PHILOSOPHY OF MAN

A. Definition of Philosophy
Before defining Philosophy define first what is definition. The term “Definition” is
derived from the Latin word de-fenire meaning “to state the limits of”
“to enclose within the limits of” or “to enclose within limits”. A thing can be limited
by unfolding its nature, or by getting its meaning or by laying hold of what includes
and extends.
 Two classifications of
Definition:
 A. Nominal: (Nominales –latin) meaning “having
reference to a name”. A nominal definition is
defined or limited according to its term or name.
So both etymological and vernacular nominal
definitions limit a thing from the standpoint of its
name or term. thinking.)
 Two kinds of Nominal
 1.Definition:
Etymological nominal definition limits a thing
or term by taking its derivation( e.g. Latin word
de-fenire)
 2. Vernacular nominal definition limits a thing
or term by taking into account its exclusive
meaning (e.g. Logic is the science of correct
thinking and reasoning)
B. Real Definition- (from the Latin
word realis meaning “having
reference to a thing or reality.”)
• Real Definition- defines a thing by
considering the thing per se.
Classification of Real Definition:
1. Intrinsic real definition-limit a thing
according to its essence and contingency or
accident. If it limits a thing according to its
accidents (those characteristics or parts that
may belong to a thing but are not necessary
to the essence of a things) it is called
descriptive definition.
 An essential Definition- limits a thing or term
according to its genus, i.e. “Man is an animal.” In this
case man is defined or limited in the context of his
animality., i.e. Man is not a plant but an animal.
Besides an essential definition can also limit a thing in
terms of its species, i.e. “Man is a rational animal.”
Here, rationality or rational animal is exclusive to man.
A Descriptive Definition limits a thing according to its
attributes or properties (those natural necessities of a
thing that are not part of its essence) e.g. “Man is a
smiling being.”
 Extrinsic definition- limits a thing according to its
origin, or cause or finality( purpose), i.e.”Death
(cause) is the separation of the soul from the body,”
or “God(origin) is the creator of man.”, or “A ballpen
is an instrument for writing (purpose).”
 Definition
A. Nominal B. Real
1.Etymological 1. Intrinsic
2.Vernacular a. Essential
i. Genus
ii. Species
b. Descriptive
i. Properties
ii. Accidents
2. Extrinsic
a. Origin
b. Origin
c. purpose
 Different Nominal Definition
 Greek words – Philein meaning “love” or “friendship”
and sophia meaning “wisdom”. Literally , Philosophy
means “Love of wisdom. But what is love and what is
wisdom. As a drive, love always seeks unity with the
object, it desires to possess its object. On the other
hand, wisdom means the good exercise or application
of knowledge. Truth is the ultimate object of
knowledge. Hence truth is being shown and practice by
a man of wisdom. To philosophize, therefore, is to be in
a quest, or to have the desire towards living the truth.
 Chinese- Philosophy means Zhe-xue or che shueh
known as Zhe-means wisdom; Xue- means study. For
the Chinese. Philosophy is the translation of words into
action or the application of theory into practice
 Thus, Chinese Philosophy-is the translation of words
into action or the application of theory into practice.
 Hindus Philosophy is Darsana. Darsana- means seeing,
seeing not only through the eyes, but through the
whole being of the one that sees. In other words the
Philosophy of the Hindus- means seeing the whole of
reality through a total advertence and involvement of
the looker.
Vernacular definition of Philosophy.
 Philosophy-is the science that investigates all things in
their ultimate causes, reasons, and principles through
reason alone.
 Philosophy is the “love of wisdom” or “the quest for
truth”. It is the truth that explains that which is referred
to as philosophy.
 Real Definition of Philosophy
 Philosophy- is the science that investigates all things in
their ultimate causes, reasons, ad principles through
human reason alone.
 Critical thinking- founded on reason, experience,
reflection, intuition, meditation, imagination and
speculation which also embraces questioning,
analyzing, criticizing, synthesizing, evaluating and
judging.
 The Origin of Philosophy
 Miletus – where Philosophy originated
 Thales – the first acclaimed philosopher. He wondered
earlier than Pythagoras also a philosopher in 6th
century.
The origin of Philosophy is wonder. Philosophy starts
with wonder that is why it is the cause of philosophy.
 Thales- was the first man who questioned or wondered.
Wonder is expressed in a question. When question arise,
reasoning through experience, intuition, meditation,
imagination and speculation start to work. This is why
philosophizing always involves questioning, analyzing,
criticizing, synthesizing, evaluating, and judging. The
spark of wonder is the dynamic force that leads to the
progressive motion of the act of philosophizing.
 Purpose of
Philosophy:
Enables us to understand ourselves better.
Helps us understand others, our fellowmen
Helps us understand other ways of thinking
Helps us understand the world and our place and role in
it.
Helps us understand the significance, meaning, value,
and finality of human life.
Helps us know and undertsand God in his nature, essence
activities and attributes.
 Division of
Philosophy
General - Ontology
Metaphysics Cosmology
Special Theodicy
Psychology
Philosophy Epistemology

