Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region III-Central Luzon
Schools Division of Bulacan
Asian Institute of Science and Technology
Plaza Naning Victoria Bldg. Baliwag, Bulacan
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

Module in
Introduction to the Philosophy of
the Human Person
(PPT12)
First Quarter S.Y. 2021-2022

Mr. Charlie I. Dela Cruz

Instructor

Name:

Section:

First Quarter Module 3 – Week 3

 The Human Person as Embodied Spirit

Ancient Philosophy
The Pre-Socratic in the Iliad and the Odyssey, the early Ionian epic poet Homer offers a view of the
world as under the influence of the Olympian gods. The Olympian gods were much like humans,
capricious and willful. In the Homeric view of the world, human qualities are projected onto the world via
human-like gods. Here explanation of the natural world is modeled on explanation of human behavior.
This marks the world view of the epic poets as pre-philosophical and prescientific. However, even in the
early epic poems we find a moral outlook that is key to the scientific and philosophical frame of mind. In
Homer and in later Greek tragedy, we find stories of the grief that human hubris brings upon us. The
repeated warnings against human pride and arrogance make a virtue out of humility. Intellectual humility
involves recognizing the fallibility of human thought, in particular one’s own. The willingness to submit
one’s own opinions to rational scrutiny is essential to moving beyond the realm of myth and into the realm
of philosophy and science. Intellectual humility makes it possible to see the world and one’s place in it as a
matter for discovery rather than a matter of self-assertion.

The Melisians The beginning of philosophy in ancient Greece is often given as 585 B.C., the year that the
Milesian philosopher Thales predicted a solar eclipse. Thales brings a new naturalistic approach to
explaining the world. That is, his proposed explanations for natural phenomenon are given in terms of
more fundamental natural phenomenon, not in supernatural terms. The step away from supernatural myth
and towards understanding the natural world on its own terms is a major development. Thales is interested
in the fundamental nature of the world and arrives at the view that the basic substance of the world is
water. His reason for thinking that water is fundamental is that of the four recognized elements - earth, air,
fire and water - only water can take the form of a solid, liquid, or a gas. According to Thales, earth is really
water that is even more concentrated than ice and fire is really water that is more rarified than steam.

Pythagoras (fl. 525-500 B.C.) traveled in Egypt where he learned astronomy and geometry. His thought
represents a peculiar amalgam of hardnosed mathematical thinking and creative but rather kooky
superstition. Pythagoras holds that all things consist of numbers. He saw mathematics as a purifier of the
soul. Thinking about numbers takes one’s attention off of particular things and elevates the mind to the
realm of the eternal.

The Sophists Most of early Greek philosophy prior to the Sophists was concerned with the natural world.
The desire to explain an underlying reality required natural philosophers to speculate beyond what is
observable and they lacked any developed critical method for adjudicating between rival theories of
substance change or being. In this situation, it is easy to see how many might grow impatient with natural
philosophy and adopt the skeptical view that reason simply cannot reveal truths beyond our immediate
experience. But reason might still have practical value in that it allows the skilled arguer to advance his
interests. The Sophists were the first professional educators. For a fee, they taught students how to argue
for the practical purpose of persuading others and winning their way. While they were well acquainted
with and taught the theories of philosophers, they were less concerned with inquiry and discovery than
with persuasion.

Pythagoras and Heraclitus had offered some views on religion and the good life. Social and moral issues
come to occupy the center of attention for the Sophists. Their tendency towards skepticism about the
capacity of reason to reveal truth and their cosmopolitan circumstances, which exposed them to a broad
range of social customs and codes, lead the Sophists to take a relativist stance on ethical matters. The
Sophist’s lack of interest in knowing the truth for its own sake and their entrepreneurial interest in teaching
argument for the sake of best serving their client’s interests leads Plato to derisively label the Sophists as
“shopkeepers with spiritual wares.”

Socrates Socrates is widely regarded as the founder of philosophy and rational inquiry. He was born
around 470 B.C., and tried and executed in 399 B.C. Socrates was the first of the three major Greek
philosophers; the others being Socrates’ student Plato and Plato’s student Aristotle. Socrates did not write
anything himself. We know of his views primarily through Plato’s dialogues where Socrates is the primary
character. Socrates is also known through plays of Aristophanes and the historical writings of Xenophon.
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In many of Plato’s dialogues it is difficult to determine when Socrates’ views are being represented and
when the character of Socrates is used as a mouthpiece for Plato’s views.

