Introduction to Philosophy

of the Human Person

CONTENT
DOING PHILOSOPHY

• What is philosophy?
• What is the difference
between knowledge and
wisdom?
OBJECTIVES
1. Distinguish a holistic
perspective from a partial
point of view
2. Define philosophy
3. Differentiate knowledge from
wisdom
DOING PHILOSOPHY
Doing philosophy helps us
think many things, including
those that leave us confused
or without an acceptable
answer.
The Meaning of Philosophy
and Philosophy of
the Human Person
Philosophy is a bunch of crap that
people do when they want to make
money but don’t want to work.

Philosophy is trying to answer

questions through observation and
thought. It could be a formula to life,
or an informed way of life
The Meaning of Philosophy
and Philosophy of
the Human Person
Philosophy is the different people’s
views on life, death, and after-life.

Philosophy is wanting to know more

than the obvious; clarifying (using
reason and logic) answers to
questions-arguing.
The Meaning of Philosophy and
Philosophy of
the Human Person
Philosophy is how a person thinks
Philosophy is sitting around, smoking
cigarettes, and getting into deep
discussions about life’s little quirks.
Philosophy is a rational inquiry into the
nature of the universe, both physical and
metaphysical
The Meaning of Philosophy
and Philosophy of
the Human Person
Philosophy is an in-depth reasoning
about literary works (analyzing)

Philosophy is a search for truth

through the contemplation to reach a
higher sense of self or self-
actualization
The Meaning of Philosophy and
Philosophy of
the Human Person
Philosophy comes from the Greek work
“philosophia” which means "love of
wisdom," is a science where reason and
logic are used to understand reality and
answer questions of knowledge,
morality, and human nature.
It can be described as either a body of
knowledge or an intellectual activity.
The Meaning of Philosophy and
Philosophy of
the Human Person

• Philosophy as a body of knowledge

provides methodologies and insights
on how societal questions, such as
moral dilemmas of euthanasia or
same-sex marriage, can be
answered.
The Meaning of Philosophy and
Philosophy of
the Human Person
• On the other hand, philosophy as an
intellectual activity is an analytic
procedure of addressing individual
thought processes such as resolving
conflict and confusion, testing
positions, and analyzing beliefs.
• In all instances, doing philosophy is
prescribed by logic, reason, and ethics
leading to wisdom.
The Meaning of Philosophy and
Philosophy of
the Human Person
• Philosophy as applied to human
experience or everyday life denotes
the use of philosophy as an intellectual
activity.
• Also known as philosophy in life, this
concept is important because it serves
as the guiding principle on how one
ought to live life.
Difference Between Knowledge and Wisdom
GOALS
KNOWLEDGE
Quantitative: accumulation of
knowledge and information
Discovery of new truths
Descriptive knowledge
How to do certain things
Mastery of the outside world through
liberation from outside forces
Change of reality
Striving for certainty, regularity, and
predictability to plan for the future
Knowing how to deal with the expected
WISDOM
Qualitative: deeper understanding of
salient phenomena and events
Rediscovery of the significance of old
truths
Interpretative knowledge
Should I do certain things
Mastery of the inner world through
liberation from inner forces
Acceptance of reality
Acceptance of uncertainty, irregularity,
unpredictability, and impermanence
Knowing how to deal with the
unexpected and the unknown
Difference Between Knowledge and Wisdom
APPROACH
KNOWLEDGE WISDOM
Scientific Spiritual

Theoretical Applied

Abstract, detached Concrete, involved

Separation of form from content Integration of form and content

Distinction between subject and object Synthesis of subject and object

Linear: final stage of formal operations Dialectic: beyond formal operations

logos mythos

Personal: intrapersonal and

impersonal
interpersonal
Difference Between Knowledge and Wisdom
RANGE
KNOWLEDGE WISDOM

timeless: independent of
time-bound: subject to political
political and historical
and historical fluctuations
fluctuations

narrow: particularistic broad, holistic

Limited, domain-related Unlimited, universal

Fragmented, specialized,
Comprehensive, integrated
selective
Difference Between Knowledge and Wisdom
ACQUISITION