Logic

Ethics
 Four Disciplines of
1. Philosophy
Metaphysics- science that studies all beings in so far as
they are beings.
a. General - Ontology- a metaphysical study of all
realities in so far as they exist.
b. Special:
i. Cosmology – metaphysical science which studies the
nature of the world.
ii. Theodicy – studies the nature, operations and
attributes of God.
iii. Psychology –studies of man’s nature as being
endowed with reason and intellect.
2.Epistemology- investigates knowledge and truth,
3. Logic- the study of correct thinking and reasoning
4. Ethics- the study on the morality of human actions or
Moral Philosophy.
Philosophy of Man- a course that delves into the origin
of human life, the nature of human life, and the reality
of human existence.
Philosophy of man is one’s desire to know who and what
man is. Thus, Philosophy of man , asks a crucial
question about himself and gradually answers the
question himself.
In general the Philosophy of man is a course that deals
with man, man is the superstar in Philosophy of man
II. MAN IN THE CONTEXT OF HIS NATURE
 Man is a being, a creature, whose destiny is to
live in two worlds, viz. the spiritual and physical or
material world. Man is destined to live in the
spiritual world because he summoned by God to
live with Him in His kingdom; and man is destined
to live I n the physical world since he is part of the
world and, besides, he lives among entities in the
world, viz, plants minerals, animals, etc.
 Man is the only recipients of a substantial unity
of a material body and spiritual soul.
 Human = refers to anything exclusively pertinent
to man.
 Nature = from Latin word “natus” means “born ‘
or “nature” which means “to be born” or “being
born”. Nature- is the ultimate operation of
reality.
 Human Nature – refers to anything exclusively
human which man intrinsically possesses right at
his birth. Human can be characterized as
universal and static. Universal pertains to all born
humans and static because it remains as it is in
every man from birth(womb) to death (tomb).
THREE FOLD-LEVEL OF HUMAN NATURE”
1. Somatic level – refers to the body substance,
constitution, or stuff of man and secondarily to
the bodily structure and color of man which are
conditioned by man’s culture and environment.
2. Behavioral level – refers to the mode of acting
of every man.
3. Attitudinal Level – refers to the mental
reaction of man to a given stimulus. Attitudes
can grow or stunted. Lies at the heart of every
man’s uniqueness, this level caters to individual
attitudes toward life.
 Human nature changes only in terms of its
accidental constituents, i.e. the growth of the
human body, the change or development of one’s
attitude, and the change of behavior which
appropriate to the human milieu.
HUMAN NATURE: AN OVERVIEW
PRE-SOCRATIC VIEWS OF MAN
 Thales- “ Man has 80% water in his brain and
70% water in his body , or a “man has a water
stuff”.
 Anaximenes- “Man is a human body with a
condensed air and a rarefied human soul”.
 Heraclitus- “Man has fire stuff in him in the
form of heat.”
 Anaximander – “Man is a human being that has
evolved from animals of another species which
are lower than his.”
Philosophy of Man

