Unit 4 – The human person and the
Polictical Freedom – freedom from foreign
environment
 Environment – French word, “environia” – “to
surround.” – refers to both abiotic (physical or
non-living) and biotic (living) environment.
 place where different kinds of organisms
thrive.
 Independence exists for sustainability and
allocation of resources.
Lesson 8 – Man and his Environment
 Environmental Determinism – (climatic
determinism or geographical determinism) is the
belief that the physical environment predisposes
“human social development towards particular
trajectories.”
 exposure of the human individual to the type
of physical environment determines his
behavior and thought pattern. In addition,
the moral norms are dictated by the
environmental concerns.
 NATURE over NURTURE
 Cultural Ecology – human individuals do not
engage with their total environment around
them, but only with a habitat consisting of certain
selected aspects and local ecosystems. Hence,
human population may modify certain aspects of
the local ecosystem
 Kottak, 1999 – Ecological anthropologists
view that populations are not engaged with
the total environment around them
 NURTURE over NATURE
 Possibilism or Cultural Determinsm –
utilization of the resources of the environment is
constrained or determined largely by the cultural
factors including social conditions.
 “The will of man is a basic actor both in his
own conduct and in his fundamental
activities.”
 Determinsm and Possibilism, 2012 – the
pattern of human activity is the result of the
initiative and mobility of man operating
within the natural framework
 Gaba – belief that something negative will
befall on someone who commits
wrongdoing
Unit 5 – Human Person and Freedom
 Freedom – liberty
 right or power to do as one pleases
Lesson 9 – Types and Nature of Freedom
Types of Freedom (forms)
 Bal Gangadhar Tilka – “freedom is my right and I
shall have it.”
1.
domination
2. Freedom of religion – an individual is free to
practice, profess or propagate any religious rites
according to his religion
3. Indiviual freedom – those freedom which are
necessary for an individual to improve and
develop himself
4. Economic Freedom – (most important aspect)
allows individual or groups to pursue different
economic activities for the allocation and
mobilization of resources.
5. Academic Freedom – freedom of teachers and
students to teach, study, and pursue knowledge
and research without unreasonable interference
or restriction. (Academic Freedom, 2014)
The Schools of Thought (theories of freedom)
 Determinsm – argue that nothing is without a
cause.
 Freud – (behaviorist) human behavior is
cause by either conscious or subconscious
desires and fears.
 Skinner – (materialist) human behavior is
determined by environment and heredity.
Freedom is an illusion
 Shopenhauer – people are not held
responsible for their actions for humans
were motivated by only their own basic
desires.
 Man is not free.
 Fatalism – everything is fated to happen thus,
putting humans as having no control over their
future.
 Fate has arbitrary power
 Types: Theological Determinism, Idea of
Predestination – there is a god who
determines all that humans will do and will
become.
 Compatibilism – freedom to choose among
many options
 Indeterminsm – free acts are unpredictable,
follows no pattern and happens inordinately.
 Spontaneity characterizes freedom
 Libertarianism – our choices define ourselves.
 Existentialism – (Sartre) man is condemned to
be free.
Schools of Thought Classifications:
a) Pro-freedom – belief that there is human
freedom, people are free to choose, and are
responsible for their actions.
b) Anti-freedom – human freedom is an illusion
and human persons cannot get away from what
have been laid before them. They are not
responsible for their actions
Lesson 10 – Human Freedom and Predestination
The Scope and Nature of the Problem on
Predestination
A. Predestination as the Cause of Salvation
 Predestination - a philosophical concept which
is based on foreknowledge or a priori knowledge
of God.
 Destinations are already set for human persons,
therefore, freedom is not possible.
 “If humans will be saved, it must be an action of
God.” (Peterson, 2004)
 Requirements:
1. An omniscient creator
2. #1 has a foreknowledge of the destiny of
his creations
3. #1’s knowledge transcends the limits of
time
B. God’s Foreknowledge and Human Freedom in
Salvation
 Omniscience – God’s perfect and eternal
knowledge of all things. (Strong, 1907)
 “What God knows is as good as done.”
(Pinnock, 1986)
C. Predestination is an Activity of God
 whom God predestined will be “holy and
blameless in his sight” (Man shares with Christ’s
identity.
The Christian Perspective of Human Freedom
 God created man a rational being
 Man should be left in the hand of his own
counsel
 Man is rational and therefore like God, he is
created with free will and is responsible over his
acts (Catechism of the Catholic Church)
Unit 6 – The Human Person in Society
 “Solitude is fine but you need someone to tell
that solitude is fine.” (Honoré de Balzac)
 “If everyone demanded peace instead of another
television set, then there’d be peace (John
Lennon)
 “In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups,
parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule
(Friedrich Nietzsche)
Lesson 11: Understanding Society
Definition of Society
 Society – a large group of people who live
together in an organized way.
Attributes:
1. Society as a group of people – entails
homogeneity, possess commonality
2. Society living in an organized way – harmony
in the group
3. Society with bound space of territory – Ethnic
groups
Origins of Societies: Theories and Concepts
1. The Platonic Perspectives – Plato designs
society (for meaning of justice). He compares
elements of his society to the three souls.
2. The Social Evolutionist Perspectives –
“Formation of society is through evolution.”
(Morgan, Durkheim)
 Evolution – process by which species of
organisms arise from earlier life forms and
undergo change.
 Durkheim – social order presupposes
morality.
3. Social Contract Theorists – origin of the
society.
 All men are born free and equal
a) Thomas Hobbes – society came into
being as a means for the protection of
men against the consequences
b) John Locke – man in the state of nature
is enjoying an ideal liberty free from all
sorts of rules and regulations
c) Jean Jacques Rousseau – (The Social
Contract) man in the state of nature is a
noble savage who leads a life of
primitive simplicity and idyllic happiness.
4. Structural Functionalist Perspective – society
continues to exist in the context of its function
Reasons to Establish Social Contract
1. Equality of need – hoarding is not tolerated
2. Scarcity – limited resources and supplies
3. Equality of human power – constant war
4. Limited altruism – we can’t be compassionate
all the time
Lesson 12: Society: Its Types and Functions
Functions of Society
 Socialization – process by which the individual
is initiated or introduced to the various
requirements of the social daily interaction or
everyday life experiences.
 Moralization – society is an agency where the
concept of acceptable actions are distinguished
from the non-acceptable actions.
 Economization – society has certain basic
needs or necessary conditions
Types of Societies
(The Anthropology of Culture, Miller)
 a) The Foragers – most or all food is obtained
from what is provided by nature
b) The Horticulturalists – members tend the
domesticated crops in gardens using hand tools.
c) The Pastoralists – members sustain
themselves through the domestication of
animals herds and the use of their products.
d) Agriculturalists – members utilize the
domesticated animals for plowing and transport
of goods.
e) Industrialists – high reliance on capital in its
economic operations and organizations
Man, Society, and Labor
 Labor cannot be divorced from the human
person
Human Person and the Family
 Family – basic social unit of a society
Rights of the Family
The right to:
 exist and progress as a family
 exercise its responsibility regarding the
transmission of life and to education children
 the intimacy of conjugal and family life
 the stability of the bond and of the institution of
marriage
 believe in and profess one’s faith and to
propagate it
 bring up children in accordance with the family’s
own traditions
 obtain physical, social, political and economic
security
 expression and to representation
 form associations
 protect minors
 wholesome recreation of a kind that also fosters
family values
 (elderly) to a worthy life and death
 emigrate as a family in search for a better life
Responsible Parenthood and Family Planning
 Family planning, Marriage, Educating Children
Authentic Development
 Development cannot be restricted on economic
growth alone to be authentic
Lesson 13: A Theory of Social Construction
What is Social Construction?
 Social Construction Theory – concerned with
the way we think about and use categories to
structure our experience and analysis of the
world.
 Social Construction of Reality – theory that
the way we present ourselves to other people is
shaped partly by our interactions with others, as
well as our life experiences.
The Thomas Theorem
 W. I. Thomas – “if a person perceives a
situation as real, it is real in its consequences.”
The Controversies: Some Theories
Perspectives:
1. Nurture versus Nature – ideas and their
categories (including stereotypes) are
constructed by society.
2. Nature versus Nurture – traits are inborn and
fixed at birth.
Controversies:
 The Bell Curve – environment or nature and
physical environment, predisposes individuals to
supremacy.
 Context and Intelligence – must not be biased
 Culture-Based Knowledge – an individual may
find it strange to adjust unto another culture
Lesson 14: Human Person and the Mass Media
What is Mass Media?
 a form of communication that impacts a large
audience in just a few settings.
 Forms: Television, Radio and Print (tri-media)
Theories of Mass Media
 Limited-effects Theory – people read, watch,
or listen to something based on their
preconceived judgement or notions
 The class-dominant theory – dominant class
controls mass media
 The Culturalist Theory – people form meanings
and patterns based on the stimulus they receive.
Violence and Pornography in the Mass Media
Right of Suffrage
 Section 1 – suffrage may be exercised by all
citizens of the Philippines
 Section 2 – The Congress shall provide a
system for securing the secrecy and sanctity of
the ballot as well as a system for absentee
voting
Political Parties
 a political party is a group of dedicated people
who come together to win elections.
 Capitalism – (economic and social system)
private ownership is predominantly given
emphasis in its philosophy
 Socialism – (socio-economic system) property
and the distribution of wealth are subject to
control by the workers
  Communism – (socio-economic structure)
adheres to the idea of a classless, stateless
society based on common ownership of the
means of production.
 Marxism – institutionalization of public
ownership of the means of production,
distribution, and exchange
 Totalitarianism – (authoritarian political system
or state) regulates and controls nearly every
aspect of the public and private sectors.

