Philo_Western-Philosophy_Part-1.pdf

Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person Herbert C. Ognita Jr.  Western Philosophy Part 1  Learning Objectives ❑ discuss the developments that brought about the emergence of Western Philosophy ❑ discuss your insights regarding the importance of school of thoug...

Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person Herbert C. Ognita Jr.  Western Philosophy Part 1  Learning Objectives ❑ discuss the developments that brought about the emergence of Western Philosophy ❑ discuss your insights regarding the importance of school of thoughts in Western Philosophy in your lives  In terms of your emotional behavior, how would you describe yourself?  Stoicism It teaches the development of self-control and fortitude as a means of overcoming destructive emotions; the philosophy holds that becoming a clear and unbiased thinker allows one to understand the universal reason. Zeno of Citium Founder of Stoic Philosophy  Stoicism According to its teachings, as social beings, the path to happiness for humans is found in accepting that which we have been given in life, by not allowing ourselves to be controlled by our desire for pleasure or our fear of pain, by using our minds to understand the world around us and to do our part in nature's plan, and by working together and treating others in a fair and just manner.  Stoicism Freedom from "passion" by following "reason". It did not seek to extinguish emotions, rather, they sought to transform them to enable a person to develop clear judgment Marcus Aurelius Stoic Philosopher and inner calm.  Stoicism The stoics emphasizes on what you can control. The choices you make are in your character. In doing so, they use the so-called cardinal values of Socrates: Courage, Temperance, Justice and Wisdom. What you consider good or bad is up to you, but it should never come at the expense of these values. “focus on what is within our control and accept what is outside of our control”  Scholasticism This refers to the philosophical systems and speculative tendencies of various medieval Christian thinkers, who, working against a background of fixed religious dogma, sought to solve anew general philosophical problems (as of faith and reason, will and intellect, realism and nominalism, and the provability of the existence of God).  Scholasticism The purpose of Scholasticism was to bring reason to the support of faith; to strengthen the religious life and the church by the development of intellectual power. It aimed to silence all doubts and questionings through argument.  Scholasticism It is a method of learning more than a philosophy or a theology, since it places a strong emphasis on dialectical reasoning to extend knowledge by inference and to resolve contradictions. Scholastic thought is also known for rigorous conceptual analysis and the careful drawing of distinctions. It was started by people like St. Ambrose and St. Augustine. They tried to use philosophy to help explain the doctrine and mysteries of the church. Scholasticism  “Imagine there’s no countries It isn’t hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too Imagine all the people Living life in peace” (John Lennon — Imagine)  Humanism This John Lennon song is almost a national anthem of secular humanism. The idea behind the song is simple: if we stripped away all the structures of religion and politics, we’d be left with raw human existence, and the world would be peaceful!  Humanism It is a progressive philosophy of life that, without theism or other supernatural beliefs, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good.  Humanism It emphasizes reason and science over scripture (religious texts) and tradition. It believes that human beings are flawed but capable of improvement. It also tries to discover the truths about the universe and humanity’s place within it.  Humanism It is a philosophy that emphasizes seeing the "whole" person and appreciating the uniqueness of every individual. The primary assumptions of humanism are that humans are inherently good, have free will, have the ability and desire to self-actualize, and that the subjective reality of each individual is valuable. Existence, simply put, is the state of living/existing. Essence, on the other hand, could mean the intrinsic nature of someone or something. Which must come first, essence or existence of the human person?  Man exists (is born) before he can be anything, before he can become anything; therefore, his existence precedes his essence. His state of existence precedes his state of becoming. An individual is responsible for making himself into an essence, of lifting himself beyond the level of mere existence.  Existentialism It states that we are each responsible for creating purpose or meaning in our own lives. Our individual purpose and meaning is not given to us by Gods, governments, teachers or other authorities.  Existentialism The actual life of the individuals is what constitutes what could be called their "true essence" instead of there being an arbitrarily attributed essence others use to define them. Thus, human beings, through their own consciousness, create their own values and determine a meaning to their life.  Existentialism “existence precedes essence”, which means that the most important consideration for individuals is that they are individuals—independently acting and responsible, conscious beings ("existence")—rather than what labels, roles, stereotypes, definitions, or other preconceived categories the individuals fit ("essence").  Test of Existentialism ❑ Life has no inherent meaning. Nothing we do matters in an absolute sense. There is no God, no objective morality, and no cosmic “purpose” in life. ❑ That’s OK. Or even better than okay, because it means that life can have the meaning that we give it—that we are more important than any pre-conceived notions about our lives. If you have only the first part and not the second, you’d be considered a nihilist; with both parts, you become an existentialist. Cynicism vs Pessimism vs Nihilism The differences between the three is that cynicism is a distrust by prudence; while due to a sense of defeatism, pessimism is the distrust of potential success. Nihilism on its part is the general distrust cast upon the belief that anything in life (including life itself) has any valuable meaning.