points out the imperfections of the understanding of
the person through a series of questions. What Socrates desires is for the person to realize his ignorance and
contradictions, and thereby correcting his own mistakes and arriving at a complete knowledge of the true meaning
of the word.
Both the Socratic and dialectic method are based on a discussion between two or more people who may
carry differing views but wish to pursue the truth by seeking an agreement with one another. Meanwhile, the
scientific method is a process of determining truth or knowledge through experimentation, inductive and deductive
reasoning, and hypothesis or theory testing.
The scientific method, also called empirical method, is a process of determining truth or knowledge through
experimentation, inductive and deductive reasoning, and hypothesis or theory testing. Logic is the truth based
on reasoning and critical thinking. It includes analysis and construction of arguments. It serves as path to freedom
from half-truths and deception.

Deductive Reasoning
In this type of reasoning, conclusion comes first, followed by main points, and the last will be the supporting data,
facts, examples, and evidences. General idea comes first before the specific or particular idea.

Inductive Reasoning
In this type of reasoning, supporting data, facts, examples, and evidences come first followed by the main points
and conclusion will be the last part. This is the vice versa of the deductive reasoning because particular idea
comes first before the general idea.

The Socratic Method was modernized and treated in a different way by George Wilhelm Hegel, a German
philosopher. Hegel was an idealist. He believed that the ideas of the human minds have access of what the world
is like. People are social beings and could be completely influenced by other people’s ideas. An individual’s mind
is influenced by means of a common language, customs of one’s society, and the cultural institutions that one
belongs to. Hegel refers this to “Spirit” as the collective consciousness of a society which is responsible for honing
one’s consciousness and ideas.
Hegel also believed that the Spirit is constantly changing and evolving. According to Hegel, the spirit
changes through dialectic. First, there is an idea about the world (much like a thesis), which has a natural
characteristic of having errors which give rise to the antithesis. The thesis and antithesis can be eventually
resolved by creating a synthesis which is a new idea comprised of the essentials of both the thesis and the
antithesis. To Hegel, society and culture follow this design, and one could understand all of human history without
the use of logic or empirical data simply by using logic (Klein, 2013).

2. The Pragmatic Method

Hundreds of years after the death of Socrates, a new philosophy emerged as inspired by the idea of change
initiated by the evolutionary thoughts of Hegel and Darwin in 19th century America. This philosophy became
known as pragmatism. It was started by Charles S. Pierce (1839-1914), popularized by William James (1842-
1910) and institutionalized in American culture by John Dewey (1859-1952).

According to the pragmatists, philosophy seems to offer a set of beliefs about human beings and his
relationship to the world. Pragmatists offer no such beliefs. Rather, they seek to make philosophy
JOHNrelevant
DEWEY by
solving real life problems. It is purely a philosophy of method and not of substance.
What pragmatism aims is to test the dogma of science, religion and philosophy by determining their
practical results. The pragmatic test is: if I practice this belief, will it bring success or failure? Will I solve problems
or create problems? Successful experience is the verification process of truth for the pragmatists (Stumpf 2008).

3. The Phenomenological Method

The phenomenological method was conceived by Edmund Husserl (born in 1859), one of the greatest
intellects of the 19th century. His ideas and method influenced the thoughts of some of the 20th century
philosophical giants: Martin Heidegger, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty among others.
What prompted Husserl to develop phenomenology? To answer this, we have to look back at Husserl’s time
and place: the 19th century Europe. At that time, science was on the ascendancy prompted by the great discoveries
of Galileo, Newton, and Darwin among others. Husserl himself was impressed by the achievements of science.
Unfortunately, according to Husserl, science brings a certain attitude which is counterproductive to the human
soul: the naturalistic attitude (or simply naturalism).
Naturalism in this context is the idea that everything can be explained in terms of matter or the physical.
Since man is not only physical (i.e. body) but also spiritual, this naturalistic attitude brings a distorted view of
man by banishing the spiritual from the world which includes the banishment of ideas, values, and cultures
(Husserl, 1965).
To counter the naturalistic tendency, Husserl returned to the idea of the thinking self which was given
preeminence by the 17th century French philosopher, Rene Descartes. More specifically, the layman’s term given
to the thinking self is “one’s immediate experience.”
Husserl’s main purpose was to build a philosophy free from any biases or preconceived ideas. One can
only do this if one returns to immediate experience. Husserl said that he was only looking to “things and facts
themselves, as these are given in actual experience and intuition” (quoted by Stumpf 2008). This experience is not
the objective world of science separate from us, but the world as it appears to us or (borrowing the term of the
18th century German philosopher Immanuel Kant) the phenomenal world - hence, the term phenomenology.
However, our beliefs about human beings and the world prevent us from seeing clearly this immediate
experience which he calls “pure subjectivity”. Thus, to know the truth, we have to put aside one by one all our
limiting beliefs about the world which represents our biases. Husserl calls this process phenomenological epoche
(epoche is the Greek word for bracketing). Bracketing is not ignoring. It is an act of stepping back at our biases
and prejudices to make sure that they do not influence the way we think. Only facts provided by immediate
experience must influence us.

