Human as an

Embodied Spirit.
 Philosophy define the Human
Person
• Philosophers also think about upon the
concept of the Human Person and what
makes him or her a different in nature and
entity.

•“Human Person” refers to the individual, and

all the attributes and characteristics that set
him or her apart from other human beings.
•Like all other animals, human beings posses
SENTIENCE –The ability to feel and
experience and perceive things.
 The Body As Intermediary
• Intermediary Connotes two meanings: as
bridge and as wall
• Because of my body, and encounter and
agreement occur between myself and the
world. Though my body, my subjectivity is
opened to the world and the world is
opened to me.
• On the other hand, because also of my body,
I experience the world as separate from me. I
am hidden from the world, and the world is
hidden from me.
 The Body As Intersubjectivity
• • My body is not only an intermediary
between me and the world but also between
me and others. I show myself to the other
and the other also shows himself to me
through my body.
• Yet it’s also my body that I hide myself from
them , and they hide their selves to me.
 The Value of The Body
• As the appearance and subjectivity , my
body has a unique value and dignity. It
directs me not only to the world and others
but also to God.
 According To The West

The Notion of The Human Person

As Embodied Spirit.
 Aristotle’s Concept of Man
• While Plato thought of a dichotomy between
the body and soul, according to Aristotle,
there is none
• The body and soul are in state of unity – in
his
so-called hylomorphic doctrine.
• Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) explains to us the
four orders of beings in this world which are
properly called hylomorphic namely, non-
living bodies, plants, animals, and men.
• Hylomorphic derived its etymology from two
Greek words, hyle which means “matter” and
morphe which means “form”.
• The soul acts as pure actuality if the body
while the body Is a material entity that
posses the potentiality for life.
 Aristotle presented the concepts of
the kinds of soul:
• Rational Soul – Ranks the highest for it takes
responsibility the functions of vegetative and
sensitive souls. It is capable of thinking,
reasoning, willing, reflecting, and deciding
apart from sensing and growing.
• Sensitive Soul – It feeds itself, it grows, it
reproduces, and it has feelings
• Vegetative Soul – Capable of feeding,
growing
and reproducing itself.
 A.) Man Rational Animal
• Man as rational animal. He can cognize
things sensitively and intellectually. He is
called animal because he is no different from
any other animals
• Man can see things as it is and then undergo
an intellectual process – called ideogenesis –
to give its meaning.
Scholastic (Thomaistic) Concept of the
Human Person
• He was regarded of Christianizing the philosophy
of Aristotle
• St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) was
significantly influenced by the thinking of the
great Greek philosopher Aristotle.
• The presupposition that the body and the soul
are 2 distinct entities of totally different natures,
having completely distinct casual powers rooted
in its different natures, in which has become
accessible to us for observation in thoroughly
diverse ways.
• The universal element common in all living
beings is the soul.
• The body and the soul are distinctive parts
of the same entity. St. Thomas would often
reiterate unum convertitur cum ente (there
is one entity, absolutely speaking, at any
time there is a being having one act of
existence, even if the being in query is
composed of numerous parts).
• Both Aristotle and St. Thomas studied them as
a function of the whole of which it is a part
 Alasdair MacIntyre’s Dependent
Rational Animal
• There are three aspects of human existence to
consider a successful ethical theory: We are
dependent, we are rational, and we are
animals.
• From Aristotle’s idea of human telos (purpose
or end), MacIntrye rintroduces the
conception of a telos or good of a whole
human life conceived as unity.
• He presented that for a virtue to really become a
virtue, it is important to practice it in a small
community.
• The central virtue of this acknowledged
dependence is what MacIntyre calls “Just
Generosity” which is a combination of Justice and
Generosity.
• Alasdair Macintyre (1929-present) is one of the
most renowned Thomistic political philosophers
today.
 Rene Descartes
• Rene Descartes (1596-1650) was the father of
modern philosophy and analytic geometry.
• He contended that all extended beings (meaning,
bodily beings) including man’s body, are subject
to change and hence, uncertain
• To get rid of illusion in order to secure that which
is certain as the foundation of any inquiry, he
introduced a methodic doubt in which he subject
every extended being into doubt and claimed
that whatever is that which will pass the test
shall be held as certain and real.
• • He realized that even if almost everything
can be doubted, there is one thing that
cannot be doubted.
Primary and Secondary Reflection
• Primary reflection is when we look at a
particular thing objectively.
• In this mater, the body studied in primary
reflection is not my body anymore but only “A
Body”.
• This is the body talked about is physiology,
anatomy and other sciences.
• It is very important that we study Primary
reflection.
 HUMAN RESPONSIBILITY:

