PHILOSOPHY REVIEWER • It is generally described as a

Cosmocentric Philosophy.
Chapter 2-2: The philosophical notions of
• Search for the Truth is centered on
the human person
the nature of the Universe –
The Philosophical conception of COSMOS.
Human person can be traced
• There are Three (3) Prominent
through the development of
Philosophers of Ancient Greek
Philosophy in the West.
Philosophy, namely; Socrates, Plato
To understand the concept of man
and Aristotle.
in the West let us compare the
Western and Eastern concept of • Socrates (know thyself), Plato (Ideal
Man. and Material worlds) and Aristotle
(Dualism of Body and Soul)
EAST (ORIENTAL) WEST
Human person is Human person is SOCRATES
viewed as part of viewed as part of
Reality. reality. • Last words: Crito, Crito, we owe a
cock to Aesculapius. Pay it and do
But this Reality is not neglect it. (Phaedo 118a, last
Reality can be
viewed as words of Socrates)
considered as a
composed of
whole, thus viewed
different parts which • He is known as a Moralist – a
holistically and part
are usually opposed philosopher who advocates moral
of one Reality.
to each other. transformation among the citizens.
The Opposition and
The parts of man are Distinction between • One of his philosophies is Self-
harmoniously the Material and knowledge – “Know Thyself”
related. Spiritual aspects of • One transforms himself/herself if he
Reality. knows himself/herself.

• Thus, in Knowing thyself to become

The development of Philosophy in the West Moral being is to Dialogue (question-
can be divided into several periods: answer)
1. Ancient Greek Philosophy • This dialogue is called Socratic
2. Medieval Philosophy Dialogue.

3. Modern Philosophy • It contains all Socrates’ teachings

and Philosophies.
4. Contemporary Philosophy
• This Socratic dialogue is
conversational and question-answer
nature as his way of teaching.
Ancient Greek philosophers on man
• More so, it is written by his student
• Ancient Philosophy is also known as Plato.
Ancient Greek Philosophy because
all Philosophers are Greek people.
The rationales of this Socratic dialogue are: PLATO

1. To stir the mind of people and make • He was a student and follower of
them think of themselves. Socrates.

2. To make them critically think of their • One of his Philosophies and

situation and the things happening teachings is that he believed that
around themselves. there are two types of Worlds
(Reality) – IDEAL and MATERIAL.
Thus, Socrates would not give his
students the Answers but only the IDEAL MATERIAL
Questions. This is the True This is not the true
It is not to teach the Truth but to let Reality. Reality.
his students know the Truth with their This Reality is
own minds. Sensible.
This Reality is not All that we see and
• His questions are simple yet
bound by Senses. experience is only
Fundamental Questions.
a Copy of the
1. What is Courage? Ideal World.
Man acquires the
2. What is Virtue? Man acquires
Knowledge of
Imperfections,
Beauty, Justice,
3. What is Duty? Limitations,
Goodness, Perfect,
Weaknesses, etc.
“One thing I know is I know nothing.” etc.
Unchanging, Changing,
The context of this phrase is that, absolute, universal indefinite, etc.
Socrates only knows himself – his own
Ignorance.
• The Physical World is just a reflection,
Ignorance is claiming that he lacks shadow, copy and IMITATION from
knowledge that he must continue to Ideal World (Platonic World).
reflect and search the Truth.
• Imitation in Greek word is Mimesis.
In Socratic Method, we have the
assumption of ignorance, a series of • Thus, whatever we perceive in the
questions and answers, a Physical world is just a Mimesis from
consideration of opposite views. what is in the Ideal World.

