Philo-of-Human-Person-Simplified-Guide-for-Lesson-2 PDF

WHO ARE YOU? Philosophizing the Man / Human Person Prepared by Gerone Jan P. Baladhay First, it is crucial to understand them in a historical perspective and in the light of the following: essentialism, existentialism, and nihilism. Essentialism - “essence precedes existence” - a type of determini...

WHO ARE YOU? Philosophizing the Man / Human Person Prepared by Gerone Jan P. Baladhay First, it is crucial to understand them in a historical perspective and in the light of the following: essentialism, existentialism, and nihilism. Essentialism - “essence precedes existence” - a type of determinism; it proposes that man’s “essence” or purpose / meaning, and life is already predetermined or planned even before he was born (exist) - man has an internal guide in finding what this purpose is and governed by free will must choose paths according to this planned design of his/her life - it proposes there are genuine moral truths and standards Existentialism - “existence precedes essence” -It proposes that man is born a clean slate or tabula rasa, without any purpose or meaning, only as man grows up and faces life choices, aided by his own reasoning and will, could he/she find or even create his/her purpose and meaning in life. -It proposes that we acknowledge and own up to our freedom, take full responsibility for our choices, and act in such a way as to help others realize their freedom. Nihilism - “existence is there, but essence is not” -it denies the existence of genuine moral truths and asserts the ultimate meaninglessness of life or of the universe. (not to be confused with Absurdism) ESSENTIALIST PHILOSOPHERS and their understanding of MAN: Thales of Miletus - debated as the first philosopher (i disagree) - a pre-Socratic philosopher he is cited as reference (the other was Socrates) for the statement: “The most difficult thing in life is to KNOW THYSELF” Anaximander - believed that man came from an evolutionary line from another animal such as a fish, emphasizing that man needs time to transform and adapt. Anaximenes - believed that man is composed of something that holds itself together, namely air, and that the soul is made of air. Socrates - known as the Father of Western Philosophy -for him, man is composed of a physical body and an immaterial soul that has the ability to think and question his own existence. -he was referenced in Plato’s Apology the statement: “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Plato - the philosopher of Idealism and a student of Socrates -The founder of the Platonic Academy, a philosophical school in Athens. -He proposes man is an intangible “soul” using a tangible body a principle he relates to his Theory of Forms or the Ideal World of Forms —------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- What is the Theory of Forms? “We came from the Good, must participate in the Good, in order to return to the Good” - Theorizes that the “YOU” in the physical world which we often see as our “own reality” is not our TRUE SELF or the IDEAL SELF, but just a reflection. This goes to everything including plants, other animals, rocks, etc. the only thing that is unique in us is our awareness because of the soul. - The REAL, IDEAL “YOU” is in the IDEAL WORLD OF FORMS - As a mere reflection, we are imperfect, hence a soul that needs a body in order to perceive and process thinking. The imperfection is brought by forgetting what is the GOOD or the IDEAL SELF / FORM - The only way to go back to the GOOD or the IDEAL SELF is through anamnesis or remembering. By remembering what the IDEAL SELF is related to (truth, beauty, unity, kindness, etc.) can we participate genuinely such as being honest, helping others, being creative and hence bring us back to become the IDEAL SELF or the IDEAL WORLD OF FORMS. Aristotle- the philosopher of Rationalism and a student of Plato, he becomes a teacher of Alexander the Great -The founder of the Lyceum. -He proposes man is a rational animal, simply by our unique characteristic of logical reasoning which we can use to attain virtue (fundamentals that make excellent character) and achieve Eudaimonia happiness in the form of flourishing in life. -He proposes also that man is a political animal, NOT that man should be active in politics, but political in a sense that man influences others he or she engages with to have the same logical reasoning, virtues, and achieved together Eudaimonia Plotinus - said that man is essentially a soul employing a body as an instrument of its temporary embodied life. Augustine of Hippo - said that man was created after the image and liking of God / Imago Dei. The image of God is placed in man's reason from which his faith, hope, and charity ensue. -He proposed that man’s only hope of fulfillment is found in God alone. “My heart will not rest, until it rest in Thee” Thomas Aquinas - agrees with Plato and Aristotle’s notion that man is a soul and a body created in God’s image with the purpose is to know and love God - the ultimate goal of human existence. Soren Kierkegaard - man is a self-determining man. Who you are is the very thing/s you stand for or live for. Immanuel Kant - man is an animal endowed with the capacity of reason. George Wilhem Friedrich Hegel - man is reason and freedom. David Hume - man is composed of the body and mind. While the body may be viewed as something relatively static, the human person or mind is for him something essentially dynamic, an ongoing process. Martin Heidegger - man is Dasein, being-in-there or being-in-the-world. His/her essence lies in his existence that is why he/she must live authentically, meaning man must make choices with a shift in attention and engagement, a reclaiming of oneself, from the way we typically fall into our everyday ways of being. It is about how we approach the world in our daily activities. Jean Paul Sartre - a pioneer of Existentialism -he proposed that man is condemned to be free because he has the ability to make free choices yet doomed to face its consequences whatever options may lie; what is important is that man makes the choice for himself and not because of its ends or motivations. Albert Camus - pioneer of absurdism (Absurdism defines human conditions as essentially absurd because humans are always looking for meaning, but are completely unable to find meaning because no such meaning exists.) -he proposed that man is anyone who is fully cognizant of this I/world absurdity and does not shy away from it. -banking on Sartre’s existential philosophy, he proposed that our meaning or purpose in life is clearly defined by the very