KNOWLEDGE WISDOM

Combination of cognition and

Intelligence/cognition
self-reflection

Detached experience, i.e., Personal life experiences

studying books, listen to together with self-
lectures, conducting awareness, determination,
experiments, objective and constancy to transcend
observations subjectivity and projections

Manipulation and control of Openness to experience

phenomena and events including the experience of
negativity, irregularity,
unpredictability, contradictions,
and ambiguity through the
development of equanimity
Difference Between Knowledge and Wisdom
RELATION TO AGING
KNOWLEDGE WISDOM

Reversed U-shaped pattern Potentially positive

Influenced by cognitive
decline
May become outdated and
obsolete with time
Influenced by openness to
experience, self-reflection,
self-awareness,
determination, and
constancy

Important at all stages of the

life course
Difference Between Knowledge and Wisdom
By: Fountain Hendricks
(Proverbs 4:7) (Hosea 4:6)
Many people believe that Wisdom &
Knowledge is the same thing but it’s
not.
The COMPLIMENT one another but DO
NOT have the same value.
Knowledge is beneficial but Wisdom is
important.
Difference Between Knowledge and Wisdom
EFFECTS ON THE KNOWER
KNOWLEDGE
Belief that knowledge is
potentially limitless
Tendency to believe in existing
knowledge if it is scientifically
arrived
Increased self-centeredness
because one believes that one
knows
Pride and a feeling of superiority
towards people with less intellectual
knowledge
Concerned about
individualistic and
particularistic issues
Negative feelings is
manipulation and control fails
WISDOM
Acceptance of the limits of
knowledge for human beings
Tendency to doubt existing
beliefs, values, knowledge, and
information
Diminished self-centeredness
because one knows that one
does not know
Sympathy and compassion for
others
Concerned about collective
and universal issues
Satisfaction and peacefulness
in spite of life’s vicissitudes and
uncertainties
Difference Between Knowledge and Wisdom
Having knowledge will open your eyes,
having wisdom will open your mind.
Having knowledge will expand your
options, having wisdom will expand your
understanding.
Having knowledge will strengthen your
intellect but having wisdom will exalt
you.
Having knowledge will increase your
awareness but having wisdom will
increase your discernment.
Difference Between Knowledge and
Wisdom
Being knowledgeable will
empower you but being wise will
make you powerful.
Wisdom and Knowledge are like
brothers and sisters, they are
related but they have two different
personalities
 DO WE NEED BOTH???
It is possible to have Knowledge
WITHOUT Wisdom and vice versa
but it NOT healthy,
More people have more
Knowledge than Wisdom why???
Because Knowledge can be
obtained easier that Wisdom.
 DO WE NEED BOTH???
In order to gain Knowledge
about something the only thing
you must be willing to do is to
HEAR what is being said but in
order to gain Wisdom you must
be willing to LISTEN.
 DO WE NEED BOTH???
The difference between hearing &
listening is that HEARING IS
EXTERNAL & LISTENING IS
INTERNAL.
BEING KNOWLEDGEABLE IS
SIMPLY STRENGTHENING YOUR
SENSES TO KNOW WHAT IS
AROUND YOU.
 DO WE NEED BOTH???
Being wise is a little more
complicated than being
knowledgeable … why???
Because you have to learn how to
ALLOW information to ENTER
INTO YOU and not just be part of
you.
 DO WE NEED BOTH???
In order to become wise,
remember the biblical principal..
“THE ONLY THINGS THAT
CHANGES YOU IS WHAT
ENTERS YOU”
Knowledge does not change
people, Wisdom does.
 DO WE NEED BOTH???
Example:
Millions of people have knowledge
about the importance of obeying
the law …
but still see millions of people
breaking the law
 DO WE NEED BOTH???
Example:
Many people have the knowledge
about how important it is to raise
their kids …
But unfortunately many parents
do not participate in the growth of
their children.
 DO WE NEED BOTH???
WISDOM CHANGES YOU!!!
When people receive Wisdom
they become empowered to be
powerful which gives them the
ability TO DO THE RIGHT THING.
IT IS IMPORTANT TO GAIN
WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE SO
THAT YOU WON’T BECOME AN
EDUCATED FOOL
 THE PRIMARY DIFFERENCE
KNOWLEDGE IS REVELATION BUT
WISDOM IS DIRECTION.
If you do not have revelation you
will be blinded and a blind person
will always perish because they
lack the ability to SEE what is going
on around them.
 THE PRIMARY DIFFERENCE
HAVING A SENSE OF DIRECTION IS
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN
LIFE.
Knowing what to do WITHOUT
knowing how to get it done will
create massive frustration.
Knowing where to go but NOT
KNOWING how to get there will
create tremendous stress.
Knowledge INFORMS you that
you need a destination
while
Wisdom shows you HOW to
get to your destination
PHILOSOPHY AS A CONCEPT
Philosophy is a system of beliefs about
reality.
It is one’s integrated view of the world.
It includes an understanding of the
nature of existence, man, and his role
in the world.
It is a necessary product of man’s
rational mind.
PHILOSOPHY AS A CONCEPT
Concepts are of central importance to
an overall theory of cognition and the
mind.
Our thoughts, especially those that
express or involve propositions, are
analyzed and distinguished from one
another by appeal to various facts
involving concepts and our grasp of
them.
PHILOSOPHY AS A CONCEPT
Similarly, our linguistic utterances that
express propositions also express
concepts, since concepts are normally
thought to be closely related to, or
even identified with, the meanings of
entities like predicates, adjectives, and
the like.
Our understanding and interaction
with the world also involves concepts
and our grasp of them.
PHILOSOPHY AS A CONCEPT
Our understanding that a given thing is
a member of a given category is at
least partly in virtue of our grasp of
concepts, and so are our acts of
categorizing.
Such capacities involve our knowledge
in an essential way, and thus such
philosophical issues regarding our
epistemic capacities are tied to issues
about concepts and their nature.
 PHILOSOPHY AS A PROCESS

