CHAPTER

5 : The Nature of Man

If you want to know the mind of a man, listen to his words. Chinese Proverb

Man is unique. He is both a good subject and a good object to gain

knowledge. The continuing question is what Is heard, what is his nature as a human
being? He is indeed a quest for further understanding. Man will be viewed as how
other learned persons of their times see him. Another contributing fact is the existing
condition of the time. What existed, what were the situations, circumstances and
some related things to be deeply looked into?

Three views have dominated the history of scriptural study regarding the nature of
man. They are Trichotomy, Dichotomy, and Psychosomatic Unity. Here is a short summary
and Biblical evaluation of each position. The Bible teaches that the Lord took the dust of the
ground and created man. The Lord imposed breath within man, and man as a unit became a
living soul.

- Trichotomy, is the view that says the constitution of man consists in three parts
or components. Historically, these have been presented as body, soul, and spirit.

- Dichotomy, is the view that the constitution of man consists of two

separate components. Historically these have been presented as body
and soul.

- Psychosomatic Unity, is the view that the constitution of man consists of a

single or unitary constitution that cannot be separated into components.

Ancient Greek philosophy insisted upon a distinction between the physical

and the spiritual. The physical world, they claimed, was inferior and the physical
body was the prison of the soul. The spiritual realm was the reality, and the physical
world was a shadow of that reality.

MANS NATURE ACCORDING TO THE EARLY GREEK PHILOSOPHERS

It is interesting to note that the early people and their beliefs served as
springboard for more interesting discoveries. How these early philosophers came up
with their doctrines are truly amazing. They contribute much to what and how the
present generation responds to the situation at hand.

Greek mythology has not only shaped them but also continually influenced the
civilization of mankind. This has dominated the Greek peoples ideas and beliefs as
reflected in their way of thinking, doing and dealing with other people.
 Early thinkers in their desire to find answer to their never ending quest might
have exhausted their effort and mind to study the earth and thinks on it. The early
studies were approached scientifically and aimed to anchoring on questions
regarding the ultimate reason. One idea led to another, from the physical world to the
things on it until eventually it led to the study of the real source. From this came the
following ideas:

- Everything was water. Wherever one goes what was seen was water. It
seemed that this would lead to nothing but to water. Thales, an ancient
thinker, retorted that the primary composition of everything is water.
- Another man was expounded this idea and came out contradicting the
proposition. Anaximander, another ancient great tinker contented that
there must be a source to all these. And that real source of everything
must be a powerful eternal one. He further added that man must have
come from animal of the rare kind.
- From Thales and Anaximander after a long lapse of period came a very
learned man, Socrates. He had another theory that claimed man to be a
composite of matter and reason,. This matter is the human body and the
reason he referred to is from a Universal reason. Therefore mans essence
is a human body and an immortal soul.
- Boethus another learned man of his time believed man to be a substance
with a reasoning power and a questioning nature.

Aristotles Postulate

- To a physical object, a force has to be placed to have it moved

- The force or the power to keep the objects moving is an animate force, he
called SOUL

Aristotles Three (3) Distinct Kinds of Soul

1. Vegetative Soul pertains to the kind of force found in vegetation and

plants for their growth, development, and reproduction.

2. Sentient Soul a type of force found in animals that keeps them

responsible for moving with the capacity to feel and sense.

3. Rational Soul tells about the kind of force possessed by human being
capable of feeling, sensing, thinking, and reasoning.

Aristotle defined Man to be a rational animal. This gift of rational soul is equipped
with the gift of language for a man to :

Communicate his ideas

Express his thoughts and feelings
 Relate with fellow beings his feelings of disgust and fear, anxiety and
insecurity, love and trust
Make choices to arrive at a decision

Rene Descartes Views

He claimed that only human beings have mind, he called SOUL. This
enables man to have thoughts classified to :

Believing or doubting, hoping or wanting, loving and deciding. Body

cannot think but this body has weight, color, size, and shape : all referred to
as the physical componentsof man. The non-physical component pertains to
the mental state capable of thinking, deciding selecting and making choices.
(Barcalow, 1992:45)

Opposing Views

Mans body is ennobled by his soul

And his fine garment is not a sign of humanity

If man were known by his eyes, nose, mouth and ears,

What difference should there be between a picture on the wall and humanity.

Spiritualist: Man has both boy and spirit. The body decays with death but the spirit
lives on. This belief is held on by both Catholic and Islam believers.

Materialist: A mans nature is simply the body which decays.

Dualism VS. Physicalism

The theists believe in life after death. One who leads a good life goes to a
place where rewards of better life awaits to him while those who do not goes to his
eternal damnation.

The concept that there is eternity is for those who advocate dualism. A
person must therefore possess a physical body and a non-physical one, soul or spirit
to get his promised glory after a good life or damnation if he is proved unworthy.
 Opposed to this cpntention is the physicalism proponents who supports the
idea that man is purely physical and has no soul or spirit. Physical component or the
human body has determine mass, weight and spatial structure. On the other hand, a
non physical part independently exists, has no feature and cannot be seen or
touched.

MAN AS VIEWED BY EASTERN PHILOSOPHERS

Hinduism

This Eastern philosophy supports the unchangeable reality; Brahman is

believed to be the Absolute and the ground of all things. He is the power to animate,
the principle of life Atman, the mere reflection of Brahman.

