Philosophy of Man: Understanding the Nature and Origin of Human Existence, Summaries of Philosophy

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A. Lynn,

Philosophy of man

Definition of Term:

PHILOSOPHY OF MAN

• Philosophy – is a science whose essence is found on reason, experience, reflection, intuition, meditation, imagination , and speculation that leads to CRITICAL THINKING which embraces questioning , analyzing , criticizing, synthesizing, evaluating, and judging a given phenomenon
• Philosophy of the Human Person o Deals with the origin of human life, nature of human life, and the reality of human existence o In Philosophy it is concern of the meaning of human nature and nature of the human self. It explores human nature itself, to know his essence, form which makes human unique. It discusses the essential or uniqueness about the term Man as being. o The essential question that can be asked is “Who am I”? It challenges and evaluates his being, his relationship to the World and relationship to his Creator. o Some topic of Philosophy of Human person: Historicity, Man as Embodied Spirit, Man as Being-in-the- world, Man lives in time, I-It relationship, I-Thou relationship, I-Thou (eternal) relationship, Death and Immortality and his highest activity is love. Certain Philosophies of Man: Greek Philosophers
• GREEK PHILOSOPHERS – believes that what constitutes the world is also that constitutes human. o THALES - WATER is the world of stuff ➢ Somatic level of human nature: it is a scientific knowledge that the human brain contains 80% water and 70% in the human body. o ANAXIMENES – AIR ➢ Human: body – condensed air ➢ soul – rarefied air o PYTHAGORAS ➢ soul is immortal, divine o PROTAGORAS ➢ ultimate criterion of truth: man is the measure of all things o SOCRATES ➢ Human THINKS and WILLS. Human soul is more important than the body. o PLATO ➢ DUALISTIC nature : body – material, ergo, mutable and destructible; Soul – immaterial, ergo immutable and indestructible. ➢ Three components of the soul ▪ Rational soul – mind and intellect ▪ Spirited soul – will or volition ▪ Appetitive soul – emotion or desire ➢ According to Plato values are chosen; Choice is volitional ▪ It means that the development of the character and intelligence like the body is open to human choice. o ARISTOTLE – no dichotomy between body and soul. ➢ Body and soul are in a state of unity o STOICS – the soul is matter and has seven parts ➢ Five senses ➢ The power of speech ➢ The power of reproduction ➢ Another Stoic view is that the human nature is part of determined universe. “Man must be the subject of the will of God and to the law of nature” Certain Philosophies of Man: Medieval Philosophers
• MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY is THEODICY o ST. AUGUSTINE ▪ God created human with a mortal body with an immortal soul and gave him free will. o ST. THOMAS AQUINAS ▪ He claims that the human person is substantially united body and soul. ▪ Soul is united with the human body – principle of life ▪ Soul requires the body as the material medium for its operation particularly perception ▪ Soul has operative functions which do not need a material medium: they are human’s intellect and will. o RENE DESCARTES ▪ idea of substance; man is a machine and a thinking being, a thing that thinks

o Human existence is found in human exercise of freedom and responsibility Certain Philosophies of Man: Existentialist Philosophers

• MARTIN HEIDEGGER o Human existence can only attained when the human person lives his life authentically o Authentic existence requires human to do the ff: ▪ Human has to free himself from his inauthentic existence ▪ Human owns his existence, he has to project his possibilities; human has to make himself ▪ Human person has to experience dread, care, concern, guilt ▪ Human’s resolute decision to live authentically, human has to accept death as his own most inevitable possibility.
• VICTOR FRANKL o human can find meaning in his existence in a three-fold: ▪ By doing a life-project ▪ By experiencing value ▪ By finding meaning of suffering
• SOREN KEIRKEGAARD o human can achieve a meaningful existence when human liberates himself from his/her “crowd existence”
• KARL JASPERS o The attainment of human existence is possible when he is seen as whole or as the “Encompassing”. Human can be the Encompassing when he sees as an existent being, as a conscious being, as a spirit and as an existence.
• JOHN STUART MILL o utilitarianism o Pain or even sacrifice of pleasure is warranted on Mill’s view only when it results directly in the greater good of all.
• JEREMY BENTHAM o Utilitarian value: “… actions are right in proportions as tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce pain. By happiness are intended pleasure, and the absence of pain o The principle of utility, defines the meaning of moral obligation by reference to the greatest happiness of the greatest number of people
• DAVID HUME o He believed that our beliefs and actions are the products of custom or habit. o According to him, it is our feelings that exert practical influence over human volition and action. o All human actions flow naturally from human feelings without any interference from human person
• FRIEDRICH NIETZCHE o no rules for human life, no absolute values, no certainties on which to rely; rejects religion Nature of the human person
• THREE-FOLD LEVEL OF HUMAN NATURE

1. Somatic level – body, substance, constitution
2. Behavioral level - mode of acting
3. Attitudinal level – mental reaction to a given stimulus; position of every individual concerning his/her opinion, feeling or mood.

• Human being is the substantial union of body and soul.
• Humans are social beings.
• Humans are historical beings
• Humans are acting beings. Meanings of values
• Values o Latin word valere – vigor, a power to do specific thing o Refers to interests, pleasures, likes, duties, preferences, moral obligations, desires, wants, goals, needs, aversions and attractions.
• Two Kinds of Values

1. Absolute Moral Values – those which are ethically and socially binding to all men, at all times and in all places Characteristics: Objective Universal External ➢ Moral Values ▪ Refer to the qualities of an act, which are performed by an individual freely and knowingly. It is founded on human person, love and freedom
2. Behavioral and Cultural Values – are inner personal responses or incentive, which prompt a person to a certain way Characteristics: Subjective Societal/Situational Meaning, Nature, Purpose and Norms of Morality

• Morality o Human Acts o Acts of Man
• Classification of Human Acts o Moral Actions o Immoral Actions o Amoral Actions