There is the step by step questioning Plato’s allegory of the cave

designed to lead students to
discover for themselves the truth.
SOCRATES
MAN
Know Thyself
SOCRATIC DIALOGUE (6 Socratic Processes)
Moral Person (Ultimate end)
• Ideal world is likened to the reality
outside the cave.
• Material world is likened to the reality
inside the cave.
• All men outside the cave are
perceiving and experiencing is True
and Real.
• The Prisoners inside the cave are
being deceived by their senses from
 what they see thus, consider what (high-spirited) and the ἐπιθυμητικόν
they see is true and real. (appetitive)

• The Ideal World is NOT SENSIBLE.
• Thus, we need a faculty (power) that
is not possessed by our senses.
• And that is our Mind.
• The Power of the Mind is the only
Faculty that helps us see and reflect
for what is in the Ideal World.
• More so, this Power of the Mind
dwells/sits in the Soul in which pre-
existed in the Ideal World before it
unites with the Body.
• He believed that Man is part of these
Two Worlds (Reality).
The Rational, Emotional and Appetitive
Parts:
• The logical or logistikon (from logos)
is the thinking part of the soul which
loves the truth and seeks to learn it.
• The spirited
or thymoeides (from thymos) it is by
which we are angry or get into a
temper.
• The appetitive
or epithymetikon (from epithymia) it
is by which we experience carnal
erotic love, hunger, thirst and in
general the desires.

• Man has two components – the • A soul can be declared just only if all
Body and the Soul. three parts agree that the logistikon
should rule.
• The Soul pre-existed in the Ideal
World before it united with the Body PLATO
which dwells in the Material World.
Worlds
• Plato distinguishes the body from the
soul. He thinks that the soul is Ideal soul body Material
trapped or imprisoned in the body.
MAN
• The soul is the real part of the person,
but it is temporarily attached to a
physical body.
LOGICAL
SPIRITED
• The soul is unchanging and is APPETITIVE
therefore immortal while the body is
in constant state of change.

• The soul can know the truth. In

contrast, the body cannot be the
source of knowledge.

• In his idea of man, Plato proposed a

Tripartite theory of the soul where he
said that man is originally a pure soul
in his past life.

• Plato asserted that the ψυχή (soul) is

composed of three parts; the
λογιστικόν (logical), the θυμοειδές
 ARISTOTLE 2. SENTIENT – able to feel, see, hear,
smell or taste. (proper to animals)
PLATO ARISTOTLE
3. RATIONAL – able to think. (soul of
• There are Two There is only
• man)
Worlds (Ideal and One World
The Rational or Human Soul has all
Material) (Material World)
the powers of the living beings,
• The Ideal World is • The Material especially the rational power.
the true reality. World is the true This Rationality makes man a Rational
• Body and Soul are reality in which Being.
truths in which man truly
The Body and Soul are Substantially
separately existing. experiences. United.
• The Soul pre-
• The Body and
The Body needs the Soul (principle of
existed in the Ideal the Soul are
life)
world. Substantially
United. The Soul needs the Body (makes the
• The Soul is the soul fully operate and function.
Principle of Life, Four (4) causes of ARISTOTLE
thus, it exists with
1. Material Cause
the Body. what a thing is made
• He was a student and follower of
Plato. 2. Formal Cause
arrangement or a shape of a
• One of his Philosophies and thing.
teachings is that there is only One 3. Efficient Cause
Reality where man is part of and that how a thing is brought into
is Material World in which man being.
experience and perceives. 4. Final Cause
function or purpose of a thing.
• Man is composed of Body and Soul.

• The Soul is the Principle of Life. MATERIAL CAUSE BODY AND SOUL
FORMAL CAUSE FORM OF A MAN
• Thus, the Soul exists with the Body. EFFICIENT CAUSE PARENTS
• All living beings have a Soul. FINAL CAUSE RATIONAL BEING

• Because every living being has a

Life. The syllogism of Aristotle

• Soul is Life. • Syllogism – it is a systematic form of a

• If there is no Soul then, there is no
Life.
Three (3) parts of the soul
logic; or a formal argument by two
statements and a conclusion which
must be true if the two statements
are true.

1. VEGETATIVE – having the power of

growing. (proper to Plants)
 How could you prove that Socrates is Philosophy of Plato and Aristotle
Mortal by using a Syllogism? respectively.