It is an engagement in the search for

the meaning of life, its value and
relevance.
It is a process for finding significance in
existence.
 PHILOSOPHY AS A PROCESS
Process philosophy is a longstanding
philosophical tradition that
emphasizes becoming and changing
over static being.
Process philosophy is characterized by
an attempt to reconcile the diverse
intuitions found in human experience
(such as religious, scientific, and
aesthetic) into a coherent holistic
scheme.
 PHILOSOPHY AS A PROCESS
Process philosophy seeks a return to a
neo-classical realism that avoids
subjectivism.
This reconciliation of the intuitions of
objectivity and subjectivity, with a
concern for scientific findings, produces
the explicitly metaphysical speculation
that the world, at its most fundamental
level, is made up of momentary events of
experience rather than enduring material
substances.
 PHILOSOPHY AS A PROCESS
Process philosophy speculates that these
momentary events, called “actual
occasions” or “actual entities,” are
essentially self-determining,
experiential, and internally related to
each other.
The human person is a society of billions
of these occasions (that is, the body),
which is organized and coordinated by a
single dominant occasion (that is, the
mind).
THREE LEVELS OF INQUIRIES
1.COMMON SENSE
– A basic ability to perceive,
understand, and judge things
that are shared by (common
to) nearly all people without
need for debate
THREE LEVELS OF INQUIRIES
2. SCIENTIFIC
– Based on or characterized by
the methods and principles of
science
THREE LEVELS OF INQUIRIES
3. PHILOSOPHICAL
– Relating or devoted to the
study of the fundamental
nature of knowledge, reality
and existence
 THE HUMAN
PERSON AS AN
EMBODIED
SPIRIT
 THE HUMAN PERSON AS AN
EMBODIED SPIRIT
KEY TERMS:
Man – the general term commonly used
to refer to the entire human race
Human – refers to man as a species
Human being – used to distinguish man
from other animals
THE HUMAN PERSON AS AN
EMBODIED SPIRIT
Person – refers to a human being
granted recognition of certain rights,
protection, responsibilities, and dignity
above all. It is the totality of an
individual, possessing awareness, self-
determination, and the capacity to
interact with others and with
himself/herself.
Personhood – refers to the state of
being a person
THE HUMAN PERSON AS AN
EMBODIED SPIRIT
Human nature – refers to the
characteristics (like thinking, feeling and
acting) that distinguish humans from all
other creatures. These traits are
considered to form the essence of
humanity, and without them, an
individual may not be considered a
human person.
 WHAT IS HUMAN PERSON?

