PHILOSOPHY OF MAN Part One: Introduction I. The meaning of Philosophy A. DEFINITION OF PHILOSOPHY Nominal Definition: Etymological Meaning: Two Greek words: PHILOS/PHILIA – LOVE SOPHIA – WISDOM/KNOWLEDGE Philosophy means Love of Wisdom. Real Meaning: According to Aristotle Philosophy as “thinking which aims at maximum connected truth about all available experience.” This definition does not mean that the philosopher must discover a kind or degree of connectedness or relationship; rather it obliges him to pursue the process of search and discovery. For Aristotle, the aim of philosophy was to explore connections of all accessible as exhaustively and comprehensively as possible. Philosophy has been defined by Bittle as the “Science of beings in their ultimate reasons, causes and principles acquired by the aid of human reason alone.” As a science – because it based on knowledge, not on mere opinions, theory of hypothesis. Its major concern is the discovery of truth for the purpose of knowing it in advance in order to do something about it. -
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Philosophy is similar to science in that it exhibits critical-and-open-mindedness, persistence, willingness to abide by experience and reason, and impartial concern for the truth. • The difference between the two fields lie in the scope and nature of their concerns and in their approach. Philosophy deals with all aspects of man’s experience while sciences deal with restricted fields . Science of Beings – it covers all things which can be apprehended by the human mind, that is, anything that exist, is going to exist, can be thought of, or is known.
In their Ultimate reasons, causes and principles – it is through reason that a thing is known and understood; causes is something from which other things come. While other sciences give the proximate or immediate cause of things, philosophy seeks for the ultimate or final cause and principle. Finally, that the goal of philosophy can be acquired by the aid of human reason alone means that philosophy bases its knowledge solely on the reasoning power of human mind, not on any authority. Faith and Divine Authority have no place in philosophical inquiry. Material Object: All beings/things or everything that exist or has existence. Formal Object: the ultimate reasons, causes and principles of very nature or essence and their existence.
Five View of Philosophy which are supplementary to one another were given by Titus and Smith 1) 2) 3) 4) 5)
A personal attitude towards life and the universe. A method of reflective thinking and reasoned inquiry. An attempt to gain a view of the whole The logical analysis of language and the clarification of the meaning of words and concepts A group of problems as well as theories about the solution of these problems
a. Origin of Philosophy “Philosophy begins in Miletus” says Reginald Ellen. The radix of the claim lies on Thales: the acclaimed first philosopher. Pythagoras – coined the term philosophy But by virtue of the point of origin of philosophy – which is wonder (by the way, we do not mean that Pythagoras didn’t wonder, the thing is, Thales wondered earlier that Pythagoras) – it is Thales. This highlights the origin of philosophy. b. Cause of Philosophy The cause of philosophy – not necessarily the ultimate cause – is wonder; philosophy starts at wonder. c. Purpose of Philosophy i. enables us to understand ourselves better; ii. helps us understand others, our fellowmen; iii. helps us understand others’ way of thinking; iv. help us understand the world and our place and role in it; v. helps us understand the significance, meaning, value, and finality of human life; and vi. helps us know and understand God in his nature, essence, activities, and attributes.
DIVISION OF PHILOSOPHY Division of Philosophy General Ontology Metaphysics Philosophy Epistemology Logic Ethics
Special Cosmology Theodicy Psychology
The beginning of philosophical inquiry is traced to the Greek colony of Miletus in about 600 B.C. From then on, philosophy grew and developed into various fields which may be divided in to two major categories, the theoritical and practical. Theoritical Philosophy It directs to knowing things as they are without thinking of application. Its ultimate aim is knowledge or truth. In theoritical philosophy, the person contemplates or reflects about the truth of nature as well as the relation of things. Early philosophies were mostly of the theoritical category in that their major concern was to know the nature and source of a natural phenomena.
a.
Metaphysics – is a science that studies all beings in so far as they are beings. Greek terms: Meta – beyond Physikon – nature which the word physics derived – science concern with in natural laws and processes and the physical world of nature. Two Types of Metaphysics 1.
Monism – is a view that the universe has one and only one basic feature
Pluralism – which contends that there are more than one or two kinds of fundamental realities, and that the universe has more than one feature, either in quantity or quality Ontology – is a metaphysical study of all realities in so far as they exist Greek term: Onta – “the really existing things” 2.
b.
Cosmology – is defined as a metaphysical science which studies the general nature of the world
Greek term: Cosmos – world or universe c.
