12

Introduction to
the Philosophy of
the Human
Person
Quarter 2 – Module 3:
The Human Person In Society

ii
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:

Welcome to the Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person - 11

Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on The Human Person In Society!

This module was collaboratively designed, developed and reviewed by

educators both from public and private institutions to assist you, the
teacher or facilitator in helping the learners meet the standards set by the K
to 12 Curriculum while overcoming their personal, social, and economic
constraints in schooling.

This learning resource hopes to engage the learners into guided and
independent learning activities at their own pace and time. Furthermore,
this also aims to help learners acquire the needed 21st century skills while
taking into consideration their needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the
body of the module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies that
will help you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator, you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this
module. You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing
them to manage their own learning. Furthermore, you are expected to
encourage and assist the learners as they do the tasks included in the module.

iii
For the learner:

Welcome to the Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person 11

Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on The Human Person In Society!

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful
opportunities for guided and independent learning at your own pace and
time. You will be enabled to process the contents of the learning resource
while being an active learner.

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

This will give you an idea of the skills or

What I Need to Know competencies you are expected to learn in the
module.

This part includes an activity that aims to

check what you already know about the
What I Know
lesson to take. If you get all the answers
correct (100%), you may decide to skip this
module.
This is a brief drill or review to help you link
What’s In the current lesson with the previous one.

In this portion, the new lesson will be

What’s New introduced to you in various ways; a story, a
song, a poem, a problem opener, an activity
or a situation.
This section provides a brief discussion of the
What is It lesson. This aims to help you discover and
understand new concepts and skills.
This comprises activities for independent
practice to solidify your understanding and
What’s More
skills of the topic. You may check the
answers to the exercises using the Answer
Key at the end of the module.
This includes questions orblank
What I Have Learned sentence/paragraph to be filled in to process
what you learned from the lesson.
This section provides an activity which will
What I Can Do help you transfer your new knowledge or skill
into real life situations or concerns.

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 This is a task which aims to evaluate your
Assessment level of mastery in achieving the learning
competency.
In this portion, another activity will be given
Additional Activities to you to enrich your knowledge or skill of the
lesson learned.

Answer Key This contains answers to all activities in the

module.
At the end of this module you will also find:

References This is a list of all sources used in

developing this module.

The following are some reminders in using this module:

1. Use the module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on any part of
the module. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises.
2. Don’t forget to answer What I Know before moving on to the other
activities included in the module.
3. Read the instruction carefully before doing each task.
4. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking your
answers.
5. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
6. Return this module to your teacher/facilitator once you are through
with it.
If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do
not hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator. Always bear in mind
that you are not alone.

We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful

learning and gain deep understanding of the relevant competencies. You
can do it!

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 What I Need to Know
This module highlights the interrelation between human person in the society and
how society affects human relation and interaction. It also regards the social system
that somehow governs human behavior and interaction. This module will make
student realize that we are made and affected by social factors and so we can either
change or reverse the situation. Thus, human person is an active agent of social
change and social transformation.

MOST ESSENTIAL LEARNING COMPETENCY:

• Recognize how individuals form are transformed by societies (PPT11/12-

IIf-7.1)

• Compare different forms of societies and individualities (e.g. Agrarian,

industrial and virtual) PPT11/12-IIg-7.2

• Explain how human relations are transformed by social systems PPT11/12-

IIg-7.3

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

• Distinguish between transactional and personal relations;

• Demonstrate understanding of concepts such as society, social systems,

social relationships and social transformation.

• Evaluate the different forms of societies based on the dynamic tension

between individual identity and collective identity.

• Illustrate with an example how human relations are transformed by social

systems.

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 What I Know
Directions: Answer the following. Choose your answer from the word pool below.
Write the letter of your answer in your activity notebook.

a. Personal f. Modern Society

b. Transactional g. Individualism
c. Jurgen Habermas h. Collectivism
d. Lifeworld i. Rural community
e. Tribal and Feudal Society j. Urban community

1. _____________ a school of thought that gives primacy to the protection and

recognition of individual freedom.

2. _____________ absolute power is duly exercised by tribal and feudal leaders.

3. _____________ people in this community have traces of feudalism. They avoid

confrontations and disputes. Community children refer to elders
as auntie or uncle, even if they are not blood related.

4. _____________ believes that the society is composed of three (3) main spheres:
the economic, the political, and the lifeworld.