From the “I” to the

“Other”
 “The law of I”
• is a thinking that starts from myself, goes out
to the other, and returns to myself.
 “The Law of the Other”
• is a thinking that moves from the I to the other
without returning to the I.
 The Autonomy of the Self
• the act of preservation that describes itself
as a being – the going out of being from the
“self” to the “other” but return to the “self”
again.
 The Heteronomy of the Other
• what is most important is not the self/ego but
the neighboring/other.
• there is ethical responsibility for the “other,”
that the “other” must not be taken for granted
anymore.
• always consider the ethical responsibility of
the “self” to the “other,” for the “other”
 Man as “Capable Human Being”:
• Man has the capacity to tell a story in order to ascertain that
there are things in life left undone.
• The narrative of our life must use the capacity of both to
understand its hidden possibilities
Narrative Identity
• -the dynamic way of interpreting identity
• -The hermeneutics of the self- a transition from man’s servile
way
3 things to be highlighted in our life in quest of the narrative
• Not to see life as something routinary| mechanical
• To find its meaning again and again
• To accept things in life as they are, but one should go beyond
• I. Not to see life as something routinary/mechanical -
identity is not just keeping the same, but changes in time
and always in the making -to see life as routinary or
mechanical is to make it tautologous -for Paul Ricoer, ‘the
enemy of memory is repetition’ -always see life everyday
as a new beginning
• II. To find its meaning again and again -MEANING in
Filipino is kahulugan Ka| kaputol or kapatid, binds or
connect something Hulog| put into a deeper level in order
to grasp the real essence of being -In our life, there is a
tendency to see it as routinary\mechanical leading to its
absurdity -Paul Ricoer is suggesting to us the idea to
always anchor our lives to the ultimate source of meaning
• III. To accept things in life as they are, but
one should go beyond these lived human
actions - To struggle with the text is
tantamount to saying to struggle with the
reality of life - For Paul Ricoer, struggling with
life is finding its true meaning -struggle is
inevitable in life, but to experience the reality
of life is for human to grow and go beyond
the lived experience in order to find its
essence
 The Formation of the Human Being
• the aim of self-formation is to make each
human being becomes what God wants him
to be
• Man must free himself from mere conformity
and imitation
• Self- formation is very essential in life where
we realize the plan of God in us
• Life is an endless search for meaning
Transcendence in
Global Age(East)
 Transcendence
• An act of rising above something to a superior
state
• State of excelling or surpassing or going
beyond usual limits of material experience
• Comes from the Latin prefix trans-, meaning
“beyond”, and the word scandare, meaning
to climb.
 Hinduism
• • Hinduism is one of the oldest Eastern
traditions practiced by hundreds of millions
of people for about 5,000 years
• • At the heart of Hinduism lies the idea of
human beings' quest for absolute truth, so
that one's soul and the Brahman or Atman
(Absolute Soul) might become one
 The Aum
• • It is the root of the universe and everything
that exists and it continues to hold
everything together
Human beings possess dual nature:
•The spiritual and immortal essence (soul)
•Empirical life and character
Karma (कर् )म
•It refers to intentional actions that affect one's
fortunes in this life and the next.
•Humanity's basic goal in life is the liberation
(moksha) of spirit (jiva).
 Transmigration/Metempsychosis
Hindus believe the atman repeatedly takes on
a
body until moksha.
If a person has led a good life, the soul goes
upward the scale. The soul of an evil person,
on the other hand, may pass into the body of
an animal.
• Moksha
It is the transcendent state attained as a result
of being released from the cycle of rebirth.