4. The Primary and Secondary reflections

Another influential intellectual movement which had its roots in the 19th century ideas of Søren
Kierkegaard (1813-1855) and Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was existentialism.

Existentialism, any of various philosophies, most influential in continental Europe from about 1930 to
the mid-20th century, that have in common an interpretation of human existence in the world that stresses its
concreteness and its problematic character.
According to existentialism: (1) Existence is always particular and individual—
always my existence, your existence, his existence, her existence. (2) Existence is primarily the problem of
existence (i.e., of its mode of being); it is, therefore, also the investigation of the meaning of Being. (3) That
investigation is continually faced with diverse possibilities, from among which the existent (i.e., the human
individual) must make a selection, to which he must then commit himself. (4) Because those possibilities
are constituted by the individual’s relationships with things and with other humans, existence is always a being-
in-the-world—i.e., in a concrete and historically determinate situation that limits or conditions choice. Humans
are therefore called, in Martin Heidegger’s phrase, Dasein (“there being”) because they are defined by the fact that
they exist, or are in the world and inhabit it.
After that brief overview on existentialism, let us focus our attention on one existentialist method identified
by Gabriel Marcel: the primary/secondary reflection.
For Marcel, reflection is not just a disinterested look at experience. It emerged when something valuable is
at stake. Marcel gave an example of a watch. Suppose you try to take a watch from your pocket. To your surprise,
the watch that you expect to be there is not there. A break from your ordinary routine happened. From this break,
reflection appears in the form of a question: Where is my watch? Then, a host of questions, connected to the first
one, followed: Where was the last time I’ve seen my watch? Was there a hole in my pocket? You try to retrace your
steps from this moment back to the time when you last saw your watch.
From this example, you will see that reflection arise when there is a disruption from your normal routine
and when something valuable is at stake.
Then, Marcel identified two levels of reflection: primary reflection and secondary reflection. Marcel applied
these two levels of reflection to the most fundamental question: Who am I?
Nowadays, we try to answer this question by filling up a form given by our school for example. The form
asked us to write our name, age, gender, address, name of parents, etc. To answer this, of course we have to think
to distinguish who we are (the self) against other things (the non-self or objects). This is the primary reflection.
Yet, we had an uneasy feeling that all the information we put on the form (although true) do not fully
capture who we really are (Marcel 1970). We view that our self is bigger and more expansive than what is there on
the form. Thus, we are not merely thinking but we are thinking about thinking and about the process we perform
in answering the form. This is the secondary reflection.
The result of secondary reflection is a more expansive view of the self until it embraces the world. Thus,
the separation of the self and the world brought about by primary reflection were united by the secondary
reflection.