5. _____________ interactions are based on a regard for each other as a means

of attaining one’s goal.

6. _____________ Monarchial and tribal powers were no longer absolute. Political

systems gradually recognized the rights of individuals and
redistribution of wealth in societies.

7. _____________ interactions are based on mutual regard from each other

as persons.

8. _____________ The solidarity of this community is organic and contractual. It

has a stronger sense of individualism among dwellers who live
close to each other yet remain strangers to one another.

9. _____________ It thrives on mutual recognition.

10._____________ it is observed in societies that give priority to unity over the

recognition of one’s individual freedom.

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 What’s In
In the previous lesson, we learned about Intersubjectivity, or the
relationships or bonds that we make with one another. In this lesson, we
will delve deeper in how societies work, and how it has transformed and
changed us.

What comes into your mind when you hear the words “society” and
“transform”? Copy and answer the concept map below in your activity
notebook.

Society

Transform

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 What’s New
• Base from the words gathered above, how would you define society?
• Write your answer in your activity notebook.

What is It

Different Social relations and their Corresponding Interactions: Jurgen

Habermas

According to Jurgen Habermas, there are two kinds of social relationships:

1. Personal – interactions are based on mutual regard from each other as
persons. Interactions in personal relationsh ips are defined by cooperation
rather than by competition. The focus of personal relationship is preservation
and development of the mutual regard for each other.

2. Transactional – interactions are based on a regard for each other as a means of

attaining one’s goal. Persons are “used” not necessarily in the derogatory sense, to
help one attain his goals or succeed in his plans. Here we put aside personal matters
in our interactions. In most cases, the atmosphere is competitive.

Two types of interaction in society:

Social Relation Kind of Interaction How one treats the other
in the social relationship
Transactional Instrumental or strategic As an object, a means for
attainingone’s goal
(subject-object)
Personal Communicative action As a fellow subject, a
fellow person
(Intersubjective)

Market, State, and Lifeworld

In the Social theory of Jurgen Habermas, society is composed of 3 main spheres:
1. Social system of money (economic) 2. social system of power (political) 3.

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the lifeworld. In actual societies, these spheres take the form of economic system
(the market), political system (the state) and our everyday world of communicative
relations (family, school, religious communities, civil society).
Each sphere calls for different interactions. In the market and the state,
relationships are more of transactional, and so individuals view each other as means for
a particular goal or end. In the market, we pay someone in return for goods that we need
to have and own. In the political system, some individuals control others’ actions in order
to ensure that peace and order is maintained. In both cases, the relationship between
persons cannot be purely intersubjective. At least one participant in a transactional
relationship gets to be objectified for the attainment of a certain end.

Furthermore, transactional relationships are neutral to the affective aspect of

relationship. For example, in the market, you can complain about their services
without regarding one’s emotions. Customers always have the right to complain and
demand for efficient and fast services. However, lifeworld is significantly different
from social systems. When we are at home, or in the immediate community, we
naturally assume that all who are part of the community are persons, and must be
consciously recognized and treated as such. This is a presupposition of
communicative action that others are treated as subjects and no one can take on the
role of a calculative and strategic observer while simultaneously in communication
with another. Lifeworlds thrive on mutual recognition. The social interaction in the
lifeworld is marked by cooperative communication. We connect with one another
through shared understanding of what is good and valuable for us, not through the
use of threats over others, nor because of a material interest over monetary reward.
Through communication, we generate and develop our culture, form and improve our
norms such as laws and policies and socialize with others as we simultaneously
develop our personal identities.

A. Social Interaction and the development of societies

According to Habermas, social interactions as a species helped developed two

important realms: a.) social systems, b.) the realm of the lifeworld. Together, social
systems and the lifeworld make up a society. Habermas argues in his analysis of
societies throughout different periods in history, that all societies consist of social
systems and lifeworlds. What makes each society different is marked by the varying
relationships between social systems and the lifeworld.
The development of society depends on these two elements: material and
symbolic reproduction, just as a person needs physical and spiritual nourishment.
Material reproduction refers to the utilization and distribution of society’s resources for
the physical survival and welfare of all individual members. It is facilitated by the function
of social systems. While, symbolic reproduction refers to the transmission and

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renewal of cultural knowledge, the establishment of solidarity and cooperation and
the formation of identities of person through socialization.

