CAL Midterm

• Man himself is the crowning wonder of creation, and the study of his nature is the noblest study the world affords.: 'William Gladstone'
• The best way to start the study of man is to first realize the necessity and importance of understanding our nature, the purpose of our existence, and the advantages of self-knowledge.
• Lack of self-knowledge and self-acceptance usually leads us to disastrous living. Our plans and ambitions may not actually fit our real identity, character and ability. Many have experienced failure by forcing themselves to a calling or profession or lifestyle that have proved to be irrelevant to their personalities and capabilities.
• Running away from our true selves and failing to live up to the real essence and nature of our beings may lead to dissatisfaction, failure and may even result in an unproductive life.
• Man is not only a contributory creature, but a total creature; he does not only make one, but he is all; he is not only a piece of the world, but a world itself; and next to the glory of God, the reason why there is a world.
• Philosophy


  The science of beings in their ultimate reasons, causes and principles as known by the aid of human reason alone
• Philosophy is based on certain knowledge of things derived from systematic study and demonstrations, where this evidence is reduced to a comprehensive rational system.
• Philosophy, as a broader study, encompasses the whole of the universe as its object. Philosophy even goes deeper as it studies beings by their ultimate reasons, causes and principles.
• Philosophy attains knowledge by the use of natural reason alone. This means that Philosophy does not base its knowledge on authority but solely on the reasoning powers of the human mind. Neither does it depend on the principles or articles of faith.
• Branches of Philosophy


  • Cosmology or Philosophy of Nature
  • Epistemology
  • Ethics or Moral Philosophy
  • Logic
  • Ontology or Metaphysics
  • Rational Psychology
  • Theodicy or Natural Theology
• Philosophy of Man as a subject actually does not appear as one of the major branches of Philosophy. It must be noted, however, that man is at the center of all the beings in this world.
• The philosophical study of man may encompass the nature of man as a compound of body and soul, as a thinking being, and as a being of morality.
• Philosophy of Man may be said to be a combination of Psychology, Logic and Ethics.
• In this subject, man will be discussed based on philosophy. The study is based on the philosophical investigation and inquiry of the nature, causes and laws underlying man's reality as eventually demonstrated by factual studies.
• Man will be dealt with through the scientific study of his physical and social aspects.
• Man has been regarded as an important theme of philosophical inquiry and investigation throughout the ages
• Philosophy, basically as a continuous search for meaning, has man as its most significant obsession
• The uniqueness of the human form is recognized but the significant interest of philosophers in man's nature varied from one era to another
• This chapter aims to outline the evolution of thought regarding man, focusing on Western thought which has laid greater stress on the existence of the individual human being than have the great speculative systems of the East
• Ancient thought


  • Characterized by emphasis on the notion of cosmos or the order of the universe
  • Cosmology had priority over theology and anthropology
• According to Pythagoras, Plato and the neo-Platonists


  The human realm was inferior to the transcendent in dignity; its truth was degraded and obscured by bodily existence
• Material composition of man

  Makes it lower than purely transcendental and spiritual beings
• As a result, man was not self-sufficient and did not form an autonomous region of being because his destiny was governed by extrinsic influences
• Protagoras


  "Man is the measure of all things"
• Socrates


  "Know thyself"
• Middle Ages


  • Preserved the ancient structure of the cosmos
  • Christian revelation brought forth the idea of an Almighty God who was creator of the world and man
  • Theology now superseded cosmology
  • The human being did not exist in and for himself but as a creature of God whose thought and actions were to be ordered to reflect the supremacy of religious values
  • Pioneered the dogma of the fallen nature of man and the possibility of salvation offered by divine grace
• Renaissance Period


  • Man was removed from the ascendancy exercised over him by either cosmic discipline or divine authority
  • Man disengaged himself sufficiently from these bonds to become a center of interest in his own eyes
  • Fascination on the theme of man as an image of God, with topics of dignity and excellence of man particularly initiated
  • Man takes pride in his accomplishment and regards himself with admiration
• 16th and 17th Centuries


  • Reflection centered on man, exploring his different aspects in a spirit of empirical investigation, freed from all ties of dogma
  • Michel de Montaigne prioritized the reality that was within, with self-awareness reflecting awareness of the surrounding world
  • Attempt to locate humanity in the midst of the totality of things, comparing the intelligence of man with that of beasts and accepting the idea of a relationship between animal existence and human existence
  • Blaise Pascal described man as neither angel nor beast
• 18th Century Enlightenment


  • Accumulated new data about man by relating with the values that constitute the human consciousness
  • Rediscovered that man is not only a natural being but also a cultural being
  • Affirmation that "the social world is certainly the work of men" and endeavored to elucidate on the norms that govern man in his social environment
• 19th Century


  • Immense progress in the social sciences, with specialists becoming more restricted and specialized in their outlook
  • Sigmund Freud analyzed man only in terms of complexes, censorship, and repression; Karl Marx made economic production the sole and universal key to intelligibility
  • In contrast, philosophy devoted attention on the primacy of values in an understanding of man, with philosophical reflection having its place prior to and subsequent to the work of science
• Contemporary Period


  • Characterized by the prevalence of phenomenology and existentialism
  • Phenomenology sees man as a very special phenomenon, a being that knows, and a being who knows that he knows
  • Existentialists see man as responsible for his effect on others, though only his existence is real to him and he is ultimately his own judge
  • Man's authentic growth takes place in the here and now of the concrete situation, with it being only through his own being that man comes in contact with reality
• Man in the 20th century seems to have lost his sense and respect for what is basically and uniquely human, attested to by the attacks and annihilation of the human race perpetrated during the Second World War and by many aspects of daily life in the modern world
• The most dangerous threats are those phenomena that do not necessarily appear as such, like the results of the uncontrolled experimentation with economic and technological factors
• Technological advancements put man in a lesser state, making him look inferior to machines or computers
• Cloning effectively degrades the dignity and nature of the human being
• The human person is increasingly treated as a means to be used in the service of obscure and contradictory interests that distort the image of man
• The essence of man as an end in itself has been abused and jeopardized by continuous scientific and technological experimentation disguised as an attempt to advance man's own good and interest
• Anthropologist


  One who studies the origin of man, and his physical, social and cultural development and behavior
• Biologist


  One who is trained in, or specializes in, biology
• Botanist


  One who specializes in the study of plants