All men are Mortal | Socrates is a • However, their Notions on Man are
Man | Therefore, Socrates is Mortal. guided by their Christian Faith.

ARISTOTLE • Man is created by the Image and

likeness of the Supreme Being – God.
MAN
• Thus, the Ultimate end of Man is
Soul Substantially United Body SALVATION.

• Salvation is to be reunited with God

RATIONAL the Supreme Being.
SENTIENT
VEGETATIVE ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO

RATIONAL BEING • Man is created through the Image

and Likeness of the Supreme Being –
God.

Medieval philosophers on man: • World is created by God out of

nothing (God created the world OUT
• Medieval Philosophy is described as of himself) (ex nihilo) and through His
THEOCENTRIC Free act.

• Theocentric means etymologically… • Human soul as Spiritual (Intangible),

Simple (One), and Immortal
Theo – God (Eternal).
Centric – Center • More so, it has three (3) Functions
• Thus, Theocentric means the search 1. Being
for Truth is centered on God the
Supreme Being. 2. Understanding

• Man and the World are part of the 3. Loving

Supreme Being’s Creation.
• And these Three (3) Functions of the
• The Medieval philosophers were soul correspond to the Three (3)
influenced by the Greek Faculties of Man.
philosophers.
1. Intellective Memory (Being)
• However, the medieval philosophers
combined the Greek’s philosophical 2. Intelligence (Understanding)
ideas with their Theological Ideas or 3. Will (Loving)
Religious Beliefs.
The most important faculty is the Will
• St. Thomas Aquinas and St. since the most important function of
Augustine of Hippo are the main man is to Love.
philosophers in medieval period who
followed and adopted the However, Love also is related to
Intelligence (Understanding).

• The Will is Free, the Soul tends to be
restless.
• The restlessness prompts the soul to
search for the meaning of life and
Truth.
• Thus, it is the Spiritual component
that is made after God’ image and
likeness.
“Five Ways of Proving God’s Existence” in
St. Thomas Aquinas:
• Unmoved Mover

• This search ultimately ends in God • Uncaused Cause

the Supreme Being.
• Necessary Being
• God is the Truth himself and the real
meaning of Human existence. • Perfect Being

• “My heart is restless until it rests in • Divine Architect

Thee (God).” – St. Augustine
• However, because of Man’s sinful
actions, man cannot return to God
all by himself.
• Grace of God – faith in God is
needed.
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS
• The first three proofs are based from
Aristotle, while the last two proofs are
based from Plato.
• For Aquinas, human beings have a
natural end and a supernatural end.
• The natural end is possible to be
attained by human beings in this life.

• He followed the Philosophy of • While the supernatural end, is

Aristotle that is Man is composed of impossible to be attained by human
Body and Soul. beings alone.

• Aquinas Christianized philosophy of • The natural end is possible to be

Aristotle. attained by human beings in this life
because it the Happiness.
• Man is a Rational Being because
man has a Soul which possesses • While the supernatural end, is
vegetative, sentient and rational. impossible to be attained by human
beings alone because to attain this
• Man as a Human person, that is, a end man needs God’s Grace.
concrete, existing human individual.
AUGUSTINE THOMAS
• Man is not only Rational Being but
also Spiritual Being. MAN
(body and soul)
• The Rational Soul is the basis of man’s
spiritual faculties of intellect and will. SPIRITUAL VEGETATIVE
SPIRITED SENTIENT
• Human person is composed of Spirit APPETITIVE RATIONAL
(soul) and Body (corporeal).
GOD’S GRACE
• Corporeal comes from the Latin
word “Corpus” which means Body.
SALVATION
 Modern philosopher on man RENE DES CARTES

• Modern Philosophy is described as • A French Philosopher.