Psychology – as a metaphysical science which treats of man’s nature as a being endowed with reason and intellect Greek term: Psyche – soul, mind and spirit Rational Psychology – it deals with the vital principle of life called soul
d.
Theodicy – it is a philosophical field which studies the nature, being, goodness and justice of God Greek terms: Theos – God Dike – Justice or right Rational Theology- other name of Theodicy. - it uses reason to attain its objectives.
e.
Epistemology- is the study of the origins, presuppositions, nature, extent, and veracity (truth, reliability, validity) of knowledge. – investigates knowledge and truth Greek terms: Episteme – knowledge Logos – study
Practical Philosophy It directs its concern to things which are material or perceptible and useful. Its goal is not just finding the truth but acting on it, applying the knowledge gained for the benefit of mankind. Merely knowing the moral beliefs of a particular group of people is theoritical in character, but translating these beliefs into laws with which the behavior of the individual or the social group members in defined is practical. a.
Logic – is the study of the nature and problems of clear and accurate thinking and systematic or orderly argument. studies correct processes of thinking it is afundamental branch of philosophy Greek term: logike or logikos – ordered, systematized, thought of or intelligible
b.
Ethics – the science of the morality of human acts - is essentially the study of what is right and wrong in man’s behavior as well as the pursuit of the good life. Greek term: ethos – a characteristic way of acting Latin word: Mos, Mores – custom or way of life
c.
Aesthetics – is the philosophical field which studies beauty and art in general. • Art has to do with man’s creativeness and skill in making or doing things that have form beauty.
• Beauty refers to the quality attributed to whatever pleases the beholder such as form, color and behavior. Greek term: Aisthetikos – one who is perceptive of things through his sensations, feelings and intuitions d.
Axiology – is a philosophical field which analyzes the meaning, characteristics, origin, types, criteria and knowledge of values in general. - is also known as the theory of value. Greek term: Axios – worthy or valuable
e.
Semantics – studies the meaning of words and linguistic forms, their functions as symbols, and part they play in relation to other words, to human thoughts and behavior. Greek terms: Semantikos – (noun) significance Semainein – (verb) to signify Sema – a sign, mark or token of identity
Productive Philosophy a.
Social Philosophy – the study of man in relation to the family, the State, and the Church.
b.
Philosophy of Man – is the inquiry into man and his dimensions as person and as existent being in the world: his dignity, truth, freedom, justice, love, death, his relations with others and with God.
c.
Philosophy of Religion – is to examine the intellectual questions that arise in considering religious views.
d.
Political Philosophy – is to describe past and existing social organizations, in which respect it seems to duplicate the findings of economics, political science, anthropology, biology, and sociology; and in part to evaluate these organizations, in which respect it is like ethics.
MEANING OF PHILOSOPHY OF MAN A. Description Philosophy of Man is an open-ended-cerebral-empirical activity. This implies that philosophy of man is an endeavor which is not an end in itself but a means to an end. This is why the course has a close linkage to Metaphysics, Ethics, Sociology, Psychology, Theology, Epistemology, and Theodicy. It is connected with Metaphysics since it studoes the being of man; with Ethics since it treats of man as being of action; with Sociology since it considers the horizontal or social dimension of man; with Psychology since it studies the nature of
man as a being endowed with reason; with Theology since it inquires the avenue of man’s relatedness to God in the context of faith; Epistemology since it investigates the true notion of the human substance; and with Theodicy since it provides an arena of questions about human nature and human condition from the standpoint of the nature, essence, and activity of God. In general, - Philosophy of man is one’s desire to know who and what man is. - Philosophy of man, man asks a crucial question about himself and gradually answers the question himself. - As a whole, philosophy of man is a course that delves into origin of human life, the nature of human life, and the reality of human existence. - Philosophy of man leads the students to look at the wholeness of their being since thee course guides them to see themselves and their fellowmen as persons, subjects, and center of values. Objectives The following are the primary objectives in studying philosophy of man: - it gives us broader horizon in understanding ourselves, others, and God. - helps us to identify the points of divergence and covergence between us and brutes and between us and plants; - exposes us to a thorough and deeper understanding of ourselves as unique dipartite creatures that we are the substantial unity of body and soul; - helps us understand better our nature, the meaning of our existence, our point of origin, and our terminal point who is God; and - enables us to encounter the diverse views of different philosophers concerning our nature, our uniqueness, and our role in the whole spectrum of God’s creation. Approach The method that we use in studying the nature of man and the meaning or condition of being human is basically Christian. But this requires a lot of analytic presentation of various views about man.