Historical development of societies and the development of individual

consciousness

1. Tribal and Feudal Society

- Material reproduction (hunting and gathering, agricultural) was not clearly

defined from culture, norms and the self-understanding of individual
members.
- Tribal leaders have the powers in distribution of material resources in
society so as in Feudal society. Monarchs rule in the society with absolute
power.
- Tribals and monarchs had control over the social systems of economy and
politics. At the same time, they had control over the symbolic reproduction
of society. They hold central roles in the performance of rites. Their word is
law, which means that they get to decide on the norms that should prevail
in a society without having to deal with resistance from the people.
Individual members of a tribal or feudal society had little understanding of
individual rights. Their lives were defined by their loyal service to the tribal
leader or the monarch. Their sense of self-worth was anchored on the
honor they would bring to the absolute ruler of their society.

2. Modern Industrialized Society

- There is a development of trade and the emergence of capitalist system of

economy
- Tribal leaders and monarchs no longer held a monopoly over material
resources in society.
- Markets gained independence from political control.
- Political systems gradually recognized the rights of individuals and
redistribution of wealth in societies.
- Monarchial and tribal powers were no longer absolute.
- The lifeworld became more and more distinguished from the social systems.
Culture, social values and personal identities were no longer merely dictated
or imposed on individual members of societies by a dominant power. The
absence of an overarching dominant power enabled the awareness of a
person’s own individuality and autonomy. Individuals now, had a fuller
understanding that cultures, norms and personal identities did not have a
fixed status. That is, they can be reexamined, criticized, revised or newly
created by the individual themselves through their own cooperative efforts.

Mechanical and Organic Solidarity: The Province and the City

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 Rural – those who grew up in rural communities would say that the model of
society they live in still has traces of feudalism. As such, the kind solidarity that
mobilizes community members follows Durkheim’s mechanistic model. There is a
stronger sense of collectivism among community members, and this can be seen in
traditional practices such as in weddings, or in the communal support of bereaved
families. Community disputes, even those that involve crimes against individual
persons, are settled through community rituals of healing. People can easily identify
themselves with a collective identity. A rural community’s peace and harmony is of
central importance. This is why people avoid confrontation and disputes. The
authority of elders holds the bond of community members together. Community
children refer to elders as auntie or uncle, even if they are blood related.

Urban – the situation is significantly different in urban communities that are

more industrialized rather than feudalistic. The solidarity that conn ects individuals is
organic and contractual. There is a stronger sense of individualism among urban
dwellers who live close to each other yet remain strangers to one another.
Individuals are so conscious of their rights, so much that the meaning of trust in
societies of this type refers to anything backed by a legal guarantee (my private
space and property vs yours). Work relations are defined by market norms such as
efficiency and functionality (the weight of seniority is weakened). What binds
members of u rban communities together are mostly legal arrangement.

B. The Harmony between Individualism and Collectivism

Individualism vs. Collectivism

Individualism is how we describe a society that champions the freedom of
individual persons. It gives primacy to the protection and recognition of individual
freedoms. Any arrangements in society must, first of all, ensure that the rights and
freedoms of persons are not infringed upon. An individualistic society, however,
encourages selfishness, in so far as the concern of members are confined within
their self-interests. Individualistic societies tend to view solidarity movements as the
“sacrifice” of one’s freedom, and the call for unity as plaque with obstruction to one’s
own development.

Collectivism is observed in societies that give priority to unity over the recognition
of one’s individual freedom. This is generally observed in traditional societies, where
norms and authorities are pre-established rather than signed up for through a social
contract or agreement. In our current setting, collectivism is observed to be more
apparent in rural agricultural and tribal communities rather than in industrial urban areas.
Collectivism, however, discourages individual’s dissenting voices, and

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as such, curtails critical thinking. For instance, traditional communities often meet
critical questions with suspicion and antagonism, rather than welcome them for the
sake of growth and development.

It is often said that choosing between individualism and collectivism leaves us

with a dilemma, which literally means “two horns” because both are partly favorable
and partly a hindrance to something good.

Martin Buber (1878-1965) and his reflections on the I-Thou relationship points out
that we do not need to choose one over the other. It is not a matter of choosing between
individual freedom and collective unity, but a matter of valuing the in -between
– the relationship between persons. “Relation is the true starting point for personal
integration and wholeness and for the transformation of society’ and this relation is
best initiated, developed and preserved through genuine dialogue. In this in -
between, both the individual and the collectivity are upheld.