5. The Analytic Method

Another reaction to the Hegelian system building philosophy is the analytic approach initiated by
philosophers at Cambridge University (England): George Edward Moore (1873-1958), Bertrand Russell (1872-
1970) and Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951). The task of analytic approach is not to create another system of ideas
to counter the Hegelian system but to clarify how philosophers used words through an analysis of language
(Stumpf 2008).
Analytic philosophers employed various methods of linguistic analysis such as the principle of verification
and logical analysis (Rudolf Carnap). What we are going to use is the method of Wittgenstein.
We can divide Wittgenstein’s philosophy in to the earlier Wittgenstein and the latter (or the new)
Wittgenstein. The earlier Wittgenstein followed the idea of his mentor and close friend Bertrand Russell who view
language in only one way: stating facts. Wittgenstein’s first book (the only one published during his lifetime)
Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus (1919) reflected this idea.
However he soon realized that words had multiple functions depending on the context to which it occurs.
Wittgenstein used the analogy of “tools in a tool box” (Wittgenstein 1968). If we look at the tools inside a tool box
‘there is a hammer, pliers, a saw, a screw driver, a ruler, a glue pot, glue nails and screw. The functions of words
is as diverse as the functions of these objects’ (quoted by Stumpf 2008).
What Wittgenstein wants is to analyze language in the way actual people used it in ordinary situations and
not to construct an ideal language based on logic and mathematics like what Russell seems to be doing. To analyze
language, we have to realize that it follows rules. If there are rules in every aspect of life, there are certainly rules
on how we put together and communicate words. Wittgenstein believed that these rules are like the rules of games
(Wittgenstein 1968)-language games. For example, the usage of words like “demand”, “supply”, “money”, “price”
in the context of economics differ from its usage in everyday life. These are technical words and they follow certain
rules (i.e. the language game) within that discipline that affects the way these words are used.
III. WHAT CAN I DO?
Direction. Select one issue from the current issues in our society today. How do you apply
methods of philosophizing in determining the truth. Write your answer in a separate piece of
paper.

IV. ASSESSMENT:
Direction. Identify the following statement. Choose your answer form the box.

_____________1. It is the clear awareness and understanding of something.

_____________2. These are statements which are observed to be real or truthful.
_____________3. These are comprised of statements that provide views on a certain matter.
_____________4. These are arguments based on faulty reasoning.
_____________5. It is most often used to mean being in accord with fact or reality, or fidelity to an original or
standard.
_____________6. A fallacy which is attacking the person presenting the argument instead of the argument itself.
_____________7. A fallacy which the idea is acceptable because it has been true for a long time.
_____________8. A kind of biases which is focusing on a certain aspect of a problem while ignoring other aspects.
_____________9. A kind of biases which a person or group is connected to or has a vested interest in the issue being
discussed.
_____________10. Is by analyzing an event or issue based on one’s cultural stand.

III. References:
Learning Activity Sheet number one is taken from module 2, created by the DepEd Central Office and
DepEd Regional office.

INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON

Lesson: THE HUMAN PERSON AS AN EMBODIED SPIRIT
Learning Activity Sheet 3 ,3RD Quarter of Second Semester SY 2021-2022

V. MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCIES

1. Recognize how the human body imposes limits and possibilities for transcendence.
2. Evaluate own limitations and the possibilities for their transcendence.

VI. INTRODUCTION:
Are you aware that majority of us could recognize, define and use a certain word every day without knowing
its role and true meaning? Do you believe that there is a big difference between MAN, PERSON, and HUMAN
not only with the definition but its usage to the society as a whole?

A. WHAT IS IT
To recognize our own limitations and possibilities it is right to know where we are, what our world is. According
to Plato reality is made up of two worlds namely, the world of Forms and the world of Sense where human beings
participate in both of these different worlds. The world of sense, which is proposed and believed by Heraclitus, is the
world we see, experience, the world of objects; a world of change, it is made up of matter and is bound to
decomposition.
Heraclitus proves this through the statements “Cold things grow hot, the hot cools, the wet dries, the parched
moistens.” and “We both step and do not step into the same revers. We are and we are not.”
The world of Forms is a world that is eternal, perfect, and unchanging. Parmenides proved the world of Forms
by his statement “We can speak and think only of what exists. And what exists is uncreated and imperishable for it
is whole and unchanging and complete. It was not or nor shall be different since it is now, all at once, one and
continuous. For Plato, reality is eternal and unchanging, it is the real world, the world of forms. Everything in the world
of senses is but an imitation or a mere shadow of the ideal. Human beings participate in both the senses and the
ideal world because they have a material body and immaterial soul, synthesis of change and permanence. Human
being is a body and soul, according to Plato, body is evil for it is inclined to temporal things; objected to temporal
satisfaction and happiness.
DEFINITION OF TERMS
1. Man is generally and commonly defined to represent the entire human race.
2. Human. A term used to refer for various classifications and species. For a living man, human is under the
classification of Mamalia.
3. Human Being. A term used to separate man from other Human Classifications like animals.
4. Person. Refers to an individual who possess self-awareness, self-determination, rational mind, and the capacity
to interact with other and with himself/herself.
5. Personhood. A general term refers to the state of being a person with unique, sacred and ethical status within
him/herself.
6. Human Nature. A general term refers to the deepest and natural behavior of a person that distinguish human
from animals. A collective trait that formed and considered the very essence of humanity. Nobody can be
considered man without human nature.

