Module 3-5

• By definition, it is generally and commonly defined to represent the entire human race.

  Man
• The most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus Homo.

  Human or Homo Sapiens or Modern Humans
• A culture-bearing primate classified in the genus Homo, especially the species Homo sapiens.

  Human Being
• An individual with self-awareness, self-determination, a rational mind, and the ability to interact with others and themselves.

  Person
• • A human person is physical with a body and includes a soul, mind, and spirit.
  • They have rights and privileges granted by the state they belong to.
• [Core Elements in the Definition of a Human Person]

  A human person is seen as a rational being capable of logical thought, reasoning, and reflection.

  Rationality
• [Core Elements in the Definition of a Human Person]

  Involving reflecting on one's existence, thoughts, and experiences.

  Self-Consciousness
• [Core Elements in the Definition of a Human Person]

  The ability for moral reasoning and ethical behavior is important as humans can differentiate between right and wrong and make ethical decisions.

  Moral Agency
• [Core Elements in the Definition of a Human Person]

  A person remains the same over time if they retain the same memories and self-awareness, defined by continuity of consciousness.

  Continuity of Identity
• [Core Elements in the Definition of a Human Person]

  The idea that personal identity is tied to having a physical body is also considered.

  Embodiment
• [Core Elements in the Definition of a Human Person]

  Human persons are inherently social beings, defined in part by their relationships with others.

  Relationality and Social Nature
• [Core Elements in the Definition of a Human Person]

  The ability to make independent choices and exercise free will is another crucial aspect.

  Autonomy and Free Will
• • Human being’s ability to perform or to do tasks
  • Efficiency and effectivity

  A Machine
• • As part of the animal kingdom
  • No qualitative difference
  • Biological drives

  An Animal
• Knowledge is gained not by studying the human person but experimenting with animals.

  Behavioral Psychology
• • Economic forces are human’s motivation
  • Material dimension
  • Basic needs = satisfied

  An Economic Being
• • Sexuality is the key to understanding human beings

  A sexual being
• [Sigmund Freud’s Understanding of Human Nature]

  • Is that part of the mind in which the instinctual sexual drives that require satisfaction.
  • Unmet needs can lead to tension, anxiety, or anger.

  Id
• [Sigmund Freud's Understanding of Human Nature]

  • This forms from the id and helps express id impulses appropriately.
  • It considers others' needs and the importance of not being selfish for long-term gain.

  Ego
• [Sigmund Freud's Understanding of Human Nature]

  This holds the internalized moral standards and ideals that we acquire from our parents and society (our sense of right and wrong).

  Super Ego
• • The powerful sexual drive that seeks gratification.
  • All human behaviour is sublimation or modification of this energy.

  Libido
• • Human freedom and human will as the essence of human personality
  • Freedom from restraint
  • Information as basic human needs

  A free being
• • Fundamental members of society
  • We need others

  A social being
• Taking partial truth and make it the whole truth.

  Reductionist View of Humanity
• The body and soul of a human person are inseparably united.

  Embodied Spirit
• • His account on the human person is a reaction against Plato.

  Aristotle
• He believed that the human person is composed of body and soul.

  Plato
• Plato believed that human bodies are material, mutable, destructible, and dependent.
• Plato believed that human souls are immaterial, immutable, indestructible, and independent.
• Plato believed that the body and soul are separable. He believed that human person is just a soul imprisoned in a body.
• Plato believed that when a body dies, the soul goes back to the "world of forms." He believed that the human person is not an embodied spirit.
• Aristotle believed that a human person's body and soul are inseparable. To him, the soul is the principle of life.
• For Aristotle, the soul is the "form" of the body, and the body is the "matter" of the soul.
• What kind of soul is this?

  • Plants
  • Growth
  • Reproduction
  • Nutrition

  Vegetative Soul
• What kind of soul is this?

  • Animals
  • Mobility
  • Sensation

  Sensitive Soul
• What kind of soul is this?

  • Human beings
  • Reason

  Rational Soul
• • 13th century Europe
  • He saw the human as an embodied being
  • Known for Summa Theologica

  Thomas Aquinas
• Thomas Aquinas viewed humans as a unified combination of body and soul in his concept of the human person.
• Aquinas adopted the Aristotelian concept of hylomorphism, which posits that all material substances are composed of matter (hyle) and form (morphe).
• For Aquinas, the human person is a composite of:

  • Matter (body): The physical aspect of a person.
  • Form (soul): The spiritual aspect that gives life and identity.