reasons that stops us from killing ourselves. Friedrich Nietzche - he proposed that man is a rope stretched between the animal and the Übermensch (superman)-a rope over an abyss. Man must be able to overcome his animalistic tendencies and in crisis become superman in order to survive. Karl Marx - pioneer of communism, man is a "species-being" who is fundamentally social and cooperative, rather than selfish and individualistic. Jeremy Bentham - utilitarianism point of view, man is ruled by pleasure and/or pain Hannah Arendt - man is a social animal, man needs to get involved with worldly affairs. Jacques Derrida - man is a meaning maker. he/she is an invention whose recent date, and whose nearing. end perhaps, are easily shown by the archeology of our thought. Martin Buber - man is the being who faces an “other”, and a human home is built from relations of mutual confirmation. Ludwig Wittgenstein - man is language, man’s world is limited by his language. Bertrand Russell - man is the product of causes which had no prevision of the end they were achieving; that his origin, his growth, his hopes and fears, his loves and his beliefs, are but accidental collocations. Gilbert Ryle - man has no inner-self, but man is a collection of dispositions, habits, and tendencies that manifest in a person's observable actions and conduct. In this view, the self of man is not a thing or substance, but rather a way of describing the complex patterns of a person's behavior, skills, and dispositions. Michel Foucault - Man is disappearing, in the context of his critique of humanism and traditional conceptions of the human subject. -His works on understanding power, knowledge, and discourse led him to question the idea of a stable, essential human nature or a fixed concept of "Man." He argued that the modern understanding of humanity as a unified, rational subject with inherent characteristics and rights is a product of specific historical and cultural conditions; this notion of Man has been constructed and shaped by various systems of power and knowledge throughout history. Emmanuel Levinas - man is shaped by the inescapable and infinite responsibility for the other. Jean-Luc Marion - phenomenology, when asked “What is man” he simply said “I am a man.” Charles Taylor - man’s identity is formed against the backdrop of those that are important to us and between people who are interested in one another. —------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TAKE A BREATHER! Let’s reflect on this muna. Notice the evolution of the focus of man? Ancient philosophy just wants to understand man as a mind, soul, body problem, introducing reasoning and reality as its core. Medieval thinkers, theocentric as they then center man’s relationship with God. When the age of enlightenment came, man’s focus shifted to free will, his autonomy, and later on, man’s meaning is centered on various aspects such as language, the other, power, etc. What can we learn from these changing patterns? HERE’S WHAT WE FOUND OUT: Man is definitely not just a body and mind separated. There is a physical body that is connected to the mind and vice versa, yet there is that connectedness that is not bound by space. Man is an embodied spirit meaning individuals have both a physical body and a spiritual essence. Not only are they united, they are integrated. Physical acts are not just physical acts, they have meaning and affect the others. A hug is not just a hug it may mean goodbye or i love you or i’m hurt. The body and spirit come together as a whole, this gives rise to the characteristics that define the person and enable us to engage in profound and meaningful experiences. Man or the human person is full of potential/possibilities. The body allows us to move, touch, see, hear, smell, taste, and feel things. The mind allows us to perceive, understand, and experience things. The body and mind together allows holistic view The mind learns, relearns, and unlearns. The body and mind together allows us to achieve what it is capable Man or the human person is also mark with limitations The body is temporal, death is inevitable. The body and mind may experience pleasure but also pain The body and mind together can communicate to others but as long language is learned The body and mind together may be capable of doing things, but there will come a time it will need help from another. Our human nature makes transcendence possible the ability to surpass our limits. Our transcendent ability allows us to become better persons and improve ourselves everyday, governing or directing our own selves to what is proper in accordance to our nature as a person. WHAT MAKES THE MAN? The (5) Fundamental Traits of Man are: 1. Self - Awareness - refers to the person having a clear perception of oneself, including his thoughts, emotions, identity and actions. 2. Free Will - 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; 3. Externality - person is able to reach out and interact with others and show empathy and compassion 4. Rationality - “cogito ergo sum” man can discern and think. His existence and existence of others are but a product of his structured thought and understanding.  5. Dignity - this refers to the innate right to be valued and respected, Philosophers consider all humans as having an inherent worth or value. —------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ IN THE CASE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AI due to LLM (Language Learning Medium) to learn from algorithms and correct their own mistakes- they are learning this is an example of “Self-Awareness” does that mean AI has a self? What do you think? Does it follow that AI has free will? Understand empathy? Has Dignity? Additional insights about Man: Homo sapiens - man is an intellectual relating to Descartes “Cogito Ergo Sum” and Aristotle’s “man wants to learn” Homor faber - man likes discovery, producing and inventing things Home aestheticus - man appreciates beauty, aesthetic sensibility Homo animus/religus - man exhibits spirituality as related to religion and belief, the existence of the soul Homo ethicus - man has moral responsibility Homo liber - man is pointed towards his freedom Homo economicus - man is drawn to power Homo utilitas - man is useful References: Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person by Maria Paul G. Sioco, Ignatius V. Hinzon. Vibal Publishing The Ways of Knowing. William Peperrel Montague. Philosophy of Existentialism by John Paul Sartre Philosophy of Man by Manuel Dy Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person by Maria Paul G. Sioco, Ignatius V. Hinzon. Vibal Publishing