What is Human Person?

From the definition provided above, the human and the person, respectively, are defined with classified origin
of species and persons with birth rights. Human person is someone with an exact origin of his/her classification. From
the biblical perspective, we came from Adam and Eve. For Science, we came from an Ape under the Class:
Mamallia.
Human person from time after time learned how to live beyond what was traditional through the various human
evolutions from Hominid to Homo Sapiens or the Modern Man people learn the concept of power, politics and
economics. These reasons served as basis which led to a more structured political and economic system. Thus, rights
of an individual are considered.

Human Composition
1. Monism. This theory holds that man is composed of one basic substance or principle as the ground of reality.
In other words, the reality of man consists of a single element, whether matter or spirit.

2. Dualism. This theory holds that man is made up of two irreducible elements—matter and spirit.

a. First View. Man’s matter and spirit are two independent entities, and they interact with each other. As two
independent elements, it is possible for the spirit and the body to either temporarily or permanently separate
at a particular period of time. The temporary condition may be when the person becomes unconscious or in
a clinical state of comatose; or permanent, when the person dies, and the physical body decomposes. This
view was supported / advocated by St. Thomas Aquinas, Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud. According to Karl
Rahner: We are a unity of body and soul. Body and soul are equally real, true, radical, substantial, and original.
They are neither uniform nor deducible from each other. There is no existential cleavage between them. Yet
they can be distinguished from each other. Soul is the form of the body. We can never encounter mere body
and never encounter pure soul.

b. Second View. Man is matter-spirit.

c. Third View [Biblical View]. Man is made up of body, soul, and spirit. The body is the external, physical part of man
which he uses for seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling. Through the body, he is able to have
physical contact with his environment. The soul, which is regarded as a distinct entity from the body and the
spiritual part of man is something that cannot be seen and constitutes the inner part of man, i.e., the mind
and the will. According to Aristotle: There are living things and non-living things. The soul is the characteristic
activity of living things. The body is alive if it has a soul. The spirit is the innermost part of man. It is a
“supernatural” and “incorporeal” being with which man communicates with God. It is the essential part of
man’s nature, the heart of human life.

Two general kinds to distinguish a human person:

a. The Cognitive Self. The Cognitive Self (something within and cannot be physically seen) is the essential
components of a human persons that deals with THE WHAT OF A PERSON which includes human persons’ belief,
desire, dreams, and intentions.
b. Physical Self. (something can be seen in his/her physical appearance) deals with the essential features of the
human way of life or THE WHO OF A PERSON which includes his/her body type, strength and appearances.

What is Embodied Spirit?

Embodied spirit is an animating core living within each of us. It is known to be the driving force behind what we
actually think, do and say. It is indeed the reflections of our total being by which our sensations lead to our human
feelings, emotions and decision. The usual and known connotation that comes to our mind when we hear the word
“embodied” is always materialized or became flesh (with physical form). Thus, when we say “embodied spirit”, we
normally believed and conclude of a spirit becoming flesh.
In the context and views of Christian philosophy, the embodiment of the spirit particularly refers to the
inseparable union of human body and soul. Inseparable which also means the body and soul work together at all
times. Hence, we can safely say that “embodied spirit” that the body is not separate from the soul, just as the soul
is not separate from the body.

What is Human Person as Embodied Spirit?