Apology
This dialogue by Plato is a dramatization of Socrates’ defense at his trial for corrupting the youth among
other things. Socrates tells the story of his friend Chaerophon who visits the Oracle of Delphi and asks if
anyone in Athens is wiser than Socrates. The Oracle answered that no one is wiser than Socrates. Socrates
is astounded by this and makes it his mission in life to test and understand the Oracle’s pronouncement. He
seeks out people who have a reputation for wisdom in various regards and tests their claims to knowledge
through questioning. He discovers a good deal of vain ignorance and false claims to knowledge, but no one
with genuine wisdom. Ultimately, Socrates concludes that he is wisest, but not because he possesses
special knowledge not had by others. Rather, he finds that he is wisest because he recognizes his own lack
of knowledge while others think they know, but do not.

The Human Person as an Embodied Spirit (Hinduism, Buddhism & Christianity)

HINDUISM

 For the Indians, God first created sound and the universe arose from it.
 The AUM (OM) is the root of the universe and everything that exist and it continues to hold
everything together.
 3rd most popular religion with around 750 million followers.
 World oldest religion
 Practiced by more than 80% of India’s population.
 With over 33M Gods.
 AUM (OM) – is the main symbol of Hinduism. It is the sound heard in deepest meditation and is
said to be the name most suited for god.
 Most sacred and when they heard and when they meditate they become with Brahman.

5 BELIEFS/ 5 GOALS IN HUMAN LIFE (HINDU WAY OF LIVING)

1. MOKSHA – liberation. The release of the soul (atman) from the cycle of rebirth. The individual
soul unites with Brahman the universal soul.
 Atman – Soul
 Brahman – God
2. DHARMA – the code for leading one’s life respect for elders is considered important.
3. ARTHA – the pursuit of material gains by lawful means.
4. SAMSARA (REINCARNATION) – means going through the cycle of repeated births and
deaths.
5. KARMA – is the cause of our particular destiny. Misfortunes in our present life are the result of
acts that we have committed in the past.
o In the same way our actions in our present lives will determine our fate in the lives that
follow.
o Hindus therefore aim to live in a way that will cause each of their lives to be better than
the life before.
o God allots rewards and punishments to all being according to their karma (Puligandla
1997)

WHY HINDUS THERE SO MANY GODS?

1. Hindus actually only believe in one God. Brahman the eternal origin who is the cause and
foundation of all existence.
2. The Gods of the Hindus faith represent different forms of Brahman. These Gods are sent to help
people find the universal God.
3. Most Hindus have a personal God or Goddess.

THE TRIMUTRI

1. Brahma
 The Creator, Vehicle: Swan, Has 4 hands, 4 arms, and a reddish complexion
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 2. Vishnu
 The Preserver, Vehicle: Ganuda (bird), Has 4 arms, a bluish complexion and rests on a snake
3. Shiva
 The Destroyer, Vehicle: Bull, has matted hair, a third eye and a blue throat.

SHAKTIS (female aspects)

1. Saraswati
 Goddess of knowledge, music and art, Vehcicle: Swan, Wife of Brahma. Sits on a white lotus
playing a veena
2. Lakshmi
 Goddess of wealth and Prosperity, Vehicle: Owl
 Wife of Vishnu. Usually shown bestowing coins and flanked by elephants

3. Parvati
 The Devine Mother, Vehicle: Lion, The reincarnation of Shiva’s first wife
 Has many forms such as the popular Durga and Khali Ganapati – The remover of Obstacles

OTHER POPULAR GODS

1. Surya – God of the Sun, Vehicle: Golden chariot pulled by seven horses, seven is sacred number
in hindu. The seven horse’s representative of the seven major sins.
2. Saraswati – Oversees of Knowledge
3. Ganapati/Ganesh – The remover of Obstacles, Vehicle: Mouse, Son of Shiva and Parvati, has an
elephant head
4. Murugan – God of war, Vehicle: Peacock, Son of Shiva and Parvati
5. Durga – A fiercer form of Parvati, Vehicle: Lion, has 10 arms holding so many weapons
6. Khali – Goddess of time and death, Vehicle: Donkey, usually portrayed as dark and violent
7. Rama – The 7th avatar of Vishnu, The warrior
8. Krishna – The 8th avatar of Vishnu, usually portrayed as a child and a prankster, often shown
playing the flute, The God of love
9. Hanuman – Known as assisting Rama
10. Agni – The fire God. Protector of humanity.

