INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON

Reviewer – 2nd Quarter

Freedom

Notions of Freedom

- Freedom is an intrinsic and essential property of the person

- Human person is by nature a free being. He has the ability to make choices and perform
actions. Human person does not experience the world in the same say that animals do.
- Freedom is rooted in the human person’s self-determination and the exercise of intellect and
free will.
- Freedom gives us the choice to undertake one of these possible actions. Our actions also entail
responsibilities.
- Freedom requires a degree of control from the person who exercises it. A person becomes
freer when he or she exercise control over himself or herself.

Actually, we are free to do anything we want to do. The only thing is that we are not free from the
consequences of our action.

Existentialism:
Freedom should not only be conceived as an idea or a notion. Freedom is something that is
exercised through our choices. When a person exercises her freedom, she becomes real.
It should be visible in action. Two elements that define freedom

Existentialism highlights human existence, human freedom and choice.

Existentialists believe that a person is free and should take full responsibility for his own doings. Actions,
choice, and decision are the fundamental principles of this philosophy.

Freedom therefore is exercising our capacity to make decisions, choose our life path and direct the
course of our lives through our own steering.

VOLUNTARINESS
- The ability of a person to act out of his or her own free will and self-determination.

RESPONSIBILITY
- Refers to the person being accountable for his or her actions and their consequences.

VOLUNTARINESS AND RESPONSIBILITY GO HAND-IN-HAND IN DETERMINING A PERSON’S FREEDOM.

Kinds of Freedom

PHYSICAL FREEDOM – absence of any physical restraint

PSYCHOLOGICAL FREEDOM – freedom to perform actions that he or she considers right and wise. Also
called freedom of choice.
MORAL FREEDOM – using freedom in a manner that upholds human dignity and goodness.
Jean Paul Sartre- French Existentialist

According to Sartre we are abandoned to be free. Abandoned in the sense that we did not choose to be
free. We are free but we did not choose it; it is a human condition we are thrown into. There are no
guides or maps in our journey, we have to create it. We may choose to stay or may continue the journey
but it is our actual steps that will bring us to where we want, which will make us who we are. “You are
the master of your fate and the captain of your soul.” You are left alone. That is the price of freedom—
abandonment. The path of life is not ready-made; it is for each of us to create.

Soren Kierkegaard (1813 – 1855) a Danish Philosopher - “in choosing, the personality is consolidated”

What does Kierkegaard mean by consolidating the personality? Who are you? You are what others see
you. What do you want in life? What is convenient for me. We fail the act of choosing for oneself.

When we allow dominant forces or personalities around us to choose for ourselves the most important
aspects of our lives, we remain inauthentic.

As soon as we take over the steering wheel of our lives and direct them according to the choices we
make, our identity begins to be consolidated or integrated.

IN CHOOSING ONE MUST EXERCISE PRUDENCE.

Prudence (Latin: prudentia, contracted from providentia meaning "seeing ahead, sagacity")

It is the ability to govern and discipline oneself by the use of reason. ... Although prudence itself does
not perform any actions, and is concerned solely with knowledge, all virtues had to be regulated by it.

Intersubjectivity
Intersubjectivity – is the philosophical concept of the interaction between the “self” and the
“other”. It is the mutual recognition of each other as persons.
It refers to the shared awareness and understanding among persons. It is made possible by the
awareness of the self and the other.

A dialogue is an interaction between two persons that happens through speech or the use of
words, expressions, and body language. The person is a being who is open to others that can receive
others in a dialogue. Ordinarily, we think of it as a kind of communication that usually occurs through a
conversation. However, it must be noted that dialogue is not confined to words. Actions, gestures, and
other expressions maybe used to convey a person's inner life.

Empathy, or the ability to share emotions, is an important aspect of intersubjectivity.

This emotion is driven by a person's awareness that the other is a person with thoughts and feelings.
Human persons are actively aware of the emotional states of other people and they use this information
to determine their own actions and behavior. Empathy enables us to experience another person's
emotions such as happiness, anger, and sadness.