Lesson 16: Understanding Persons with Disabilities

Persons with Disabilities and Their Rights

Chapter 1, Section 4, Par. a of R.A. 7277

The Plight of the PWDs

Unit 7: The Reality of Death and Dying

 “Life is pleasant. Death is peaceful. It’s the

transition that’s troublesome.” (Isaac Asimov)
 Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A
legacy is etched into the minds of others and the
stories they share about you.” (Shannon L.
Alder)
 I don’t want my life to be defined by what is
etched on a tombstone. I want it to be defined by
what is etched in the lives and hearts of those
I’ve touched.” (Steve Maraboli)
 “Life is stressful, dear. That’s why they say ‘rest
in peace.’” (David Massucchelli)

Cultural Aspects of Death and Dying

 Monotheistic Religions – belief system

professing one Supreme Being.
 Ancestor Worship – understanding that course
of life is cyclical not linear.
 Buddhism and Hinduism – both believe that
death is not seen as the end of life, rather it is
merely the end of the body we inhabit in this life.

Cultural Expressions of Grief

Types of Death

 Death in Warfare (Dulce et decorum in patria

mori) – “it is sweet and right to die for your
country.”
 Martyrdom – somebody who suffers
persecution and/or death for advocating,
renouncing, refusing to renounce….
 Euthanasia – mercy-killing, is the practice of
intentionally ending a life in order to relieve pain
and suffering
 Death with Dignity – legally physician-assisted
dying with certain restrictions or conditionalities