As an embodied spirit, human being demonstrate these following qualities (Abella, 2016):
1. “Self- awareness refers to person having a clear perception of oneself, including his or her thoughts, emotions,
identity, and actions (Abella, 2016).” It is the ability of one’s consciousness to look inward thus discovering the
presence of a self. The self is the subject that thinks, feels and acts. It is your I amness (Wilber, 2006). The self
enables a person to experience an inner world of dreams, thoughts, imagination, fantasy (Abella, 2016). Thus,
the self represents man’s interiority (loob in Filipino).
2. A human person is able to connect and interact with another person, an animal or an inanimate object. We
call this externality. So even though human beings have interiority they are not trapped inside their heads.
They are able to go beyond their limited selves and embrace others.
3. We are not determined by others. Because we have interiority; we can direct the course of our own life. This is
what we call self-determination which is “the capability of persons to make choices and decisions based on
their own preferences, monitor and regulate their actions, and be goal oriented and self-directed” (Abella
2016) Thus human beings are free.
4. However, since our actions are based on our decisions, we have to realized that every decision has a
consequence(s). There are some actions that are good because they lead to good consequences and some
actions are bad because they lead to bad consequences. The result of our freedom is morality which is “the
goodness or badness of an act” (Abella 2016)
5. 4. Finally a human person has an inherent value and importance. This is what we call dignity. That is why no
amount of money can equal the value of a human life. This is also the reason why individual rights are absolute
(Rand 1964). The American Founding Fathers called rights as “inalienable” because it cannot be separated
from our humanity. If we are stripped off of our rights we are stripped of our humanity. That is why slaves (who
have no rights) are not being treated as human.
Human Transcendence
St. Thomas Aquinas, a philosopher and one of the greatest theologians in the Catholic Church in the 13 th
century, said that “of all creatures, human beings have the unique power to change themselves and things for the
better.” (Ramos, 2016). We have encountered persons who complain of any given situations or accept the reality
or status in life as God-given thing. We heard a man sighing on TV during the early stage of Covid-19, “mahirap
maging mahirap.” Though it is true that poverty is not just personal but also structural, as an individual person you
know that you can do something to change the situation. This power is your ability to surpass your limits. This is the
definition of Transcendence. You are able to transcend your limit through your physical and mental abilities. (Abella,
2016).
Religion and philosophy teach human beings to overcome our limits. In technological parlance, humans
can upgrade themselves. Take for example, Buddhism. Buddha realized that all people suffer. Maybe in your case
you just accept your own suffering as part of life but not for Buddha. This reality ignited his curiosity to examine and
understand the word suffering. He left his royal life in the palace and spent his life for 6 years in the wilderness to find
answers for his questions. And when he sat under the Tree of Enlightenment for 40 days, voila he finds the answers.
The Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Paths. For example, “The Eightfold Path” of Buddhism:

If you notice this is a universal principle being taught not just by Buddhism. These are the values what human
person needs to succeed. These are examples of the power mentioned by St. Thomas to change ourselves. If you
can do the eightfold path even if you are not a Buddhist, you can transform yourselves from your present situation
and transcend to what you desire you would be. Just believe in yourselves. Dream, Believe and Survive.

B. WHAT CAN I DO?

Activity 1: THE REVITALIZED ME

Direction: Complete the chart by rewriting your present limitations with reference to your answers in the
previous activities. Make an action plan towards transcendence. Copy the chart in your notebook.

MY LIMITATIONS PLAN TOWARDS TRANSCENDENCE

1.
2.
3.

Activity 2: MYSELF, MY FAMILY, MY COMMUNITY!

Directions: Answer the real-life questions provided to you. No wrong answers, just give your best!

1. As a student, how can you conquer the challenges posed by this pandemic?

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________
2. How did the present crisis make you realize the reality of human limitations, uncertainties and possibilities?
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________
C. ASSESSMENT:

MULTIPLE CHOICES
DIRECTION: Read and analyze the questions and statements carefully. Encircle the letter of your chosen answer.

1. Marie is very cheerful and friendly to her classmates. What aspect of the human person is being described in the
statement?
A. Cognitive Self C. Psychological Self
B. Physical Self D. Sociological Self

2. A criminal who have committed a very heinous offense can still be considered a human person despite of his
cruelty and inhumane act. The statement is ___________.
A. True, the dignity is still retained in spite of his actions because it is his inherent right.
B. False, the dignity of humans is removed once they don’t treat other people just and right.
C. Neither a nor b
D. None of the above

3. Carlo is a tall person with brown hair and brown eyes. What aspect of the human person is being described in
the statement?

A. Cognitive Self C. Psychological Self

B. Physical Self D. Sociological Self

4. Which of the following BEST describes the concept of embodiment?

A. Human person is essentially his/her body and nothing more.
B. Human person is essentially his/her spirit and nothing more.
C. Human person is essentially the unity of his/her body and spirit.
D. Human person is essentially a separate entity of the body and the spirit.

