(II) MAN AS PERSON

What goals we assign to ourselves, what actions we choose to do, and how we treat others
depend on how we understand ourselves as a human being.
* According to Socrates the starting point of wisdom is to know oneself
I. Filipino Beliefs
A. Filipinos believe that
. !an is a creature of "od.
#. !an has an immortal soul.
$. !an has an assigned destin% in life.
&. !an must do good or else be punished b% "od
'. !an b% nature is good but is morall% wea(.
). *egarding moralit%, Filipinos believe that
. !oralit% is batas ng +i%os
#. A person should respect his humanit%, pag(atao
$. A person should love and care for his famil%.
&. A person should strive to live peacefull% with others.
'. A person should fear "od and ,is punishment.
II. Rational Animal
- !an is an organism composed of a material bod% and a spiritual soul.
- -his essential wholeness is what we call human nature.
III. A Moral Bein
-hree characteristics reveal man.s moral nature/
. !an b% natural insight is able to distinguish between good and evil, right and
wrong, moral and immoral.
#. !an feels himself obliged to do what is good and to avoid what is evil.
$. !an feels himself accountable for his actions so that his good deeds merit
reward, while his evil deeds deserve punishment.
I!. Man as Person
Person defined as an individual, e0isting separatel% and independentl% from others,
capable of (nowing and loving in an intellectual wa%, and of deciding for himself
the purpose or end of his actions. We also refer to person as self. or ego.
!. Personalit" an# $%ara&ter
Personalit" is the sum of a person.s ph%sical constitution, talents, abilities, and
habits which define characteristic behavior. 1n la%man.s terms, personalit%
consists of the ph%sical 2ualities and mannerisms of an aestheticall%
refined person.
- there is no such thing as cultivating a person, but we spea( of cultivation of
personalit%. ,ence, personalit% is the result of one.s achievement.
$%ara&ter refers to the person.s choice of values and his intelligent e0ercise of his
freedom.
1t is often ta(en as s%non%mous with personalit%.
While personalit% is an aspect of the bod%, character is an aspect of the human
soul.
3haracter is the will of the person directing him towards a recogni4ed ideal.
3ertainl% there is a difference5 6ersonalit% deals with the image that %ou pro7ect,
how other people perceive %ou and how %ou deal with other people.
3haracter refers to the morals that a person has their penchant to do the right
thing.
8omeone can have an e0cellent character and alwa%s be depended on to do good
things, but have the personalit% of a wet rag. And the nicest, most outgoing person
in the world can bac( stab their friends on a regular basis.
!I. Moral $%ara&ter
' When a person falls short of the e0pectation, he is said to have (a# &%ara&ter. 9n
the other hand, a person who lives up to the ideals of his humanit% is said to have
oo# &%ara&ter) or moral interit".
!II. So&ial *imension of t%e Person
- 6erson.s moralit% must identif% itself with public welfare.
- 6aul -illich puts it more clearl% and emphaticall% when he sa%s natural law is the
demand for us, to (e a person in t%e &omm+nit" of persons