Martin Buber (1878-1965) – is a Jewish philosopher who introduced the “I-Thou” and “I-It”
relationships to embody his philosophy of intersubjectivity. For Buber, we have to treat another person
as a subject (a being different from things or objects). Persons are not inanimate objects to be used.
They have their own mind and free will; thus, we have to respect others as we respect ourselves. “I”
refers to the self and “Thou” or “You” refers to others. This “I - Thou” relationship is the most
meaningful relationship in the realm of humanity. The “I” is the same with the “Thou” and there should
be mutual relationship between them. We can only recognize the self in the context of the other. This is
a “person-to-person” relationship, “subject-to-subject” relation. We need to accept, respect, be sincere,
and have dialogue with the other.

Karol Wojtyla (1920-2005) – He is also St. John Paul II but as a philosopher, we use his real name. For
Wojtyla, human action is the foundation of our being. But human reality is also about being with
others, so our actions are also directed towards others. This form of action is now called
“Participation.” In the theory of participation, man has the capacity to share himself to others. This
affirms the reality that man acts and exists with others. He is a member of the community of persons, a
community of “I-You” or “We.” Since man is a member of this community, his experience with others
gives him meaning and allows him to create meaning with others.

Edmund Husserl – intersubjectivity is more than just shared understanding, but is the capability to put
oneself in the place where the other is.

In Martin Heidegger’s book, Being and Time, the concept of “Dasein” was introduced. “Dasein”, as he
argued states that all experiences are grounded on “care” that is, showing care for the world.

Society
Society is an organized group of people with a common territory and culture whose members
interact frequently. Furthermore, society is a large group of people who live together in an organized
way, making decisions about how to do things and sharing the work that needs to be done. But then you
might pop up the question that other animals also form groups for survival and mutual protection, are
this form of groups considered as society? Society being formed by human individuals is considered
unique among all other groups because the relationship being established and the interaction towards
common good/goal is a way more difficult and uniquely profound.

Culture indicates the flow of relationship between society and human individuals. It is one of the
human natures to desire and to act according to some goal which is commonly the goal of survival.
When one person meets another person with the same goal, then it can be considered that they desire
for the common good. Common good may include peace within the community, clean and safe
environment, efficient public service, etc. With these common good, humans are required to work
together and to establish relationships with each other, which results in establishing forms of society.

For instance, family is the basic unit of society. Through this, infants first relate with their
parents or guardians as the source of basic needs for survival. As they grow, they expand their
connections and start relating and forming bonds with people outside their family. Friendships are
established starting from childhood up to adulthood. They also learn how to deal and to interact with
other superiors aside from their parents/guardians (e.g. principal, teachers, company boss, elderly
persons).

Different forms of Society

1. Hunting and gathering society: is the earliest and simplest form of society and is generally
recognized by its small size, since it consists mainly of families.
 2. Pastoral society: is characterized by the domestication of animals served as a source for food
supply. Compared to hunting and gathering society, this form of society has a larger population
and remains in one place.
3. Horticultural society: engages in the small-scale cultivation of plants, fruits, and vegetables and
the domestication of animals. Semi-nomadic, which means that they travel to another place
when there is shortage of the resources in one area.
4. Agrarian/agricultural society: involves in a large- scale and long-term cultivation of crops and
domestication of animals.
5. Feudal society: is based on the ownership of land. Its members are organized based on status
which consists of higher class/ruler (people who own a land), vassal/follower (granted a right to
manage a land), and peasants (workers who cultivate the land and tend the animals in exchange
of military protection).
6. Industrial society: is based on the use of specialized machinery in the production of goods and
services.
7. Post-industrial society: emerged by the establishment of societies based on knowledge,
information, and the sale of services.
8. Virtual society arises where people
9. organize themselves through communication technology and Internet. This society is composed
of members with higher educational attainment, better training, and specialized roles.