VEDAS – Hinduism Holy Bible.

 Written in Sanskrit
 Most ancient sacred text of the Hindu Religion
 Hinduism does not just have one sacred book but several scriptures.
 The Vedas scripture guide Hindus daily life. VEDA means KNOWLEDGE

BUDDHISM

 Develop in India 2500 years ago

 Based on the many core concepts of Hinduism
 No supreme God

Siddharta Guatama or the Buddha which means “enlighten one”

 live in 5th century

 born into a luxurious life
 raise to be a king
 at age of 29 he rejected his luxurious life to seek enlightenment and the source of suffering
 became the enlighten one at 35

Nirvana – A state of liberation and freedom from suffering

Reincarnation – Concept that one must go through many cycle of birth, living and death

Karma – The law that every cause has an effect. Buddhist believe that our past actions have an effect on
who or what we are in our next life.

Wheel of Life - Represents the endless cycle of life trough reincarnation.

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Lotus Flowers – Symbolizes purity and Devine birth. The different color of lotus flower have specific
meaning. For example, Red Lotus – qualities of life, Purple Lotus – Mystic.

CHRISTIANITY
- Began in Judea (Modern day in Israel)
- This area was controlled by the romans. The religion that time was pagan, a polytheistic religion
- The Jewish felt strong dislike towards the Romans that they lived under
Origin of Jesus Christ
- Jesus Christ is the Greek word meaning Savior
- Jesus was born around 4BC into a Jewish family, out began to teach a new type of Judaism that
emphasizes God’s Love for Mankind
The Twelve Disciples
1. Peter/Simon
2. Andrew
3. James
4. John
5. Philip
6. Thomas
7. Mathew
8. Thaddaeus
9. Maddeus
10. Simon
11. Bartholomew
12. Judas

Messian
- Some Jesus believed that Jesus was the messian. (a person descripted in the toran who would be
the savior of Jewish people). The Roman governor, Pontius Plate, Saw Jews as a threat to authority and
sentenced him to crucifixion (which was a common punishment at that time)
Betrayal of Jesus
- “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me”
Jesus Crucifixion
- It was a Roman method of execution in which people were nailed to a wood cross and left to die
The Ten (10) commandments
1. Thou shalt have no other God’s before me
2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven images
3. Thou shalt not take the lords nature in vain
4. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy
5. Honour thy father and thy Mother
6. Thou shalt not kill
7. Thou shalt not commit adultery
8. Thou shalt not steal
9. Thou shalt not bear false witness
10. Thou shalt not cover thy neighbour’s house, wife or possessions

Human limitation and Possibilities of Transcendence

Based on the proceeding section, let us evaluate our human limitations and how we can also transcend
them. Many of us would experience any of the following; for emerging from deep within felt a sense of
being in tune with the mystery of our own being, and with the mystery of life that transcend us.

A. Forgiveness

 When we forgive, we are freed from our anger and bitterness because of the actions and/or words
of another. On the other hand, the hardness of our heart is reinforced by whole series of rational
arguments.
 Forgiveness is something that you can’t buy. It’s get by hard work and willingness. Because
forgiveness doesn’t excuse their behaviour, forgiveness prevents their behaviour from destroying
your heart. Forgive others, not because they deserve forgiveness, but you deserve peace.

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B. The Beauty of Nature
 There is perfection in every single flower; for a hug, for every sunrise and sunset, to eat together
as a family, are our miracles. These kinds of experiences can be truly moments of grace. They
touch us deeply and the human heart is spontaneously lifted. During this experience, we need to
offer praise.

C. Vulnerability
 To be invulnerable is somehow inhuman. To be vulnerable is to be human. Supermen or
Superheroes are hiding from their true humanity. The experience that we are contingent, that we
are dependent for our existence on another is frightening. To work in the office or study in school
without acknowledging the help of others, is to live without meaning and direction.

D. Failure

 Our failures us to confront our weaknesses and limitations. When a relationship fails, when a
student fails a subject, when our immediate desires are not met, we are confronted with the
possibility of our plans, and yet, we are forced to surrender to a mystery or look upon a bigger
world. Such as acceptance of our failures makes us hope and trust that all can be brought into
good. Even if we have sinned, As Augustine had, there is hope and forgiveness.
 In life failure is just a stepping stone for us to be the best that we can. And always remember that
failure is not the opposite of success but failure is part of the success.