Person

Is able to
Has reach
awareness Has self
out and Has dignity
determination
of self interact
with other
SELF - AWARENESS
Refers to the person having a clear
perception of oneself, including his
thoughts, emotions, identity and actions
This awareness goes beyond perception
and reaction to the environment. We
have deeper awareness that is driven by
rationality or human thought.
A person is aware of both his
surroundings and himself. He knows that
he is living an experience and is an active
participant in this experience.
 SELF - AWARENESS
This awareness gives rise to the notion of
the “self” which the philosophers describe
as the person who is actively aware that he
is perceiving and experiencing reality.
This awareness of the self also enables us to
experience an “inner world” that is defined
by our personal thoughts and ideas. We
experience interiority, that is, the quality of
being focused on one’s inner life and
identity. This interiority enables us to
practice creativity.
SELF - AWARENESS
Creativity also means that a person can
create within himself what is not yet
existing outside.
Having an inner world allows a person to
create goals, dreams and plans which
may be realized through activity.
TRY SAYING THESE

I am a person.
I am alive.
I exist.
I am here. I am present.
I am living at this very moment.
 SELF - DETERMINATION
This 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.
Our free will enables us to do actions
whenever we want to and make various
alternatives. The existence of free will enables
a person to act willfully, control his actions,
and recognize himself as the source of action.
 SELF - DETERMINATION

Consequence is the result or effect of an

action or condition. Philosophers believe
that a person acts freely and with due
regard for the consequences of his
actions.
Morality is the goodness or ‘badness’ of
an act.
 SELF - DETERMINATION
Human action is such an important aspect
of the person that many philosophers
consider human action as a way to reveal
a person’s true nature.
Human acts complete the person, as it is
through his actions that his inner self is
revealed to others, and it is through
action that a person is able to explore and
fulfill his potential.
TRY SAYING THESE

