Philosophy

S.Y. ‘23 - ‘24 | SEM 2 | From PPTs & Modules Aubrey Nieva — 11 STEM 3A

● Existential Crisis - the feeling of being

1.0 The Human Person and the Self; conscious about time, the status of your life,
Reflection and Death and all the uncertainty that may come ahead
tomorrow. This is a philosophical movement
Philo - Love, Sophia - Wisdom that urges the human person to confront and
a. Philosophy means love of wisdom, that we make them aware of their existence.
always strive to find meaning in what we know Existentialism should be understood as an attitude
and we do
towards understanding the mysteries of life
b. To philosophize means to consider all things
in a study or reflection.
Gabriel Marcel says we live in a Broken World. Albert Camus and the Myth of Sisyphus -
“To find meaning in every pursuit.” Existentialism
provides us the secondary reflection on how we
1.1 PRIMARY & SECONDARY REFLECTION understand life; “If I am in control of my life, why am I
● Introduced by Gabriel Marcel not in control of my death?”
Primary is about perceiving things or experiences
objectively. While Secondary aids us to understand Albert Camus, a famous literary writer and
deeply the world we live in, this invites us to look existentialist. In his work, a Myth of Sisyphus, he
beyond what the eyes can perceive. narrates the story of Sisyphus, a tyrant King who
● Problem VS. Mystery managed to escape death twice by tricking the gods.
Problem is something external to us that can be While Sisyphus was successful in his first attempt, the
determinatively understood and solved with a Gods have provided a bizarre form of punishment for
generalizable technique. trying to escape death twice. Sisyphus’ punishment
Mystery is something in which we are inextricably was not something brutal or violent. He was simply
involved, It has roots deep within us but it also reaches tasked to push a boulder up the hill but when it
beyond us. reached the top, the boulder rolled down. What makes
this unique is the fact that Sisyphys was bound to do
Elenchus - is a method wherein a belief is carefully this for eternity. Not wanting to achieve death, the
analyzed and dissected through questioning in order to Gods have punished him to live for eternity by pushing
determine its truth value a boulder up and down a hill. Camus calls it absurdity:
the futile search for meaning in this meaningless
● Socrates: a Greek philosopher and one of the world.
main figures in the western world. He has been
very influential because he dared to question Søren Kierkegaard on Death
everything! This is the reason why he was Instead of feeling joy or despair about the reality of
accused of corrupting young minds. Hence, he death, it should be our driving passion to understand
was put on trial and forced to die by drinking the life we have, and how we should always live life to
hemlock. the fullest with the little time we have in this world.
● Socratic Method: uses questions to examine “To have lived a meaningful life means a meaningful
students’ personal values, principles, and death.”
beliefs. It demands a productive discomfort. We must create our very own meaning in this world.
And, used to demonstrate the complexity, ● Friedrich Nietzsche said, “He who has a why to
difficulty, and especially uncertainty about our live for can bear with almost any how.” A
life and the world. reminder to us that despite the cruelness of
reality, as long as we know what we want to
become with the freedom that we have, all of it
can lead to our discovery of life’s meaning.
1.2 DEATH AND EXISTENTIALISM
What’s the point of living if we are just going to die? 2.0 The Human Person and the Self;
● After life - a belief that once we die here on Body, Soul, and Authenticity.
Earth, there is another life after death.
Christianism, they believe that there is a hope that we
can attain the glory of heaven.
Buddhism, they believe in Samsara in which 2.2 SPIRIT IN A BODY
reincarnation may exist and in accordance with what
they did in their past life. Plato, a Greek philosopher, believes that the human

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 Philosophy
S.Y. ‘23 - ‘24 | SEM 2 | From PPTs & Modules Aubrey Nieva — 11 STEM 3A

person is made up of a body and a soul and these 2

AUTHENTICITY For Martin Heidegger,
are separated and distinct from each other.
Authenticity happens when you
The soul has already existed long before the body,
do not limit yourself to your
originating from the "world of forms."
facticity and fallenness while
● A human person is just a soul using a body.
emphasizing your existentiality
as a human person. If you are
2.2 EMBODIED SPIRIT living for yourself then you are
living authentically. ‘Living for
Aristotle believed that the body and soul cannot be yourself’ means living the life
separated and must coexist with each other. Functions you want to live because it is
of the soul are directly linked to the body, hence, it your very own choice.
cannot perform without any body.
● Nurturing the Spirit
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
1. Self-Actualization Needs - Desire to become
the most that one can be.
2. Esteem Needs - Respect, self-esteem, status,
recognition, strength, and freedom.
3. Love and Belonging Needs - Friendship,
intimacy, family, series of connection.
4. Safety Needs - Personal Security, employment,
resources, health, and property.
5. Physiological Needs - Air, water, food, shelter,
sleep, clothing, and reproduction.
This explains why some people still feel a void in their
lives despite having a loving family, probably because
they still haven’t discovered who they really want to be
(self-actualization).

2.3 BE AUTHENTIC!
Martin Heidegger, a German Philosopher, believes that
we shall reach self-actualization if we live an authentic
life!

Martin Heidegger in “Being and Time”

FACTICITY Pertains to the reality we are

thrown into

FALLENNESS Pertains to what the people are

doing around you, so you “fall”
into the tasks by default. This is
how we are influenced by the
society we live in and molded by
the culture we grew up with.

EXISTENTIALITY Pertains to the possibilities you

have at your disposal

INAUTHENTICITY Happens when you let your

facticity and fallenness
influence and even dictate the
life you are going to live.

