STAS WEEK 8

• Science and technology has changed human landscape
• Robots, machines and other technologies

  • Are intended to enhance human condition, or in the future, replace the human functions in the society
• Biologists describe human as having the attributes of living organisms-including plants and animals
• Human being is a complex matter capable of performing life-sustaining processes
• Human being, the highest form of these living organisms, is said to have characteristics which cannot be substantiated through mere science
• Intellect - distinguishes a human being from another creature
• Happiness (earthly)


  • The highest desire and ambition of all human beings
  • To achieve it, one must cultivate the highest virtues within oneself
• Epicurus


  • Believed that balance and temperature were created space for happiness
  • contradicted the metaphysical philosophers
• Nietzche


  Viewed happiness as an "ideal state of laziness" - described as to not have any worries or distress in life
• Flourishing can either be based on the state of mind (e.g mental habit) or a kind of value (e.g insights, outlook)
• • Man tends to show unlimited contentment-eager to seek better replacement for anything that performs the functions of man
• Supports self-consciousness and awareness sufficient for the achievement of human's function, discovery of truth, and development and mankind - Intellect
• Smith (2012) shared that we can't turn to science for an answer because in the first place, science identified human with varied opinion and limited evidence.
• blakemore and greenfield (1987; as cited in Bernaldez, 2001) recognized that the possession of intellect distinguishes a human being from another creature
• according to Heidegger, "what is the meaning of human being" was originally the fundamental question of philosphy
• heidegger argued that asking for the meaning of the term "being" doesn't suggest that the "inquirer" has no idea about it because in the first place, the meaning of "being" is associated with the concept of existence, which means that the "inquirer" already has an idea on the term "however vague or incomplete"
• "inquirer" is "man"
• "being" focuses to the "what" of human existence
• this somehow justifies human being's adaptability to environmental changes and ability to manipulate environment in the interest of survival. - according to heidegger
• heidegger used the term "dasein" which literally means "being there" focuses on the "mode of existence" or the "who" of "dasein"
• The “modes of existence” is fundamentally established by two things
• The “modes of existence” is fundamentally established by two things: 1. Dasein exist in a world 2. Dasein has a self that it defines as it exist in such world.
• “modes of existence” support human being’s capacity to decide on what is good or bad for them
• PS CHEB (Parenting, Stories, Character, Habits, Environment, Brain Development)
• It has been discussed that human being is endowed with innate abilities and characteristics that let him sustain his function and to survive in the given environment.
• Aristotle’s teachings suggest that each man’s life has a purpose and that the function of one’s life is to attain that purpose
• Aristotle believed that human beings have a natural desire and capacity to know and understand the truth, to pursue moral excellence, and to instantiate their ideals in the world through action.
• Etymologically speaking, eudemonia is consists of Greek words “eu” which means “good” and “daemon” which means “spirit”.
• Eudemonia -meaning “the state of having good indwelling spirit; a good genius”.
• (also known as Eudaemonism) is a Greek word, which refers to state of having a good indwelling spirit of being in a contented state of being healthy, happy and prosperous. - eudemonia
• In moral philosophy, eudaimonia is used to refer to the right actions as those that result in the well-being of an individual
• Furthermore, these actions are geared towards one’s proper and desired end-flourishing, happiness or eudemonia.
• Epicurus view is not more of how happiness can be defined but more on theory about the real source to experience it.
• Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was a German philosopher and cultural critic who published intensively in the 1870s and 1880s.
• Nietzsche is known for his criticisms on psychological analyses that resulted to opposing ideas on the people’s received ideas.
• As expected, Nietzsche viewed happiness in a different way. For him happiness is an “ideal state of laziness”
• Laziness for nietzsche is described as to not have any worries or distress in life
• Philosophers’ views are the evidence of objective sense of how it means to flourish.
• Flourishing can either be based on the state of mind (e.g mental habit) or a kind of value (e.g insights, outlook)