Hinduism's Primary Values

1. Wealth
2. 2. Pleasure
3. 3. Duty
4. 4. Enlightenment
 Brahman
• Places a lot of emphasis on the attainment
of
self-knowledge
• Most Hindus believe that Brahman is
present in every person as the eternal spirit
or soul, called the atman.
Brahman contains everything: creation and
destruction, male and female, good and evil,
movement and stillness
These are expressed in the trimurti and are:
Brahma, the creator Vishnu, the preserver
Shiva, the destroyer
Dharma is an important term in Indian
religions.
In Hinduism it means 'duty', 'virtue', 'morality',
even 'religion' and it refers to the power which
upholds the universe and society.
• The Upanishads are a collection of texts that
contain some of the central philosophical
concepts of Hinduism; and is also considered by
Hindus to contain utterances concerning the
nature of ultimate reality and describing the
character of and path to human salvation.
Nirvana
The highest state that someone can attain, a state
of enlightenment, meaning a person's
individual desires and suffering go away
 Buddhism: From Tears to
Enlightenment
• • Like stars fading and vanishing at dawn, Like
bubbles on a fast moving stream, Like
morning dewdrops evaporating on blades of
grass, like a candle flickering in a stormy wind,
echoes, mirages, and phantoms hallucinations
and like a dream.
- The Buddha, Eight Smiles of Illusion
 Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha)
He turned away from Hinduism to seek for answers to
the riddle of life's sufferings, disease, old age, and
death.
Four Noble Truths
1. Life is full of suffering;
2. Suffering is caused by passionate desires, lusts,
cravings;
3. Only as these are obliterated, will suffering cease;
4. Such eradication of desire may be accomplished only
by following the Eightfold Path of earnest endeavor.
 Eightfold Path
1. Right belief in and acceptance of the "Fourfold Truth";
2. Right aspiration for one's self and for others;
3. Right speech that harms no one;
4. Right conduct, motivated by goodwill toward all human
beings;
5. Right means of livelihood, or earning one's living by
honorable means;
6. Right endeavor, or effort to direct one's energies toward
wise ends;
7. Right mindfulness in choosing topics for thought; and
8. Right meditation or concentration to the point of
complete absorption in mystic ecstasy.
States of Sublime Condition
•Love
•Sorrow of others
•Joy in the joy of others
•Equanimity as regards one's own joy and
sorrows.
Samsara
It is the beginning-less cycle of repeated birth, mundane
existence and dying again that all beings pass through. Samsara
is considered to be dukkha, unsatisfactory and painful,
perpetuated by desire and avidya (ignorance), and the resulting
karma.
Axioms
• Cease to do evil
• Learn to do good
• Purify your own mind
 The Biblical God and Humanity
• in the 5th century, Augustines writing is considered to be
the most influential in the early medieval period.
-this section looks at the reasonableness of belief in Gods
existence.
-Theistic Hypothesis treating the statement "God exists" as a
hypothesis
-Religious people do not treat Gods existence as a
hypothesis.
-The religious problem in the Old Testament narratives is not
Atheism the denial of God but Polytheism the worship of
too many gods.
-in the new testament the reality of God is unquestioned
because the Jesus of Nazareth the eternal God became
flesh and dwelt among human beings.
For Augustine(354-430 CE)
-Teachings of christianity are based on the love
of God which Augustine's, Aquinas', and
Anselm's arguments rooted.
-Christianity as presenting the full revelation of
the true God, is the only full and true
philosophy.
-When comes the knowledge of God? It starts
with faith and made perfect by understanding.
-philosophy is "amor sapiential", the love of
wisdom. Hence it is the love of God it is
then religious
-All knowledge leads to God so that faith
supplement and enlightens reason that may
proceed to ever richer and fuller
understanding.
"Human beings alone, without God, are
bound
to fail"
 Evaluate Limitations (East)
1.FORGIVENESS- we are freed from our anger
and bitterness. - the hardness of our heart is
reinforced by whole series of rational
arguments.
2.THE BEAUTY OF NATURE- Theres is perfection
in every sinble flower; this what the three
philosophies believed. - these kinds of
experiences can be truly moment of grace
and need to be praise.
3. VULNERABILITY- to be invulnerable is somehow
inhuman. To be vulnerable is to be human. -
without acknowledging the help of others is to
live without meaning and direction. -
Dependence on others are not a sign of
weakness but being true with ourselves
4. FAILURE - it force us to confront ouf weaknesses
and limitations. -such acceptance of our failures
makes us hope and trust that all can be brought
into good.
5.LONELINESS- our loneliness can be rooted
from our sense of vulnerability and fear of
death. -this is a common a experience. -
with our loneliness we can realize that our
dependence on other people or gadgets is
possessiveness that we can be free from.
• 6.LOVE - to love is to experience fichness,
lositivity, and transcendence. -Life is full of
risks, fears and commitment,pain and
sacrificing and giving up things we want
for the sake of the one we love. - in a
buddhist view "the more we love, the
more we risks and fears there are in life"
 Key Terms
  Man – the general term commonly used to refer