THE PROBLEMS IN PHILOSOPHY OF MAN What is the Nature of Man? The meaning of th term “human” is obvious. It refers to anything which is exclusively pertinent to man. On the contrary, the meaning of the term “nature” needs ample elaboration. Per se, the term is derived from the Latin word natus which means “born” or natura which means “to be born” or “being born”. In this light, the general definition of nature is that it is the ultimate principle of operation of a reality. Applied to man, human nature would refer to anything exclusively human which man intrinsically possesses right at his birth.
Human nature is one and immutable. It is one because it is absolutely present to all those who are born humans; it is static because it remains as it is in every man from birth to death. In effect, human nature is one and is elusive of change a. Three Fold Level of Human Nature a.1 Somatic Level- refers primarily to the body, substance, constitution or stuff of man and secondarily to the bodily structure, color, etc. of man which are conditioned by man’s culture and environment. When the human bodily substance is animated right at conception, it assumes the potentiality to grow and develop into a living human flesh. When this occurs, the living human body is capable of sensation. It is in this way where we can claim universality and staticity of human nature in the somatic level. All men therefore bleed when pricked and laugh when tickled. Nothing in one human body is foreign to another. The realities in the flesh of one human body is true to all. a.2 Behavioral Level- refers to the mode of acting of every man. Both in the abstract and concrete nuances, man has a universal way of acting or conducting himself properly. However, it may be true to suppose that some men behave or react in a given situation differently from others. a.3 Attitudinal Level- refers to the mental reaction of every man to a given stimulus or the position of every individual man concerning his opinion, feeling, or mood. Again, this level is universal yet not static. It is universal since every man has attitudes. However, it is not subjectively static because it is dependent on human individually or uniqueness. Every man has attitude, but every man has different attitudes. A. What is Human Condition? a. A-Being-Who-Quest-for-Meaning Our task is not to show that human existence as such is meaningful, instead our task is to show the fact of the human quest towards finding and realizing the meaning of human existence. If experience is the indispensable ground where the state and meaning of being human lies, then, man’s consciousness of his existence should be present side by side with his experience. In the philosophical parlance, consciousness and experience are correlative data. Experience is experience only in the context of consciousness and vice-versa. And if consciousness occurs as a correlative datum of experience then man should be conscious of his distinctive existence so that he can strike a sense, purpose, and direction in his existence. Thus, it can be necessarily inferred that finding meaning in human existence is an imperative to every man. Human existence is something that can be found and eventually realized in the actual living and existing as a human being. The meaning of life will just manifest itself in man’s actual living of it. Thus, in this sense, the meaning of human condition cannot be reckoned with in the objective basis of evaluation but in the subjective basis.
THE NATURE OF MAN Knowing the nature of man is quite important in that it offers insights or explanations why a person thinks and behaves in a certain manner, and why a person adopts a certain kind of belief or philosophy. Even mere assumptions about man, according to Rhinelander, are crucial, for they determine many of the theories man ever conceived of. These assumptions influenced not only political theory and history but also theories of knowledge, theories of value, theories of ethics, theories of art, theories of language, and theories of religion. Man As Viewed From Four Perspectives Man according to: - Composition - Essence - Origin - Distinctive traits To have a fuller understanding of man it is proper to view man from various perspectives. One may look at him in terms of the elements with which he is made, his origin, essence or fundamental nature, and in terms of certain traits or characteristics which distinguish him from any other creation. Man according to Composition 1.
Monism- man is made of matter or body and nothing else. - the mental and the spiritual is a mere product of the physical. - The popular proponents of this view are the behaviorists who regard “only the body as functually real,” and whatever appears to be other than the body are mere functions of the body. Thus, the spiritual nature of man is the workings of the body. This is the doctrine of Epiphenominalism.
Epiphenominalism- the mental or spiritual is a mere by-product of the physical. - an individual who believes that man is purely a physical being is not expected to care about what happens to him when he dies. Such a person can hardly be seen participating in spiritual activities like Bible study, prayer meeting or worship, which are founded on the belief that man has a soul which, upon the death of the physical body, may reunite with his Creator. 2.
Dualism- man is made of two irreducible elements- matter and spirit or soul. Soul- as the “principle of life in those things which we live.”(St. Thomas Aquinas) 2 Opinions regarding the Dualistic Theory:
a.