ANTHROPOCENTRIC
• Man is composed of Body and Spirit
• Anthropocentric means or Mind.
etymologically…
• These two components are separate
Anthropo – Man substances having different attributes
and functions.
Centric – Center
• The Mind (Spirit) as a separate
• Thus, Anthropocentric means the substance does not depend on the
search for Truth is centered on man Body in order to exist or to be
and human reason. understood.
• Human reason is liberated or freed • It is capable of Conscious Acts like
from the influence of faith. doubting, thinking and willing.
• Reason is capable understanding of
scientific discoveries especially
about the universe and scientific MIND BODY
laws in which no need to refer to the
• Able to do conscious • Not Conscious.
Divine Laws.
acts. • It is an extended
• Not an Extended substance
MEDIEVAL MODERN substance • It occupies space
• No space and parts and parts
ULTIMATE END
• Cannot be corrupted • It is corrupted and
• The ultimate end • The ultimate end or destroyed. can be
of man is to have of man is to destroyed.
Salvation or develop man’s
Eternal life that is natural talents
to be reunited and reason and DESCARTES ARISTOTLE/AQUINAS
with God the to satisfy natural BODY AND SOUL
Supreme Being. desires. • Cannot be • It is Substantially
substantially united.
• Moral ideal is to see man’s natural united but only as • The Soul needs the
self as an individual who is free to one of body as well as the
choose his/her own destiny. interaction. Body needs the soul.
• The Philosophical orientation of this • The Soul does not
kind of notion is based on the need the Body.
importance of Sense Experience
and Reason in which the foundation
of knowledge and standards of Truth.
 Period of enlightenment • Man is a subjectivity, a center or
unique core, a well-spring of
• It is not only for Intelligence but also initiative and meaning, and a stream
for Human Happiness. of consciousness.
• Ignorance and Tyranny are the • In short, man’s subjectivity is not
causes of Unhappiness. limited to reason but also affective
• Man can fight against ignorance and emotional as well.
and tyranny by developing man’s • Man as an incarnated subjectivity
natural power. lives with another Incarnated
• One can improve his/her natural subject.
powers through Education and this • In short, man lives in this social or
will ultimately lead to Happiness. Intersubjective world.
Contemporary philosophers on man • Thus, man should enter into a
• Two main Philosophers are personal relation with his/her fellow
Existentialism and Phenomenology men.
Philosophers. • The search for Truth has now
• Existentialism Philosophy – a become a Search for meaning of
philosophy that begins with the life.
contingent existence of the • Man has a task of discovering and
individual human being. giving meaning to his/her existence.
• Phenomenology Philosophy – an • Thus, man, the subject, is the giver
approach to philosophy which and discoverer of meaning.
investigates objects of experience
(phenomena). Some contemporary philosophers’
doctrines:
• Both Philosophers emphasize more
on man’s subjectivity, his/her 1. Character of human situation – there
freedom and relation with his/her are two sets of features: (a) Facticity
fellow humans. – those features that are given to us
and fixed from without. (b)
• More so, it focuses on the existential Transcendence (possibility) – features
and practical aspects of human of our existence which have been
existence. decided and created by us; our
AQUINAS CONTEMPORARY future actions and decisions are our
own making, etc.
MAN
2. Intersubjective Character of Human
• Man as a Human • Man not as rational Existence
person, that is, a being or spiritual
Intersubjectivity is either
concrete, existing being but as a understood as a personal
human individual. SUBJECT, an relationship between two
• Man is not only “Embodied Spirit” or persons: I and Thou, I and God, I
Rational Being but as an “Incarnate and Society.
also Spiritual Being. Subjectivity”.
3. Human Freedom

• Freedom means that nothing is

simply “given” and since nothing is
given, man decides whatever
he/she makes of himself/herself.

• Freedom is SELF-CREATION; what

man wants to be.

4. Depersonalization and
Dehumanization – the human being
derived of his/her personhood and
degraded as a human being.

• In technological advancement –
man is deprived of personal
qualities, treated like an object,
experience a loss of personal
identity, etc.

• Dominant groups or society –

imposed to man their beliefs, values,
or ideals. Thus it reduces man’s
individuality.