to the entire human race
  Human – refers to man as a species
  Human being – used to distinguish man from
other animals
  Person – refers to a human being granted
recognition of certain rights, protection,
responsibilities, and dignity above all. It is the
totality of an individual, possessing awareness,
self-determination, and the capacity to interact
with others and with himself/herself.
 Key Terms

 Personhood – refers to the state of being a person
 Human nature – refers to the characteristics (like
thinking, feeling and acting) that distinguish humans
from all other creatures. These traits are considered to
form the essence of humanity, and without them, an
individual may not be considered a human person.
 What is the human person?

Person

Has awareness Has self Is able to reach Has dignity

of self determination out and interact
with other
 Self-awareness

 Refers to the person having a clear perception of
oneself, including his thoughts, emotions, identity
and actions
 This awareness goes beyond perception and
reaction to the environment. We have deeper
awareness that is driven by rationality or human
thought.
 A person is aware of both his surroundings and
himself. He knows that he is living an experience
and is an active participant in this experience.
 Self-awareness
  This awareness gives rise to the notion of the “self”
which the philosophers  describe as the person who is
actively aware that he is perceiving and experiencing
reality.
  This awareness of the self also enables us to
experience an “inner world” that is defined by our
personal thoughts and ideas. We experience
interiority, that is, the quality of being focused on
one’s inner life and identity. This interiority enables us
to practice creativity.
  Creativity also means that a person can create
within himself what is not yet existing outside.
Having an inner world allows a person to create goals,
dreams and plans which may be realized through
activity.
 Try saying these
I am a person.
I am alive.

I exist.
I am here. I am present.
I am living at this very moment.
 Let’s examine

Little Carlo is playing in the living room
while his mom is in the kitchen. He
accidentally bumps into a table, causing a
vase to fall. Upon hearing, his mom went to
the living room and saw him standing near
the broken vase. She asked, “Did you break
the vase?” what do you think Carlo’s answer
will be?
 Self-determination
on their own preferences,
  This refers to the capability of persons to make
choices and decisions based
monitor and regulate their actions, and be goal-oriented
and self-directed. We are persons because we act and we
are aware of our actions.
  Our free will enables us to do actions whenever we
want to and make various alternatives. The existence of
free will enables a person to act willfully, control his
actions, and recognize himself as the source of action.
 Self-determination

 Consequence is the result or effect of an action or
condition. Philosophers believe that a person acts freely
and with due regard for the consequences of his
actions.
 Morality is the goodness or ‘badness’ of an act.
 Human action is such an important aspect of the
person that many philosophers consider human action
as a way to reveal a person’s true nature. Human acts
complete the person, as it is through his actions that his
inner self is revealed to others, and it is through action
that a person is able to explore and fulfill his potential.
 Try saying these
I am a person.

My actions are my very own and are
made freely.
I know that I am the cause of my
•actions.
I know that my actions have
•consequences.
 Externality

 This refers to the capability of a person to reach out
and interact with others and the world.
 The realization that we are not alone and that there
are indeed other people around us enables us to reach
out and establish meaningful relationships with others.
 Philosophers consider man as a social being and that
a person never exist in isolation. Man has the natural
tendency to seek out fellow human beings, and the
relationships established by this interaction is a vital
component for survival.
 Externality
 not only through our
  Our interactions with others define our existence as
persons. We grow and develop
thoughts and actions, but also through the influence of
other people in our lives, and the individuals we meet
and interact with.
 Try saying these
I am a person.
I value others.