I am a person.
My actions are my very own and
are made freely.
I know that I am the cause of my
actions.
I know that my actions have
consequences.
 Externality
This refers to the capability of a
person to reach out and interact with
others and the world.
The realization that we are not alone
and that there are indeed other
people around us enables us to reach
out and establish meaningful
relationships with others.
 Externality
Philosophers consider man as a social being
and that a person never exist in isolation. Man
has the natural tendency to seek out fellow
human beings, and the relationships
established by this interaction is a vital
component for survival.
Our interactions with others define our
existence as persons. We grow and develop not
only through our thoughts and actions, but also
through the influence of other people in our
lives, and the individuals we meet and interact
with.
TRY SAYING THESE
I am a person.
I value others.
I interact with others in meaningful
ways.
I value my relationships with others.
I have grown as a person because
I’ve had meaningful interactions with
people I’ve met in my life.
 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.
 Dignity
Each person is worth the same as
another person in the sense that
every person is priceless, unique,
unrepeatable and irreplaceable.
No person is dispensable or
interchangeable.
This is the reason why separation
from the people we love and value
is a difficult and painful experience.
 Dignity
Human dignity is rooted in the nature
of the human being, meaning, a person
has dignity simply because of the fact
that he is human.
Dignity is not defined by outside factors
like intelligence, beauty, skills, etc.
A person retains his dignity in spite of
his actions or behavior.
 Dignity
Dignity also drives us to seek what is
good.
Doing good deeds upholds and
promotes dignity of the human person.
This recognition of dignity is also the
basis for the recognition of human
rights.
TRY SAYING THESE
I am a person.
I am a person with dignity.
I recognize that others have
dignity, as well.
I must uphold human dignity in
my thoughts and actions.
What is in our human nature that
enables us to become persons?
Aside from the physical characteristics,
another aspect of the human that
defines us as persons is the spirit.
This intangible element enables us to
exercise thought, possess awareness,
interiority, and the capacity to reach
out to the outside world and other
persons.
How are the body and spirit related?
Philosophers consider the human person as
defined by the union of the body and the
spirit.
THE HUMAN PERSON IS AN EMBODIED
SPIRIT.
The body and the spirit are not only united,
but they are integrated with each other.
Embodiment enables us to do and
experience all the things that make us
human persons.
How are the body and spirit related?
Science: Love is a result of various
biological reactions associated with an
increase in hormones, which may have
certain effects on the body.
Philosophy: Human persons do not love
just with the heart nor the brain. We
love another person with our entire
being. Embodiment is the one thing
that enables us to feel love and love
others.
 Embodiment
The human body stands as the mediator between
the material world and the spiritual world.
Being an embodied spirit, the person is able to
encounter the world of objects (and other
personal subjects) in a manner that transcends the
physical.
This feature allows him to form intimate
relationship with those outside him.
Human embodiment allows persons to attach
certain feelings or ideas not only to people but
also to objects. (pair of shoes as a present from a
loved one)
 Embodiment
With human embodiment, physical acts are no
longer purely physical acts, because the body
conveys something from a person’s inner world.
A pat on the shoulder from your idol, a smile
from your crush, a kiss from your partner will
create intense emotional reaction in you.
These examples show that it is through
embodiment that a person in able to have a
very unique relationship with the world.
And it is this unique relationship that defines us
as humans.
How does my human nature enable me
to explore my limits?
Human nature still has limits despite
being an embodied spirit. It can be said
that the person is very biologically
deficient being.
We do not have the natural ability to fly.
We cannot breathe underwater without
using breathing apparatus. We cannot
survive in certain environments like other
animals.
How does my human nature enable me
to explore my limits?
Despite this limitations, we have used out
intellect to devise means to achieve
several feats.
The ability to surpass limits is called
transcendence, and it is also one
important trait that distinguishes the
human person from other beings in
existence.
 Transcendence
Our mind is an important tool that allows
us to go beyond many of our physical
limits.
Although we have these physical
limitations, we can transcend them
because of our spiritual dimension.
 Transcendence
As human persons, we have natural
tendencies or inclinations.
Some of these are felt bodily functions like
hunger, fatigue, etc. transcendence means
overcoming oneself or being in control even
if the body reminds us of certain tendencies.
Although these tendencies are felt, the
person can govern them and ensure that
they are exercised within the bounds of
