MAN: A RATIONAL BEING To be rational means to have knowledge and freedom or intellect or will. Being is to be or to exist.

Joining the words together, we formed the phrase rational being. A rational being means to exist and to have knowledge and freedom or intellect and will. A man is a rational being, an animal composed of a body and a soul, an intellect and will. Knowing what is man, now the question on the origin of man arises. How did man came to being? But before man came to being, there is something or someone who existed and continue to exist until now, what is it? Or who is he?. It is asserted that nothing existed before everything, before the world and man came into being. But it is also asserted that someone exists before everything, it is God. God is almighty, he is the creator, the ultimate Good. He created everything, in the heaven and on earth , all that is good came from Him. One question now that enter the mind is that: is it true that God created everything ? In the eyes and minds of everyone, it still remains a myth, a theory, it is unproven. Is it really God who created man and everything, or is there another story behind? People came to know about God from time to time, about the creation. They got so curious, thats why they began to ponder about the world, and all that it contain, especially about its creation. They formulated their own stories, which we all legend or myths to portray what creation is. But one man named Charles Darwin has another story, a theory about creation, especially that of man. Darwins Theory of evolution thats how they call it, it states that Man came from apes, then evolved into a higher being, with changes in its appearance, its accidentals, and particularly its level of intelligence. In the fact that God created man in His own image and likeness, it is indeed inexplicable why man is not aware of anything, even if God is. But through ignorance he was able to discover and to explore the things of this world, but unfortunately disobeying Gods commandment. It is through his experience now, that he acquired knowledge. WHAT IS KNOWLEDGE? The dictionary defines knowledge as the state of knowing and the familiarity, awareness, or understanding gained through experience or study, it is the sum or range of what has been discovered, or learned. In a Trigonometry class, the teacher gave a problem for the students to solve and a student says that it is hard. Though saying that its hard, he worked slowly, thinked critically and even tried all available solutions until he came to an answer but unfortunately it is not exact. But atleast the point is that he was able to get a close view of the correct answer with that it is now easier for him to solve another. Another is Basketball, a rookie is trying to aim for a 3 point shot, and the ball just touched a pinch of the ring, then bounced back. He tried and tried until he was able to aim for it straight. This is Xenophanes theory of knowledge that states: knowledge is unattainable, he does not mean to say that all opinions are equal in value or even worthless. Although humans can never have perfect knowledge or total certainty, through careful investigation we can achieve a close approximation to the truth.1

Knowledge also is something that enables us to reason, this makes us then a rational being. It is something that is innate or that is implanted to us in the beginning, because it is our nature. We use knowledge for us to know what we do or act, or how we do or act something. We use it to make questions and answers in this world, to explain a thing. This is what Socrates is trying to say; knowledge has something to do with morality, he quoted that knowledge plays in moral life. that without knowledge all that we act may become senseless or may lead to harm . he come into his mind and proved that knowledge is very essential for a man, truly because this makes man rational and enables him to reason. Knowledge now for Socrates, has become a virtue, which leads something to good.

WHAT IS A VIRTUE? The Greeks used the word arte, its means virtue in English. For them, virtue has a broader meaning, they often term a man who is excellent at something a virtuous. One who has a virtue is one who is good at something. Example: the virtue of a musician is to play music , while a sculptor is to make a sculpture and a chef to cook delicious foods. The websters and morality define virtue as a moral excellence and righteousness, a good, benefitial quality.