On the one hand, an individual cannot be an individual without the collectivity.

Buber asserts that the human person is a being “between man and man.” We become
human through these interpersonal relations. Developmentally, we can see this in how
we have been formed from stage of infancy throughout adulthood. We are here because
of those relationships that surround us and enabled our growth and development. Our
sense of identity is largely formed by those who have been in close relationships with us.
Our earliest descriptions of ourselves as individuals were based on who we are in
relation to others (I am the daughter of…..). is it possible to have an
identity or an individuality without being related to another person? Even the fictional
character of Tarzan isolated in the jungle only began to identity himself as a human
being when he came face-to-face with another human being. As the social
philosopher, Jurgen Habermas, would say in support of Buber’s point here,
individuality is formed through intersubjectivity processes. As such, one need not
choose individuality over the collective intersubjective world.

On the other hand, a collectivity cannot be formed without the cooperative

accomplishments of individuals. This means that for some form of stability to take place
within a community, individuals should be able to maintain a certain level of freedom to
explore, develop and exercise their individuality. A collectivity that does not recognize
the individuality of its members is not a community but a monolith. When a collectivity
does not give room for individual voices, it becomes stagnant and rigid, so much that the
only way to maintain order is through the use of violence (totality). This kind of order, as
we have seen in history, is always bound to end. A totalitarian rule can only suppress
individual voices up to some poin t. There will always be that one or two courageous
individuals that would break out of the mold, and create cracks within the forcibly
enclosed structure. Collectivities can find stability not through the silencing of the voice
of individuals, but by providing channels for cooperative dialogue.

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 What’s More
I. Read the following statements. Write True if the statement is true,
and False if the statement is false. Write your answers in your activity
notebook.

______________1. There is only one type of social relationship existing in

every community.
______________2. Buber believes that a man/woman cannot identify
himself/herself as a human being without relating
it to the many (collectivity).
______________3. An Urban community is congested compared to a rural
Community, and yet people living in an urban community
are not so close to each other.
______________4. In the market and the state, the relationship is more
personal than transactional.
______________5. Full recognition of individual rights has not been pushed
during the tribal and monarchial period.

II. Write your answers in your activity notebook.

1. Describe what happens in schools and business establishments if relations

are dominantly transactional or are dominantly personal.
______________________________________________

2. Can societies still exist if social systems are destroyed? Why or why not?
______________________________________________

3. Compare and contrast rural from urban societies. What are the
advantages or disadvantages of living in urban societies? What are the
advantages and disadvantages of living in rural communities?
_____________________________________________

What I Have Learned

1. Do you have relationships that have been compromised because of money
or power? Have you been able to revert back to a purely personal
relationship after that? How can you preserve and shield the relationships
that matter to you from the interests of money and power? Write your
answers in your activity notebook..

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 What I Can Do
Directions: Read the given situation below and write your reaction to each situation
in your activity notebook.

Situation 1:

1. A very good friend of your visits you and your family in your house. Your
mother, delighted by her presence, cooks her best dish for her. Your friend
loved the whole lunch that she kept complimenting your mother for being such
a good cook. At the end of her visit, she expressed her gratitude to the whole
family. Before she leaves, she approaches your mother and asks, “How much
do I pay you for the lunch you cooked for me?”

What would be your mother’s reaction to your friend’s gesture?

Your Reaction:
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

Situation 2:

2. You are going through a very rough time. You feel so down that you need
someone to talk to. You send a text message to your friend asking her if she
could come over to make you feel better. You friend gives you a call then tells
you she will be there in 20 minutes. You are so happy to see her, you give her a
big hug, then pour your heart out. After crying to her for a good 30 minutes, she
gives some comforting words. You finally say that you feel so much better.
Your friend then says, “That’s good to know. Now we’re done, could we settle
my expenses for this – 20 pesos for the phone call, 35 pesos for the tricycle
ride going to your place, 20 pesos for all the tissue paper you drew from my
tissue pack, and 10 pesos for the time I lost to working productively because I
had to come here. Thanks.”

What would be your reaction to your friend after she says this?

Your reaction :
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

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 Assessment
I. Read each sentence and answer the following questions in your activity
notebook.

1. Which relationship support genuine human relationship and growth –

transactional or personal?
2. Explain how individuals form societies and how individuals are transformed by
societies.