The final goal of Atman is to know the live reality by destroying ignorance
through acquisition of proper knowledge, it can be attained by YOGA. It is taken that
this practice brings intuition, non-rational and direct cognition of nature. Further,
mans individuality and identity cease with the discovery of the Absolute. It
transcends into the mans being making him completely dependent on Brahman.

Hinduism is the religion of the majority of people in India and Nepal. It also
exists among significant populations outside of the sub continent and has over 900
million adherents worldwide. Hinduism is the oldest living religion in the world, or at
least elements within it stretch back many thousands of years. Yet Hinduism resists
easy definition partly because of the vast array of practices and beliefs found within
it. It is also closely associated conceptually and historically with the other Indian
religions Jainism,Buddhism and Sikhism. It has no single founder, no single
scripture, and no commonly agreed set of teachings.

The term 'Hindu' was derived from the river or river complex of the northwest,
the Sindhu. Sindhu is a Sanskrit word used by the inhabitants of the region, the
Aryans in the second millennium BCE. Later migrants and invaders, the Persians in
the sixth century BCE, the Greeks from the 4th century BCE, and the Muslims from
the 8th century CE, used the name of this river in their own languages for the land
and its people.

This philosophy originated from Indian thought and had its reinforcement in
the castle system. It accepts the principles of reincarnation, transmigration of soul
and Karma.
Buddhism

This eastern thought adheres to the psycho-physical organism that constitues

a man, the Nama-rupa.

This further teaches that man has to free himself from ignorance and
sufferings to attain peace and happiness of the mind, disregards the existence of the
soul, emphasis is on commitment to ideal life (Dharma).

It teaches that nothing exists without a cause.

Siddhartha Gautama - The Buddha (meaning the awakened one), the

advocators of Buddhism were descendant of Hindu clan and he retained some of the
Hinduism concepts like reincarnation and karma.
- Historians have dated his birth and death as circa 566-486 BCE
- born into a royal family in the village of Lumbini in present-day Nepal
- learned that sickness, age, and death were the inevitable fate of human
beings - a fate no-one could avoid
- searched for a way to escape the inevitability of death, old age and pain first
by studying with religious men
- seated beneath the Bodhi tree (the tree of awakening) Siddhartha became
deeply absorbed in meditation
- He finally achieved Enlightenment and became the Buddha. The Mahabodhi
Temple at the site of Buddha's enlightenment, is now a pilgrimage site.

Siddhartha Gautama(Buddha) and Bodhi Tree(The Tree of awakening)

Christianity

- Started as a Jewish sect in Jerusalem with Jesus Christ of Nazareth as the

Messiah
- Advocates that man is a precious being redeemed by the passion and death
of Jesus
- Established as a quasi-official state religion by an ardent follower of Christ,
St. Constantine
- Accepts Ten Commandments as precepts of the Christian faith.
- Most popular religion in the world with over 2 billion adherents. 42 million
Britons see themselves as nominally Christian, and there are 6 million who
are actively practising.
- Christians believe that there is only one God, but that there are three
elements to this one God; God(the Father), Redeemer(the Son), the Holy
Spirit
- Christians worship in churches, their spiritual leaders are called priests or
ministers.
- The Christian holy book is the Bible, and consists of the Old and New
Testaments.

St. Peters Basilica (The Popes Palace)

Confucianism

The main ancient philosophical ideas that developed in the region of china are
said to stem from Confucius but later on it was developed by his Disciples. One of it
was Mencius. Confucianism was considered as both religion and a philosophy but
for some it is much considered as a philosophy rather than religion. Confucianism
like other religious and philosophical beliefs has its own dark era.

Confucianism is often characterized as a system of social and ethical

philosophy rather than a religion.

Confucianism is founded by Confucius (551 479 BC). Life for its believer
was said to fulfil ones role in society with propriety, honour and loyalty.

The Confucian philosophy is built on the fundamental belief that man I

basically good.

Analects states:

The master said, is goodness indeed so far away? If we really wanted

goodness, we should find that it was at our side.

Confucian disciple Mencius developed this Analects:

Man nature is naturally good as water flows downward,

- Goodness can be developed and actualized through education, self-reflection,

and discipline.
- Ones character would develop in study in six arts. (Ceremony, music,
archery, charioteering, writing and mathematics.)
However, despites mans natural goodness, Confucius faced reality honestly he
questioned if it was possible to ever truly attain of the true gentlemen?

Ideals of Confucianism

Jen (wren) human heartedness, goodness, benevolence

- Virtues of virtues.
- Willing to sacrifice ones self to preserve Jen.
- Senses of dignity of human life.

Li concrete guide to human relationship or rules of proper actions. A general

principle of social order or general ordering of life.
 First Sense

- Concrete guide to human relationship.

- Positive rather than negative. (Dos rather than Donts)

- Propriety, emphasizes openness to each people to each people.

The Reification of names

o Language used in accordance with the truth of all things.
o You shouldnt be left to improvise your responses because you are
at a loss as to how to behave.
The Doctrines of the Mean
o The proper action is the way between the extremes.
The five Relationship
o Ruler to Subject
o Husband to Wife
o Father to Son
o Elder Brother to Younger Brother
o Friend to Friend
Respect of Age
o Age gives all things their worth: Objects, