Senior High School

Introduction to the
Philosophy of the
Human Person
Quarter 1 – Module 3: The
Human Person as an
Embodied Spirit

CORE VALUES: CHARACTER

Lesson
Human Being as Embodied
1 Spirit
At the end of this lesson you are expected to:

1. Determine the differences among human persons, body soul and spirit;
2. Analyze how embodiment defines a person; and
3. Show appreciation on the importance of determining the different traits of the
human person.

What’s New

Human has its own wonder. We do things that differ to other persons, thus, equate with
the context of uniqueness and understanding how a human does it all is an interesting
thing to do. According to Abella (2016), the human person is an important subject in
Philosophy and an understanding of the nature and condition of the person is one of the
foremost goals of the discipline. He further added that, Philosophers have long pondered
human nature, what it means to be human, and what sets us apart from other beings and
things in existence.
Have you ever asked yourselves “Who am I?”, “What are the things that makes who I
am?”, “Am I capable of doing things?”. Thinking of those things help us to have a reflective
analysis of our nature, characteristics, and traits as human beings. This will make us
realize that we are in fact a human with its own uniqueness that can be shared with other
human beings.

What is
It
The Human Person

PERSON
Is able to
Has self reach out and
determination interact with
other

Has
Has dignity awareness
of self

Abella (2016), describes human being to its relations to animals, he added that
Philosophers, however, believe that the human being is not just a mere animal and that
there is something in the human that sets him or her apart from other beings which these
special traits make a human as a distinct individual person.
Human as a person has the following traits:

1. Has awareness of self which refers to the person having a

clear perception of oneself, including his thoughts, emotions,
identity and actions. (Abella 2016)

2. Has, refers to 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; we are persons because we act and we are aware of our actions. (Abella
2016)

3. Externality, person is able to reach out and interact with others.

(Abella 2016)

4. Has dignity, this refers to the innate right to be valued and

respected, Philosophers consider all humans as having an inherent
worth or value; “You’re worthless!” is an insult since it attacks the
very notion of a person having value or worth. (Abella 2016)

Soul
According to Steph (2018), the soul causes the body to live; indeed, it is the soul
that animates the body. In addition, the soul is the animator of the body, and the
body acts as the matter to the soul. Based on Aristotle, he believes that the soul is
the form of the body, while the body is the matter to the soul. For him, everything
that exists is composed of matter and form, and they are indeed inseparable and
we cannot talk about any object if either of these entities is not present. In the
context of the human person, he also believes that body and soul are inseparable.
Therefore, body and soul, constitute the human person as a whole.

Spirit
Aside from the physical characteristics, another aspect of the human that defines us as persons is the spirit, and this is the
intangible element that enables us to exercise thought, possess awareness, interiority and the capacity to reach out to the
world and to other persons. (Abella 2016)

How are the body and spirit related?

Philosophers consider the human person as defined by the union of the body and the spirit or known as the human person
is an embodied spirit (Abella 2016).

Embodiment
Embodiment makes the human experience and does the things that make him a person. Because of the human embodiment
physical acts are no longer purely physical acts, because the body conveys something from a person’s inner world.

Let us say that, a pat on the shoulder from your idol, a smile from your crush, a kiss from your partner will create
an intense emotional reaction, and it is possible because of embodiment. These examples show that it is through
embodiment that a person is able to have a unique relationship with the world and it is this unique relationship
that defines us as humans. (Garcia 2018)
A human person as an embodied spirit means that both our body as spirit define as human nature and experience. The
body and spirit come collectively to form a whole and give us the chance to have a meaningful experience. It is our right
and responsibility to give our whole self the fullest expression to grow and have an expressive involvement.

What I Have Learned

1. The human being is not only Homo-sapiens but as a unique person, and an individual that has its own
awareness of the self.
2. Person when defined as a human being have certain rights, protection, responsibilities, and dignity above
all.
3. The human person has the entirety of an individual, having awareness, self- determination, the capacity
to interact with others and with dignity.
4. Soul causes the body to live and animates the body.
5. Spirit refers to the intangible element that enables us to exercise thought, possess awareness,
interiority and the capacity to reach out to the outside world and other persons.
6. Human spirit as an embodied spirit means that both the human body and spirit define human
nature and experience; the body and spirit come together to form a whole, and this integration
defines the embodiment of the person and the human person’s nature as an embodied spirit gives
rise to the characteristics that define the person.
 ACTIVITY WORKSHEET

Name:______________________________________________________
Strand:_____________________________________
Date:______________________________________

ACTIVITY 1

What makes me, me?

DIRECTION: Complete the diagram by writing the different traits that makes you unique among others.
ACTIVITY 2.
I am a Human Person
DIRECTIONS: On the graphic organizer given, write in the body the characteristics of the human person based from the
description of the head.

Is able to reach
Has out and
Has dignity Has self-
awareness of interact with determination
others

ACTIVITY 3
We are a 3-part whole
DIRECTIONS: Looking on the diagram below, do you agree that “Human Person has body, soul and spirit”? Explain
your answer on the space provided.

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