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S.Y. ‘23 - ‘24 | SEM 2 | From PPTs & Modules Aubrey Nieva — 11 STEM 3A

3.0 The Human Person for the Other; isolation. For him, the ‘I’ of man is relational. Hindi
Intersubjectivity natin makikilala ang sarili kung tatanungin lang ng
natin ang sarili kung “ano ba ako?”, malalaman mo
Intersubjectivity, from the two words “inter” meaning lamang kung ano ang iyong pagkatao base sa
“between,” and “subject,” meaning “person.” It pertains pamamaraan ng pakikitungo sa ibang tao o ibang
to the interactions or relations between two person or nilalang sa paligid mo.
a group.

Emmanuel Levinas I - It Relationship

For him, we can obtain a healthy and ethical - Objective

intersubjectivity “only when both parties recognize the Once na hindi na nagagawa ng tao ang role niya,
uniqueness (theirreplaceability, irreducibility and the wala na siyang halaga.
unrepeatability) of each other. It is achieved when
there is no hidden agenda between the I and the I - Thou Relationship
Other.”
- Subjective
Genuine intersubjectivity takes place when we aspire Unique at kailanman ay hindi matutumbasan ang
for nothing but the good for the other. bawat tao. Appreciating others’ despite their flaws
and despite the differences we have.

Our Relationship with Nature

3.1 THE FACE OF THE OTHER
We assert superiority over plants and animals, we
(humans) are not contented with mere nourishment
Emmanuel Levinas tells us that “the best way of
and survival. We must recognize plants, animals,
encountering the Other is not even to notice the color and other creations as unique and respectable in
of his eyes!” Applying the concept of Gabriel Marcel, their rights. With this, let us return to Paul Taylor’s
when we try to look at the other by simply defining the Biocentric Egalitarianism
contents of their face, then we are only doing primary
reflection. When we do this, we only look at the Other Biocentric Egalitarianism
as an object, not a subject. Bio = “life”
Centric = “Center”
Levinas further elaborates that what the Face speaks Meaning, “Life-Centered”
is about our responsibility to the Other which he notes
as an authentic relationship. On the other hand, Egalitarianism means “equality”
Hence, Biocentric Egalitarianism means life-centered
We have a responsibility towards other people and this equality as an approach towards nature. Since all
reminder is constantly being shown to us through the beings have life, humans do not take precedence or
Face. That is why when we encounter the Face, we superiority over others. Rather, all beings are of equal
encounter the whole person. We do not simply define stature in relation to each other.
what we see in their face but respond to the face's call
to be responsible. 3 main claims;
1. Humans are members of the Earth’s
3.2 BIOCENTRISM Community of Life in the same sense and on
the same terms just like other living beings
We share common interests and we are
Martin Buber says that we should refrain from having
an objectifying gaze while recognizing the uniqueness interdependent with each other by using what we have
of the being we encounter. around us to achieve the things we want. Pero
nakakalimutan natin na ang buhay ay hindi para sa
“All real living is meeting”, anchored on challenging atin, ito ay konektado pa sa buhay ng ibang
our common notion that the ‘I’ or the ‘self’ can exist in

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S.Y. ‘23 - ‘24 | SEM 2 | From PPTs & Modules Aubrey Nieva — 11 STEM 3A

nakapaligid sa atin kaya nararapat na sila rin ay and one should only act in accordance with
pansinin. rules that could hold for everyone.
2 Duties;
1. Respect humanity in others. We should always
2. All living organisms are ends in themselves
treat a person as an end, never as a means (to
Plants and animals are not present just to provide for an end).
humans and other beings, they have a life of their own > “End” refers to purpose and “means” refers to use.
and everyone must respect their individuality. When a plate breaks, it loses its purpose to handle the
foods we eat. We can already put it in trash, but we
3. Humans are not morally superior to other cannot do the same for humans because they exist for
living beings themselves!
Humans just happen to live a more “sophisticated” life
2. Act according to a rule
than them, nagkataon lamang na mas may ways tayo Whenever we act, it is something we impose on the
to communicate in life than them. world as a universal law that we permit to act upon
others but also on ourselves. Whatever we do
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ becomes the standard of morality.
4.0 The Human Person for the Other;
Ethics and Morality 4.2 MORAL RESPONSIBILITY

Morality is concerned with how an action is This concerns the extent to which a person believes
determined as right or wrong. It sets a standard by that another individual/group is blameworthy and
which we can measure or judge whether a conduct is ought to be accountable for violating standards of
good or bad, we base our actions and rules we ought conduct.
to follow with these standards.
Freewill is the main element ethicists look for to
Ethics is concerned with the rational or theoretical determine whether a person is morally responsible for
interpretation or a moral phenomena or issues. It is the their action. Once acted at your own discretion, without
study of the morality of human acts that deals with the force or coercion, you are morally responsible.
issue whether an action is good or bad and the
reasons. Principle of Alternate Possibilities believes that a
person is morally responsible for what she has done
Both strive further to understand the nature of human only if she could have done otherwise. It is tantamount
acts and morality. of having freedom.
> Determinism - Believes that human beings
4.1 ETHICAL THEORIES have no free will because all our actions are ultimately
caused or determined by external events, not our will.
“Everything has been determined for us since the day
Utilitarianism we were born”
- Proposed by Jeremy Bentham
- Greatest happiness to the greatest number of More or Less Free was from a Canadian American
people, determines what is good quantitatively Patricia Churchland who believes that if we can’t
- We have to choose the one with the best separate internal from external causes then maybe
overall consequences for everyone concerned. actions are ‘more or less free’

Situation Ethics In short, we must look at how much freedom or control

- By Joseph Fletcher a person has over their actions.
- Accepting reasons as the instrument of moral
judgment, our moral decisions depends on the
context of the problem.

Categorical Imperative
- By Immanuel Kant
- Universal ethical principle stating that one
should always respect the humanity in others

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