Man as a subject

7/25/2019 Man as a subject

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THE PROBLEMS IN PHILOSOPHYOF MAN

Philosophy of Man has two main problems,namely:

The nature of man

What is man?

Who is man?

Condition of being human

What is the state or condition of being human?

Why does man exist?

How does man exist?


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THE MEANIN OF H!MANNAT!RE

According to the postmodernphilosophers, it is good to say that we reallydo not now anything at all! "ie #ocrates$humble one%liner: &What ' now is that ' do notnow!(

According to philosophers, there isnothing wrong if measures and e)orts to adaptthose well%defended and well%establishedthoughts about the meaning of human natureand many other issues are done and pursued!


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Here, *lassic understanding of +ature asthe ultimate principle of operation of a gienreality!

*lassic iew of man dictates that thenature of man is to think, to feel and do or actonly those that are inherent in his nature!

Human +ature is characteri-ed as:.niersal#tatic


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A""roa#he$ of beha%iour &P$'#ho(ogi$t$)

Cogniti%e / refers to nowledge or

understanding or the mental dimension ofhuman existence

A*e#ti%e / refers to the emotional or the

dimension or the feeling / part of man!

P$'#homotor / pertains to action


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Man$s experience of existing and liingas man is the indispensable ground whereman can discoer the meaning of his

existence!

'n sum, human condition meansreali-ing the state of being human and0nding the meaning of existence as man!12he term &meaning( means sense, purpose,and direction of human life!(


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MAN+ A BEIN,IN,THE,-ORL.

Man is being%in%the%World3 he

is not a being%in%an%enironment!An enironment is only true toanimals, not to man! Man has a

world, not an enironment! Man isnot bound to an enironment3 he isopen to the world!


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What is the meaning of the term &world(?

World is deried from the Anglo%#axon

words: weor and old. 2he former means&man( while the latter means &age!(

2he world, as such is as old as man3 earthis older than man! Which concept is true? 'sthere a world without man and ice%ersa?


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2he 4iews of +atural#cientists

2o the natural scientists 1i!e!, physicist,biologists, etc!5, it is always possible to tal ofa manless world! 6or the rationalists, the worldis an ob7ect to be nown, it is goerned by asystem of laws3 it is a place where man lies!6or the materialists, the world is the totality ofall material entities which are the results ofprocesses and forces! 8oth rationalists$ and

materialists$ iews of the world clearly showthat there is world apart from man and it isonly a mere place where man lies!


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What are the implications of the meaning of the world in relation toman?

2he man is a sub7ect!

2hat as a sub7ect, man exists, and therefore, is conscious of hisexistence that it is an existence%in%the%world!

2hat man as a sub7ect means that man considers the things whichsurround him not as a mere ob7ect but as a networs of meanings!

2hat man establishes meanings to things which surround him byway of his being &at%home( in the world which he arranges forhimself3 and

2hat as man arranges a world for himself, he actiely taes his

tas as the &builder,( &gardener,( and &guardian( of the world!


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MAN+ A PERSON,-HO,AL-AYS,E/ISTS,-ITH,OTHERS,IN,THE,

-ORL.

Historical 9ata of Personalism

Personalism, as a philosophicalmoement, was founded by 8ordenParer 8rowne and was deeloped laterby Max #cheler, mmanuel Mounier,

Henri 8ergson, and Martin 8uber! As aphilosophical moement, personalism isa study of man as a person!


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2he Meaning of Man as a Person

#ince personalism taes man as its main concern, it re7ectsthe legalistic connotation of the term &person(, as that

which refers to anything or any reality which is endowedwith rights since this de0nition treats of person both in thecontext of things, establishments, or institutions, andhuman beings! 2hus, in personalism the term &person( issolely attributed to man inasmuch as it re;uires freedom

and rationality as de0ned by 8eothius!

Man as a person, then means that man is uni;ue3 thatman is a who3 that man is a sub7ect3 and that man is a self!


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Man as a Person%Who%Always%xists%with%


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Man$s &being%with%others( can be iewed from tostandpoints, i-!:

=eneral #tandpoint / Man$s being%with%others as a

person is man$s intrinsic &being%with( to both things

and man$s fellow human persons!

#peci0c #tandpoint / Man$s being%with%others as aperson is man$s irrefutable &being%with( his

fellowman only because in the speci0c sphere,man$s &being%with( is treated in the existential

perspectie! 8ecause things do not exist, man alonehas the capacity to co%exist with his fellow human

persons!


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Man$s co%existence or intersub7ectiity, inthe one hand, does not re;uire a learning

process or experience since man$s &being%with(is apriori and intrinsic in his being a person!


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2hree "eels of Human >elations or'ntersub7ectiity

'%'t leel of >elationship / human relatednesscapsuli-es, more or less, the &being%for( existenceof man and not man$s being%with existence! &'( doesnot treat the other as a person!

'%He#he "eel of >elationship / 's not an impersonalrelationship but a personal one inasmuch as the &'(considers and recogni-es the other as a person!

'%2hou "eel of >elationship / 2his relationshiphappens when the &'( and the &2hou( are boundtogether in the context of love.


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MAN+ A BO.Y0 HIS BO.Y

't is impossible to tal of human

existence apart from the human body

2he human body is man$s expressionof his presence in himself, in the world,

and his fellow human person!


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2he Human 8ody as6initude

2he human body refers to the

0nitude of man in the sense thathuman bodily existence is limitedby space, time, and death!

8esides, the human body is alsolimited in terms of its accidentalconstituents!


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2he Human 8ody as#ub7ectiity

2he human body refers to man$sembodied sub7ectiity3 man$s body is infusedin his sub7ectiity! 2hus, the human body is

not a thing to be used or exploited because itis a sub7ect%body! As a sub7ect%body, it cannotbe the ob7ect of &haing(, since the humanbody cannot and neer be disposed of, unless

when it is treated as an ob7ect! 2he embodiedsub7ectiity of man refers to the whole man asrational, a)ectie, and emotional!


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2he Human 8ody as a =esture ofncounter

2he human body is not an

instrument of man$s encounterof things and persons in theworld3 it is man$s expressionwith himself as an embodiedsub7ectiity!


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MAN+ THE ACTOR

Man and Action

Action is proper only to man3 animals do not act but only moe!

Action entails intellect, nowledge, freedom, oluntariness, andresponsibility

2he nature of man maes man the only being of action! Asrational, man possesses intellect so that he can now the natureof the act, whether it is good or bad! As a being who is endowed

with freedom, man nows that he has the choice whether toperform or not to perform a particular action! Man actsaccording to his intellect and will 1an expression of freedom5 andis responsible for the conse;uences of his actions!


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Moral Assumptions

2he following assumptions are drawn in order toelucidate the inherent capacity of man in the contextof reason and freedom:

As rational and free, man nows that there areactions that are right or wrong, and good or bad!

As rational and free, man nows that there areactions that he is not obliged to do3

As rational and free, man nows that he isresponsible for his actions3 and

As rational and free, man nows that wrong actionsare punishable and right actions are rewardable

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Man as a subject