Lesson 8-9

• Existentialism and phenomenology


  Major philosophical branches that devote much discussion on the concept of interpersonal relations
• The individual


  Primarily aware of himself, and it is the egocentric perspective that defines how he/she perceives and relates to reality
• Interpersonal relations (existentialist perspective)


  The "self" being aware of the "other"
• "Other"


  Objects outside of personal experience, often used by philosophers to refer to other individuals apart from the self
• Intersubjectivity


  Relates to the interaction between the self and the other, evident in everyday social interactions, the ability of humans to agree and cooperate, existence of shared or common knowledge and consensus, and in shared emotions such as grief, joy, and love
• Levels of self-interaction


  • Simple awareness of the existence of the other
  • Awareness of the self as being seen by others
  • Awareness of another significant fact (stranger looking at you)
• Human gaze


  Considered a defining characteristic which sets human interaction from the interaction of other species
• Awareness of the self in the other

  An important element in all other aspects of interpersonal interactions
• Seeming


  Our self-presentation, proposed by Martin Buber
• Dialogue


  Happens when a person views another person as important
• Alienation


  The state of isolation that happens when we cease to look at other people as significant and authentic
• Empathy


  One's capacity to understand other people's situation
• Availability


  A mental shortcut that relies on immediate examples that come to a given person's mind when evaluating a specific topic, concept, method or decision
• Ethics of care


  Our responsibility to look at the needs of other people and see how they are doing
• Interpersonal relations (Christianity)


  Considers human relations in the context of community, God's relationship with mankind began with the Creation, and Jesus Christ has redefined God's covenant through His death and resurrection
• Society


  A large, independent, and organized group of people living in the same territory and sharing a common culture and heritage, with interactions often governed by written and unwritten rules that reflect the shared ideas, views, and values of the members
• Types of societies


  • Hunting-and-gathering societies (primitive societies)
  • Agricultural society
  • Industrial society
  • Modern society
  • Virtual society
• Social philosophy


  Focuses on studying society and its influence on the human person, including topics like social ontology, social ethics, democracy, human rights, equality, and justice
• Enlightenment philosophers


  Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, and Jean Jacques Rousseau were among the most prominent social theorists who tackled the origins of human society
• Hobbes' view of man in natural state

  Governed by his desires, often leading to conflict with his fellowmen
• Hobbes' view of society

  Individuals who establish societies enter into a social contract, and the authority's role is to meet the needs of members of society, ensuring its survival
• Locke's view of man in natural state

  More cooperative and reasonable, and that society is formed through the consent of the individuals that organized it, a concept known as the consent of the governed
• Locke's view of society

  Members of the society enter a covenant to cooperate and share the burden of upholding the welfare of society
• Rousseau's view of society


  Formed through a contract among its members, and the government is empowered to act on behalf of the people
• Influence of society on the person

  Society has a significant influence in almost all aspects of an individual's life, through socialization where a person adopts a set of ideals and behavior considered appropriate within his society
• Social institutions

  Social roles entail a set of expected behaviors that must be performed by a person, and people who belong to a certain social group tend to behave in a certain way and continuous interactions within their group reinforce such behavior
• Normative democratic theory

  A perspective which considers a democratic society as morally desirable