The nature of

human beings
Social Science 1 UP Visayas Second Sem., SY 2010-2011

Philosophical Underpinnings of Human Beings Human Beings Uniqueness Human Beings Morality

Man as Viewed from Four Perspectives

1. Origin 2. Composition 3. Essence or fundamental nature 4. Traits or characteristics which distinguish man from any other creation

Creationism
broad range of beliefs involving an appeal to Gods miraculous intervention to explain the origin of the universe, of life, and of the different kinds of plants and animals on earth.

Creation Stories
Genesis Egyptian Creation Story Native American Creation Myth Iroquois Inuit Filipino Creation Myth

Evolution

theory that states that all complex life forms at present have descended from earlier ones that existed in the past

Evolution
origin of life: billion of years ago one-celled organisms arose from the primodial ooze primates : 65 to 70 million years ago ape-like creature : 22 to 38 million years ago

Evolution
hominids (humanlike creatures who stood on feet) : 6 to 10 million years ago Homo habilis Homo erectus : lived about 1.8 million to 250,000 years ago. Become nearly extinct 500,000 years ago. Neanderthals and Homo sapiens

2. Mans Composition
Monism : man is made of matter or body, nothing else. - consistent with what the behaviorists believe in
Epiphenomenalism : the mental or

spiritual is a mere by-product of the physical.

Dualism : man is made of two irreducible elements:

Matter Spirit or Soul

Two opinions on the dualistic view of man:

1. Man is matter and spirit
implies that matter and spirit are two separate entities which interact regularly
Freuds Psychosexual Stages of Development Id, Ego, Superego

For Thomas Aquinas: All knowledge originates in sensation but sense data can only make sense through the actions of the intellect, which elevates thought toward the apprehension of such immaterial realities as the human soul, the angels, and God.

Rene Descartes
Man is an incorporeal (lacking a physical body) mind housed in a physical body Rejected sholasticism; tried to apply the rational inductive approach of mathematics to philosophy Cogito, ergo sum I think, therefore I am For Descartes, God created two classes of substances that make up the whole of reality: Thinking substances- mind Extended substances- body

2. Man is matter-spirit - Man is a fusion of these elements For Christians: Man is a tripartite being. body- physical, soul- mind, emotions, will spirit innermost part; relevant in mans commune with God

Aristotle: Man a Thinking Animal

- the mind, that which distinguishes man as a rational being, is incapable of being destroyed. - the mind is the special part of the psyche or soul - the soul is the bodys form; it does not have an existence separate from the body

For Aristotle, man is also a political animal. He best fulfills his potential within a social context.
the good life : eudaimonia (happiness, a life of virtue)

Plato :
The Tri-partite Nature of the Soul

Human soul: charioteer - reason the spirited element good; obeys the voice of reason bodily elements needs constant control

3. Mans Essence
pertains to mans fundamental nature

a. Rationalistic view b. Religious view c. Scientific view

Rationalistic View
points out mans capacity to understand and reason as his most unique attribute which sets him apart from other living things.

Rationalistic View
- Plato: reason is the highest part of the soul - Aristotle: mans rationality is his valued possession - Descartes: placing man firmly at the center of Gods creation as a being superior to all life forms, he claimed that what distinguishes man from other creations is his ability to think

Religious View
- stresses the divine nature of man (man is a being created by God and made in Gods image) - mans spiritual element enables him to transcend his physical limitations and the natural conditions of life

Scientific View
Biological View: takes man as part of the physical order of nature; man occupies space and time. Behaviorist View: sees man as a being that can be manipulated, formed, and developed in much the same way as any other animal

Give me the baby and my world to bring it up in and Ill make it crawl and walk; Ill make it climb and use its hands in constructing buildings of stone or wood; Ill make it a thief, a gunman, or a dope fiend. The possibility of shaping in any direction is almost endless.
John B. Watson, 1928

Scientific View
Information-Processing View: sees man as active processor of information; man infers, cognize, dream, imagine.

4. Distinctive Traits
In case of social, cultural, intellectual traits, the following are distinctive of man: 1. Man uses language. Gorillas and chimps mastered sign language. 2. Only man is inventive. he uses tools and builds machines. Otters smash mollusks with rocks. Apes strip leaves from twigs and use them to fish for termites.

4. Distinctive Traits
3. Man is a social and political creature. Apes enforce group norms. (Arnhem Zoo in the Netherlands) 4. Only man is conscious of history and has a cumulative cultural tradition. 5. Man has aesthetic appreciation. 6. Man has a sense of right and wrong.