reason.
 Transcendence
Each individual carries within himself the
possibility of transcending his limits by
exerting enough effort and perseverance.
Philosophy gives us useful tools to
explore our limits and possibilities.
The essence of transcendence is to
acknowledge our limitations, identify
possibilities for development and change
ourselves for the better.
 Transcendence
Opening yourself to new experiences
and ideas is another aspect of
transcendence.
Our capacity for transcendence gives us
the opportunity to work toward
becoming better versions of ourselves.
 THE HUMAN
PERSON IN HIS /
HER
ENVIRONMENT
 APPROACHES TO
UNDERSTANDING THE
RELATIONSHIP OF THE
HUMAN PERSON WITH
THE ENVIRONMENT
 THREE MAIN APPROACHES
1. COSMOS – CENTRIC APPROACH
– In the earlier civilization, human
beings understood themselves as
being in harmony with nature.
– The whole world of the cosmos is
one whole system of order of
which we are a part.
 THREE MAIN APPROACHES
1. COSMOS – CENTRIC APPROACH
– The universe can be understood
as a vast spectrum of energy in
need of constant balance and
harmony.
– In essence, everything is Qi only
in different states and forms.
 THREE MAIN APPROACHES
1. COSMOS – CENTRIC APPROACH
– Example: the water cycle, there is
condensation, water turning to
ice, Qi forms of Earth. In opposite,
dispersion, water turning to
vapor, Qi forms of Heaven.
 THREE MAIN APPROACHES
1. COSMOS – CENTRIC APPROACH
– In middle of these two poles is
the human being.
– The natural laws govern the
movement of Qi as Yin and Yang
to create a harmonious balance in
the universe.
 THREE MAIN APPROACHES
1. COSMOS – CENTRIC APPROACH
– Part of the balance created is the
human being – a reflection of the
balance between heaven and
earth, Yin and Yang.
– If this natural law is skewed
towards one pole, an imbalance is
created.
 THREE MAIN APPROACHES
1. COSMOS – CENTRIC APPROACH
– The cosmos-centric approach to
understanding our relationship to
the environment shows that
human beings are a microcosm of
the cosmos
– “micro” – small
– “cosmos” - universe
 THREE MAIN APPROACHES
1. COSMOS – CENTRIC APPROACH
– It mans that the universe is
reflected in us; we are a small
version of the universe.
– The same cosmic patterns that
govern nature also govern our
being.
 THREE MAIN APPROACHES
1. COSMOS – CENTRIC APPROACH
– Meaning, when these natural law
and cosmic patterns are tampered
with the resulting imbalance will
also affect the balance within
humans.
– If there is no balance of energies in
nature, the person also feel
imbalance within themselves.
 THREE MAIN APPROACHES
1. COSMOS – CENTRIC APPROACH
– On reverse side, when there is
imbalance within the person,
there would also imbalance in
everything around it.
 THREE MAIN APPROACHES
2. THEOCENTRIC APPROACH
– Theo (God)-centric approach
refers to an understanding
coming from a religious
interpretation.
– This especially applies to the
Judeo-Christian tradition as
specified in the creation story.
 THREE MAIN APPROACHES
2. THEOCENTRIC APPROACH
– The story relates that after creating
the world, and all that is in it,
including man and woman, God said
“Go and multiply; fill the earth and
subdue it.”
– The first man, Adam, was given the
power over the rest of creation
 THREE MAIN APPROACHES
2. THEOCENTRIC APPROACH
– The creation story tells of how God
entrusted the earth to man and
woman by giving them the role of
stewards of creation.
– To steward over something is to
manage or to put something under
your care.
 THREE MAIN APPROACHES
2. THEOCENTRIC APPROACH
– We have been given the power to
make use of what has been given
us, but with this power comes the
responsibility and duty to take care
of the gift.
– As such, we are not just consumers
of earth’s resources. We are it’s co-
creators.
 THREE MAIN APPROACHES
2. THEOCENTRIC APPROACH
– The Theocentric Approach tells us that
although we may be able to trace the
immediate causes of environmental
degradation through technical and
scientific explanations, but if we forget
to pin down the main factor that is
responsible for it – ourselves, human
beings – then we will never be able to
address this escalating problem of the
destruction of the earth.
 THREE MAIN APPROACHES
2. THEOCENTRIC APPROACH
– It is clear that we are the problem and
we, ourselves, are the solution.
– Pope Francis said: “the human
environment and the natural
environment deteriorate together; we
cannot adequately combat
environmental degradation unless we
attend to causes related to human and
social degradation.
 THREE MAIN APPROACHES
3. ANTHROPOCENTRIC APPROACH
– anthropos (man) + centric
– This approach is like the theocentric
approach that puts the human
person in dominion over the earth,
but de-emphasizes the role of God.
– It started with the rise of
experimental sciences.
 THREE MAIN APPROACHES
3. ANTHROPOCENTRIC APPROACH
– This dominant approach began in
the sixteenth century in Europe and
has become the most widely used
all over the world until today.
– To understand this approach, recall
your lessons in science when you
had to conduct experiments in your
science class.
 THREE MAIN APPROACHES
3. ANTHROPOCENTRIC APPROACH
– Remember the use of “control set-
up” and compare it with an
“experimental set-up.”
– First, control set-up
• Seed planted on a cup of good soil,
placed in an environment with
sufficient light and air, and watered