E. Loneliness
 Our loneliness can be rooted from our sense of vulnerability and fear of death. This experienced
is so common. However, it is our choice to live in an impossible world where we are always
“happy” or to accept a life where solitude and companionship have a part. With our loneliness,
we can realize that our dependence on other people. Being alone doesn’t mean that our life is sad,
it’s just sometimes we can’t find people who can understand us.

F. Love
 To love is to experience richness, positivity and transcendence. Whether in times of ecstatic
moments of struggles, the love for a friend, between family members or a significant person, can
open in us something in other which takes us beyond ourselves.
 Life is full of risk, fears and commitment, pain and sacrificing and giving up thing/s we want for
the sake of the one we love. In a Buddhist view, the more we love, the more risks and fears there
are in life (Aguilar 2010)

------------------

Activity 1
Choose the best answer. Write your answer on the answer sheet.

1. God of the Sun, Vehicle: Golden chariot pulled by seven horses, seven is sacred number in hindu.
The seven horse’s representative of the seven major sins. ________________
a. Surya c. Ganapati
b. Saraswati d. Murugan
2. Oversees of Knowledge ________________
a. Surya c. Ganapati
b. Saraswati d. Murugan
3. The remover of Obstacles, Vehicle: Mouse, Son of Shiva and Parvati, has an elephant head _____
a. Surya c. Ganapati
b. Saraswati d. Murugan
4. God of war, Vehicle: Peacock, Son of Shiva and Parvati ________________
a. Surya c. Ganapati
b. Saraswati d. Murugan

5. A fiercer form of Parvati, Vehicle: Lion, has 10 arms holding so many weapons ____________
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 a. Khali c. Durga
b. Rama d. Krishna
6. Goddess of time and death, Vehicle: Donkey, usually portrayed as dark and violent __________
a. Khali c. Durga
b. Rama d. Krishna
7. The 7th avatar of Vishnu, The warrior _____________
a. Khali c. Durga
b. Rama d. Krishna
8. The 8 avatar of Vishnu, usually portrayed as a child and a prankster, often shown playing the
th

flute, The God of love __________

a. Khali c. Durga
b. Rama d. Krishna
9. It is the cause of our particular destiny. Misfortunes in our present life are the result of acts that
we have committed in the past
a. Artha c. Dharma
b. Moksha d. Karma
10. The pursuit of material gains by lawful means.
a. Artha c. Dharma
b. Moksha d. Karma
11. The code for leading one’s life respect for elders is considered important.
a. Artha c. Dharma
b. Moksha d. Karma
12. The release of the soul (atman) from the cycle of rebirth. The individual soul unites with
Brahman the universal soul
a. Artha c. Dharma
b. Moksha d. Karma
13. The law that every cause has an effect. Buddhist believe that our past actions have an effect on
who or what we are in our next life.
a. Nirvana c. Messiah
b. Reincarnation d. Karma
14. A person descripted in the toran who would be the savior of Jewish people
a. Nirvana c. Messiah
b. Reincarnation d. Karma
15. Concept that one must go through many cycles of birth, living and death
a. Nirvana c. Messiah
b. Reincarnation d. Karma
16. A state of liberation and freedom from suffering
a. Nirvana c. Messiah
b. Reincarnation d. Karma
17. It is the root of the universe and everything that exist and it continues to hold everything together.
a. Aum c. Hinduism
b. Christianity d. Buddhism
18. It something that you can’t buy. It’s get by hard work and willingness. Because forgiveness
doesn’t excuse their behaviour, forgiveness prevents their behaviour from destroying your heart.
Forgive others, not because they deserve forgiveness, but you deserve peace.
a. Forgiveness c. Vulnerability
b. Failure d. Love
19. Life is full of risk, fears and commitment, pain and sacrificing and giving up thing/s we want for
the sake of the one we love. In a Buddhist view, the more we love, the more risks and fears there
are in life
a. Forgiveness c. Vulnerability
b. Failure d. Love
20. A human limitation that confronts our weaknesses and limitations
a. Forgiveness c. Vulnerability
b. Failure d. Love

1. A
2. B

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 3. C
4. D
5. C
6. A
7. B
8. D
9. D
10. A
11. C
12. B
13. D
14. C
15. B
16. A
17. A
18. A
19. D
20. B

“An investment in Knowledge always pays the best Interest”

-Benjamin Franklin

Deus Caritas Es
“May you resound God’s unending Love”

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