I interact with others in meaningful ways.
I value my relationships with others.
I have grown as a person because I’ve had
meaningful interactions with people I’ve met in
my life.
 Dignity
  This refers to the innate right to be values and

respected. Philosophers consider all humans as having
an inherent worth or value. “You’re worthless!” is an
insult since it attacks the very notion of a person having
value or worth.
  Each person is worth the same as another person in
the sense that every person is priceless, unique,
unrepeatable and irreplaceable. No person is
dispensable or interchangeable. This is the reason why
separation from the people we love and value is a
difficult and painful experience.
 Dignity

 Human dignity is rooted in the nature of the human
being, meaning, a person has dignity simply because of
the fact that he is human.
 Dignity is not defined by outside factors like intelligence,
beauty, skills, etc.
 A person retains his dignity in spite of his actions or
behavior.
 Dignity also drives us to seek what is good. Doing good
deeds upholds and promotes dignity of the human
person. This recognition of dignity is also the basis for the
recognition of human rights.
 Try saying these
I am a person.

I am a person with dignity.
I recognize that others have dignity, as
•well.
I must uphold human dignity in my
thoughts and actions.
 What is in our human nature that
enables us to become persons?

Aside from the physical characteristics,
another aspect of the human that defines us
as persons is the spirit. This intangible
element enables us to exercise thought,
possess awareness, interiority, and the
capacity to reach out to the outside world
and other persons.
 How are the body and spirit
related?

 Philosophers consider the human person as defined
by the union of the body and the spirit.
 THE HUMAN PERSON IS AN EMBODIED
SPIRIT. The body and the spirit are not only united,
but they are integrated with each other.
 Embodiment enables us to do and experience all the
things that make us human persons.
Science: Love is a result of various Philosophy: Human persons do not love
biological reactions associated with just with the heart nor the brain. We love
an increase in hormones, which another person with our entire being.
may have certain effects on the Embodiment is the one thing that enables
body. us to feel love and love others.
 Embodiment

 The human body stands as the mediator between the
material world and the spiritual world. Being an
embodied spirit, the person is able to encounter the
world of objects (and other personal subjects) in a
manner that transcends the physical. This feature
allows him to form intimate relationship with those
outside him.
 Human embodiment allows persons to attach
certain feelings or ideas not only to people but also
to objects. (pair of shoes as a present from a loved
one)
 Embodiment
the body conveys
  With human embodiment, physical acts are no longer
purely physical acts, because
something from a person’s inner world.
  A pat on the shoulder from your idol, a smile from
your crush, a kiss from your partner will create intense
emotional reaction in you. These examples show that it
is through embodiment that a person in able to have a
very unique relationship with the world. And it is this
unique relationship that defines us as humans.
 How does my human nature
enable me to explore my limits?

 Human nature still has limits despite being an
embodied spirit. It can be said that the person is very
biologically deficient being. We do not have the
natural ability to fly. We cannot breathe underwater
without using breathing apparatus. We cannot
survive in certain environments like other animals.
 Despite this limitations, we have used out intellect to
devise means to achieve several feats.
 The ability to surpass limits is called transcendence,
and it is also one important trait that distinguishes
the human person from other beings in existence.
 Transcendence

 Our mind is an important tool that allows us to go
beyond many of our physical limits. Although we have
these physical limitations, we can transcend them because
of our spiritual dimension.
 As human persons, we have natural tendencies or
inclinations. Some of these are felt bodily functions like
hunger, fatigue, etc. transcendence means overcoming
oneself or being in control even if the body reminds us of
certain tendencies. Although these tendencies are felt, the
person can govern them and ensure that they are
exercised within the bounds of reason.
 Transcendence
  Each individual carries within himself the

possibility of transcending his limits by exerting
enough effort and perseverance.
  Philosophy gives us useful tools to explore our
limits and possibilities. The essence of
transcendence is to acknowledge our limitations,
identify possibilities for development and change
ourselves for the better.
  Opening yourself to new experiences and ideas
is another aspect of transcendence.
  Our capacity for transcendence gives us the
opportunity to work toward becoming better
versions of ourselves.