 Pythagoras- “Man is a dipartite of body and

soul .” That a soul is immortal, divine, and is
subjected to metempsychosis.
 Protagoras or the sophists- “ Man is the
measure of all things, of all things, that they
are, and of things that are not that they are
not.”
SOCRATIC PERIOD
Socrates
The acclaimed greatest philosopher in the
Western civilization. He defined “ Man is a being
who thinks and wills”.
He put more emphasis on the attitudinal level
of human nature since he give more value to the
human soul rather then the body.
He agued that human soul be nurtured properly
through the acquisition of knowledge, wisdom,
and virtue.
SOCRATIC PERIOD
Socrates
He emphasizes the moral sphere of the
attitudinal level of human nature. Man for him
should discover truth , truth about good life, for
it is in knowing the good life that man can act
correctly. That man’s attitude towards life should
be oriented towards knowledge. For it is in
knowledge that man can properly translate such
knowledge into really living a good life.
SOCRATIC PERIOD
Socrates
If man contends himself with knowledge and
virtue he is a man of wisdom or considered a wise
man. He who is a wise man who has disciplined his
soul to know what is right and does what he knows
to be right in the actual situation.
Knowledge is the ultimate criterion of action in
man. The dictum of Socrates is “Knowing- what-
is- right- means- doing- what- is- right”.
 ignorance of the knowledge of the right and good
life enable man to do evil deeds. Man does evil
deeds due to ignorance.
2. PLATO
defineS “ Man is a soul using a body.” because
the nature of man is seen in the metaphysical
dichotomy between body and soul. For Plato the
body is material, it cannot live and move apart
from the soul; it is mutable and destructible.
The soul is immaterial, it can exist apart from the
body. The soul is a substance because it exists
and can exists independently . Plato has a
conviction that the soul exists prior to the body.
 In Plato’s view there are three parts of soul:
Human Body Levels of Human Soul
Head Rational Level
Chest Spiritual Level
Stomach Appetitive Level

1. The Rational Part is located in the head , especially in the brain. It is in this part
where the soul enable to think, to reflect, to draw conclusions. This is the most
important and the highest part of the soul. This distinguishes man from the brutes.
2. The Spiritual part is in the chest. It is here that the soul experience abomination
and anger.
3. The Appetitive part in the abdomen where man drives to experience hunger,
thirst, and other physical aspects.
Man can control his appetite and self-assertion of spirit through reason.
Plato believes that Reason controls both Spirit and Appetitie. When this happens man
will have a well-balanced personality. He declares that the appetitive and spiritual parts
are subjected to death; they are mortals. Only the rational part is immortal. This gives
birth to the conception that idea is eternal and immortal since it is rooted in reason.

The emphasis of Plato on human nature in the light of reason.

3. ARISTOTLE
Aristotle maintains that there is no dichotomy between man’s body
and man’s soul. Body and soul are in a state of unity. In this unity the soul acts as
the perfect realization of the body while the body is the material entity which has
a potentiality of life. The body has no life. It can only possess life when it is
united with the soul.
Aristotle speaks of Man as a single essence composed of body and soul.
Man’s body matter and man’s soul form. That is why he speaks of soul as the
body’s perfect realization because form for him is the perfect realization of
matter.
Soul is the principle in life; it causes the body to live. The body is matter to the
soul and the soul form to the body.. Body and soul , therefore are inseparable.
They constitute man as a whole.
According to Aristotle there are three Kinds of soul:
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Grades of being Kinds of Soul
Man Rational
Animals /Brutes Sensitive
Plants/ Vegetation Vegetative
1. Vegetative – the lowest type of soul which is found in all living things, Plants,
specifically possess this type of soul. It is capable of following functions: It
feeds itself, it grows and it reproduces.
2. Sensitive –soul exists in animals. It feeds, it grows, and it reproduces, and it
has feelings(particularly pain and pleasure because it has developed a nervous
system)
3. Rational- it exists only in man. It ranks highest than vegetative and sensitive
because because it assumes the functions of them and it is capable of
thinking, reasoning and willing. Man is higher than the brutes, animals and
plants. Man is capable of thinking and judging aside from sensing and
growing.
Aristotle’s view of human nature is seen in the argument of matter and the form of
man. Man is essentially body and soul. Aristotle rejects the idea of Plato on the
dichotomy of the soul and the body and the preexistence of the soul prior to the
body. No won der the Christian doctrines are patterned after Thomistic lines of
thinking are more Aristotelian than Platonic. But Aristotle , like Plato advocates
Reason as man’s highest faculty because Reason distinguishes man from other
form of life-possessing like plants and brutes.