every other day
 THREE MAIN APPROACHES
3. ANTHROPOCENTRIC APPROACH
– Second, experimental set-up
• Plant seed in a bad kind of soil
• Plant seed on a good kind of soil but was
placed in the dark
• Plant seed on a cup of soil covered with
plastic
• Plant seed similarly in the control set-up
except it was not watered at all.
 THREE MAIN APPROACHES
3. ANTHROPOCENTRIC APPROACH
– Second, experimental set-up
• Plant seed in a bad kind of soil
• Plant seed on a good kind of soil but was
placed in the dark
• Plant seed on a cup of soil covered with
plastic
• Plant seed similarly in the control set-up
except it was not watered at all.
 THREE MAIN APPROACHES
3. ANTHROPOCENTRIC APPROACH
– In doing the science experiment, you
were able to “extract” nature’s
secrets to know more about it.
– You were also able to “manipulate”
the natural conditions for the growth
of the plat.
– In these, you are seen as
“intervening” with the nature.
 THREE MAIN APPROACHES
3. ANTHROPOCENTRIC APPROACH
– The development of experimental
science has made the human being
aware that he can detach himself
from the ongoing cycle of nature
and thereby control it.
– No longer is the human being
simply vulnerable to the dictates of
nature.
 THREE MAIN APPROACHES
3. ANTHROPOCENTRIC APPROACH
– Natural calamities can be controlled to
some extent.
– The natural aging of the skin, or the
shape of one’s body parts, among
others, can also be altered.
– With the awareness of this ability came
the dissipation of the power of the myth
to take control of our daily lives.
 THREE MAIN APPROACHES
3. ANTHROPOCENTRIC APPROACH
– Modern individuals are aware that
they can be in control of their own
fate.
– They can alter their life directions
based on their own choices.
 THREE MAIN APPROACHES
3. ANTHROPOCENTRIC APPROACH
– The downside of the rise of modern
sciences is the swelling of the
human being’s pride over his own
powers to alter and manipulate
nature.
– Unfortunately, this approach seems
to be the most dominant of all three
approaches.
 A BALANCED APPROACH
– Learning from all these approaches,
we can see that it is possible to put
them together.
– The cosmos-centric approach
emphasizes on the human being as
a balance between heaven and
earth.
 A BALANCED APPROACH
– This relates to the anthropocentric
approach which shows how we are
earthly beings in need of resources.
– The theocentric approach that
emphasizes on our heavenly role as
stewards of creation.
– Our goal now is to assess our own
selves and find the right approach in
dealing with nature in order to save
whatever if left of it, before it is too late.
THE MEANING OF FREEDOM
– Negative Freedom if freedom from
coercion (force) or interference
(hindrance) from any block.
– This refers to the absence of
“interference”.”
– By interference, we mean
something that is intentionally
imposed on a person
THE MEANING OF FREEDOM
– It may come in the form of “physical
coercion” such as kidnapping or
imprisonment, or “verbal coercion”
such as issuing of threats to another
person.
– One is free, in the negative sense,
when he/she does not experience
either forms of coercion.
THE MEANING OF FREEDOM
– Positive Freedom, which is a true
freedom, is not just about the
absence of coercion or interference.
– It is a kind of freedom that requires
active effort on the person who is to
be free.
– He/she who is free is the one who
has the “control or mastery of
himself/herself.”
THE MEANING OF FREEDOM
– It is “more than just being let alone
by other.”
– A person who is deemed to be free
in the positive sense is one who is
able to steer so that all may follow a
single direction.
THE MEANING OF FREEDOM
– Freedom is something that is
exercised through our choices.
– When a person exercises his
freedom, he becomes real.
– Freedom is choosing for myself,
choosing to direct my life to what I
want to be which leads to the
consolidation of my personality.
THE MEANING OF FREEDOM
– It is expected that my actions and
small decisions that I make everyday
are aligned to those goals and
aspirations and small decisions that
I have chosen for myself.
– One becomes real self as soon as he
exercises his freedom to direct his
life according to the choices he
makes and becomes consolidated.
EXISTENTIALISM: Freedom is
exercised through Choices
– Existentialism is a philosophy that
emphasizes individual existence,
freedom and choice.
– It is the view that human define
their own meaning in life, and try to
make rational decision despite
existing in an irrational universe.
EXISTENTIALISM: Freedom is
exercised through Choices
– It focuses on the question of
human existence, and the
feeling that there is no purpose
or explanation at the core of
existence.
EXISTENTIALISM: Freedom is
exercised through Choices
– It holds that, as there is no God,
or any transcendent force, the
only way to counter this
nothingness is by embracing
existence.
 FREEDOM AS CHOOSING FOR
ONESELF THAT LEADS TO
PERSONALITY CONSOLIDATION
– Freedom means exercising the
capacity to make decision,
chooses life path and direct the
course of my life through own
steering.
 FREEDOM AS CHOOSING FOR
ONESELF THAT LEADS TO
PERSONALITY CONSOLIDATION
– One’s task as a human person
who wants to be real and
authentic is to take care of the
capacity to make choices.
 ACTIVITY
Explain freedom means by the use of the
letters of FREEDOM. Make an acrostic
poem.
F
R
E
E
D
O
M