5. Which of the following experiences describe the concept of embodiment?

A. Joy attaches a sentimental value to a pair of rubber shoes which was given by her mother.
B. Kim associates love with hypothalamus, a part of the brain that is responsible for feelings.
C. Ivy recalls a happy moment in her life and still feel the same happiness he felt at that moment.
D. Trina received a pat in her shoulder from her best friend and felt completely relieved at that moment.

6. It is the term commonly used to represent the entire human race.

A. Human being B. Human nature C. Man D. Person

7. Vincent loses his arm and leg due to a car accident. He loses a part of his physical body which makes up his
physical identity. Which of the following statements is true about the concept of embodiment?
A. Vincent can still be considered a human person despite losing a part of his identity.
B. Vincent is not fully considered a human person since he lacks one aspect of his identity.
C. Neither a nor b
D. None of the above

8. Which of the following is NOT an essential component of the human person?

A. Conscience B. Mind C. Soul D. Spirit

9. It is the term used to describe humans who are not just mere humans different from animals but with inherent birth
rights and exact origin of his/her classification.
A. Human being C. Human nature
B. Human creature D. Human person

10. It is a general term which refers to the deepest and natural behavior of a person that distinguish human from
animals. It consists of collective traits that formed and considered the very essence of humanity.
A. Human being B. Human nature C. Man D. Person

III. References:
Learning Activity Sheet number three is taken from module 3, created by the DepEd Central and Regional
Office.
 INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON
Lesson: THE HUMAN PERSON IN THEIR ENVIRONMENT
Learning Activity Sheet 4 ,3RD Quarter of Second Semester SY 2021-2022

MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCIES

Objectives:

By the end of this lesson, you are expected to:

1. Notice things that are not in their proper place and organize them in an aesthetic way.
2. Show that care for the environment contributes to health, well-being, and sustainable development.
3. Demonstrate the virtues of prudence and thriftiness towards the environment.

WHAT’S IN?

Analyze the pictures above and answer the questions below:

1. What do the following pictures have in common?
2. Have you notice disorder and things that are not in their proper place? If yes, what do you think needs to
be done to halt these practices?
3. Are you convinced that humans, being the highest form of among all species have the right to do whatever
they please with nature?

VII. INTRODUCTION:

John Donne: “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.”
This means that as human person, it is our responsibility to treat a person with respect not only our fellow
humans but also everything in this world. Humankind is a part of the world, and we significantly affect our
environment in the same manner of what that changes in our environment affect us.

A. WHAT IS IT?

Environmental philosophy is the discipline that studies the moral relationships 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. It will enable them to become aware of their relationship and its related
issues in our society and their impact on the lives of human persons.

Three major views regarding the relationship between humanity and the 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 in the planet, and they are free to transform nature and use its resources.

2. Biocentrism –it is an ethical point of view which believes that humans are not the only significant species
on the planet, and that all living organisms have inherent value and should be protected. It puts great
emphasis on equal consideration for all living things.

3. Ecocentrism – Is a term used in ecological political philosophy to denote a nature-centered, as opposed

to a human-centered, system of values. it 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.
We benefit greatly from a clean and orderly environment.
Would you agree that clean and orderly surroundings contribute to safety, well-being, and health, while dirty
and disorderly surroundings result in diseases and accidents?

Environmental Aesthetics
• Philosophical view that believes maintaining order in the environment will bring out the natural beauty of
the surroundings and contribute to the well-being of the people and other organisms living in it.
• The appreciation of natural beauty brings about the concern for the environment and helps people relate
more effectively with nature.
• This is a moral approach that analyzes the relationship between humans and the environment. It also
discusses environmental problems caused by human activities and social issues that impact the
environment.
• It serves as a basis for reflecting on how our actions show our regard for nature. It also guides us in
upholding the welfare of the environment and everything in it.
• As persons, it is our responsibility to start with our own actions and how they affect our immediate
surroundings.

Environmental Ethics
• This is a moral approach that analyzes the relationship between humans and the environment. It also
discusses environmental problems caused by human activities and social issues that impact the
environment.
• It serves as a basis for reflecting on how our actions show our regard for nature. It also guides us in
upholding the welfare of the environment and everything in it.

Environmentalism
• This perspective advocates to address the growing environmental problems. It has become an important
issue in international politics as governments and international organizations have devoted efforts to
discuss environmental issues and formulate plans to address them (Kyoto Protocol in 1997, where various
nations committed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in order to curb global warming; and the
celebration of Earth Day, first instituted in 1970, a global effort to raise awareness of issues and inspire
action among communities).