Man is matter and spirit- it implies that not only is man made of two elements but that matter and spirit are two separate entities which interact regularly. - As two separate entities, it is possible for the spirit to leave the body either temporarily as when a person became unconscious or permanently as when the body perished.
b.
Man is matter-spirit- views man as a fusion of the two elements. To separate the two elements will result to having two entities-matter and spirit- but not man. - without a body the spirit is non-existent, particularly to those who believe that reality is dependent on human perception.
3. Tripartite- man is made up of body, soul and spirit. (By: Early Christian Believers) Body- outermost part of man, which can be perceived physically. Soul- the inner part of man which cannot be seen. - it consists of the mind, emotions and the will. Spirit- innermost part of man by which he can commune with God. - immaterial being- eluding the test of the biologist and chemist, essential part of man’s nature, the heart of all human life. Man according to his Origin: 1.
Theory of Evolution- asserts that man descended from simpler ancestors whose ancestry can be traced back to an exceedingly simpler form of life.
Evolution-is the process of gradual growth or development of all forms of life, a single cell organism (believed to be the ultimate beginning of all living things) by natural descent to various forms of life which are structurally complex and have the increased range of functions of powers. Man is the most complex product of the evolutionary development. This theory of evolution is associated with Charles Darwin, a British naturalist who theorized that living organisms developed through the process of natural selection. Organic evolution or Darwinism is not; however, synonymous with the theory of evolution since Darwinism is only one of the many explanations of how one specie may have descended from another. Charles Darwin- main proponent of the theory of evolution through the natural process of selection “the survival of the fittest.” 2.
Theory of Divine Origin- asserts that man is created through God’s image and likeness.(Gen. 2:7). 2 Theories of Divine Origin:
a. b.
Mythological (Greek and Roman) the supreme being participates in the creation of man. Judeo-Christian - believes that the whole being of man is created apart from the existence of the Supreme Being.
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the man is of divine origin in the theory of the Judeo-Christians which is based on the story of creation.
Man according to his Essence: In terms of essence or fundamental nature, various opinions have been expressed. These opinions can be grouped into three fairly distinct categories: 1.
Rationalistic view- points out that man’s capacity to understand and reason as his most unique attribute which sets him apart from other living creatures. - reason is the highest part of the soul- Plato - it is independent and immortal and it is the only faculty which enables man to penetrate the very nature of things. - Asserts that man is to be understood primarily from the viewpoint of the nature and uniqueness of his rational powers.
2.
Religious view - stresses the Divine nature of man. - man is a being created by God and made in God’s image. - Man’s spiritual elements enables him to transcend his physical limitations and the natural conditions of life.
3. Scientific Views a.
Biological view- stresses that man is the highest form of life, man is the peak of evolution. - man is a part of the physical order of nature, and, like other objects, he has size, weight, shape, and color. - He occupies space and time and is subject to the laws of physics, such as the law of gravitation.
b. Behaviorist view- “All men are similar in nature.” They are empty organisms furnished with the same neural and mechanical equipment, waiting to be formed by the forces around Him. - sees man as a being that can be manipulated, formed, and developed in much the same way as any other animal. Man’s Distinctive Traits (Ardales 1992) Although, most scientists take man as a part of the physical order of nature, man is distinctive in that he has life which makes him different from nonliving creatures and he has the power to reason which sets him above the other species of animals. The other traits which differentiate man from other higher form of animals are social, cultural, and intellectual. Physically, man’s posture is erect which enables him to use freely his arms and hands for exploration and manipulation. He has free fingers and prehensile thumbs which enables him to grasp objects. He has arms which has the capability to rotate gives him freedom and flexibility. The most precious endowment of man is his large head and highly organized and intricate nervous system.
Man as a part of the physical order of nature, man is distinctive in that he has life which makes him different from nonliving creatures, and he has the power to reason which sets him above the other species of animals. 1. Man uses propositional language, makes sentences and carries on conversations. 2. Only man is inventive; he makes tools, and builds machines Ex. He builds machines 3. Man is a social and political creature who passes laws, establishes rules of conduct, and is learning to cooperate in larger units. 4. Man is conscious of his history and has a cumulative cultural tradition. 5. Man has aesthetic appreciation. He creates beauty and enjoys it 6. Man is a religious being in the sense that he worships and engages in ritualistic or ceremonial practices. 7. Man has a sense of right and wrong and of values. He is an ethical creature with a moral conscience.