DIGITAL SOCIETY AND THE INFORMATION AGE

Digital technologies have wildly affected our interactions and activity in the 21st century. They
have significantly changed our way of learning, working and socializing. In this modern world we rely
with the use of modern technology which has led to considering the possible outcome for the society,
concerning how we would take part in interaction, and how we can use these digital tools and
communication channels.

What do we mean by digital citizenship?

Now, one of the main terms in the modern world is the ‘digital citizen’. What does this actually mean? A
digital citizen is a person who is knowledgeable and responsible enough to effectively use different
social platforms in the internet. They often engage in useful topics and issues that will help build a better
society, politics and government.

One important way wherein society influences us, as person is, its ability to define the relationships and
interactions among its members. There are various ways that society influences our development and
interactions but one way is through the establishment of the following:
● Norms – a set of traits and behavior that society considers acceptable, thus, to be encouraged
to pass unto other members (e.g. pagmamano : Filipino’s unique gesture to greet and show
respect to elders)
● Laws – more formal and stringent norms that establish and define acceptable behavior of
citizens (e.g. using of pedestrian lanes whencrossing streets)
● Folkways – less formal norms that arise from tradition and do not result in punishment when
violated (e.g. concept of appropriate swimwear, others might wear T-shirt and shorts, others
might wear bikini)
● Social system – organized or patterned set of relationships among individuals and groups that
compose a society
● Social role – actions and behaviors expected of a certain individual
 ● Social groups/ Social classes – individuals who share similar backgrounds or perform similar
roles
● Social institutions – certain groups that perform vital functions in society which include the
family, school, government, and religion.
● Social values – actions or ideals that are considered vital in maintaining an orderly society (e.g.
cooperation, obedience to the law, concern for others, respect for diversity, etc.)

Death

Phenomenological Notion of Death

MARTIN HEIDEGGER- was the first philosopher in the history of thought to have “brought human
mortality to the center stage of philosophy.” He found it important to reflect on death because it is the
most fundamental question that a human being must learn to face.

According to Martin Heidegger (1889-1976) in his book Being and Time, death is (a) certain, (b)
indefinite, (c) one’s property, (d) non-relational, and (e) not to be outstripped.
Happiness is a state of being, not just an emotional experience or a chosen mental attitude.

Those who do not have the courage to face death, end up living the inauthentic life of denial manifested
in their “idle talk”, “curiosity”, and “ambiguity”. Those who have the courage life an authentic life.

Inauthentic existence – a form of running away from the face of death. To forget the fact of death one
gets absorbed in the superficial concerns of the crowd. It is also drowned away by senseless obsessions
over things, greed or power. The person who finally sees this either continues running away or
reconciles with the possibility that he dies one day.

Happiness is a state of being, not just an emotional experience or a chosen mental attitude. Ancient
Greek philosophy considers happiness as an achievement and it must be gained by living a productive
and moral life.

We consider the sources of happiness as something that is good for us. That good has three kinds:

Noble good is one which is pursued for its own sake; it is good in itself. For example: love and friendship.
Useful good is considered good as long as it serves as a means to an end; its goodness is found only
from what it can provide. For example, money.
Pleasurable good provides some form of pleasure, though it doesn’t have to be physical. For example, a
trip to favorite places.

However, you should always remember that happiness from a material thing slowly fades away as soon
as you have it. Meanwhile, happiness formed by friendship only grows as it progresses.

Suffering takes place when we patiently endure unpleasantness, discomfort, and pain. It comes in the
form of physical suffering (e.g. physical sensations such as discomfort, hunger, distress, homelessness,
and pain from an injury, disease, or even lack of basic needs) and mental suffering (e.g. emotional and
mental states such as depression, anxiety, fear, loneliness, and grief). Disappointments and rejections in
life may also be a cause of suffering. More often, we normally experience adversities in life and how we
deal with them is determined by our mindset regarding suffering.