Sustainable Development
This concept focuses on reconciling human activities and economic development with the protection of
the environment. Major ideas:
i. We must make wise decisions regarding the use of natural resources to ensure that there is still
enough left for future use.
ii. The misuse of resources often means that other people do not get to benefit from it.

Principles of Sustainability
1. Environmental integrity – refers to maintaining the state of the environment.

This means that human activities should not unduly disrupt the ecosystems and human communities
located in the area
Care should be taken that the surrounding landscape is not drastically impacted by human activities.
2. Economic efficiency – refers to prudence in decision-making regarding the use of resources to
ensure that there is minimum to zero waste.
3. Equity – demands that we use our natural resources in such a manner that these are conserved
so that the next generation will be able to use them.
▪ Prudence is the ability to regulate one’s actions and behavior
▪ Frugality is being thrifty with the use of one’s resources
▪ As human persons, it is our responsibility to treat with respect not only our fellow humans, but
also everything in our world. Upholding environmentalism and sustainability will enable us to take
the first steps in addressing environmental issues and contribute to solving the greater
environmental challenge of climate change.

B. WHAT CAN I DO?

Activity: How can humanity address the damage inflicted on the environment?
Direction: Complete the chart by providing necessary and effective solutions to the following
environmental problems and damages inflicted in the environment by putting emphasis on the virtues of
prudence and frugality.
 DAMAGE INFLICTED TO THE ENVIRONMENT NECESSARY AND EFFECTIVE SOLUTION
WATER AND AIR POLUTION

ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION

DEPLETION OF NATURAL RESOURCES

GLOBAL WARMING AND CLIMATE CHANGE

EXTINCTION OF ENDANGARED SPECIES

C. ASSESSMENT:

MULTIPLE CHOICES
DIRECTION: Read and analyze the questions and statements carefully. Encircle the letter of your chosen
answer.

1. This view asserts that humans are not the only significant species on the planet and that all organisms
have inherent value and should be protected.
a. anthropocentrism b. biocentrism c. ecocentrism d. none of the above.

2. What is the act of using or other resources wisely and practically?

a. Aesthetics b. Prudence c. Frugality d. Economics

3. What may be a sign of an environmental disorder?

a. Lack of material things c. Lack of friends
b. Lack of resources d. Lack of space

4. Which among the following options is a disorder in the environment?

a. A basket of unwashed dirty clothes
b. A house with no single plant
c. A garden with dying plants
d. A library with a small number of books

5. In what way can the environment contribute to health and well-being?

a. It can be available anywhere.
b. It is the source of life.
c. It can produce products that provide medicinal value.
d. It is made up of consumers and producers.

6. In which of the following scenarios is prudence demonstrated?

a. Ordering food that you can consume
b. Searching assignment answers over the internet
c. Keeping the lights on all day
d. Being friendly to neighbors

7. Esmeralda wants to buy an expensive phone using the money she has been saving since last year. She
asked for her friends’ opinions in making her decision. Which among her friends is frugal?
a. Jen suggested that she should spend the money for travel abroad.
b. Marco advised her to spend the money on the expensive phone.
c. Aizza said that she should go on a shopping spree using the money.
d. Jack suggested that she should keep the money for future, more important uses.

8. Which of the given statements is true?

1. Prudence and frugality can only be applied in one environment.
2. Looking at aesthetics is a way of determining disorder.
a. both statements 1 and 2 c. neither statement 1 nor 2
b. statement 1 d. statement 2

9. What is the role of the environment in achieving sustainable development?

1. It can reproduce resources.
2. It is the venue for producer-consumer relationships.
a. Statement 1 c. Neither statement 1 nor 2
b. Statement 2 d. Both statements 1 and 2
 10. Which of the given statements is true about frugality?
1. It is only limited to tangible or solid materials
2. It applies to a select few.
a. Statement 1 c. Statement 2
b. Both statement 1 and 2 d. Neither statement 1 nor 2

VIII. References:
Learning Activity Sheet number 4 is taken from module 4, created by the DepEd Central and Regional
Office.

Prepared by:

MR. JEFFREY T. AUSAN

Subject Teacher

Checked By:

RENANTE V. REGOITA
HUMSS Group Head

Approved By:

SALVADOR J. SEMBRAN
Asst. Principal II, SHS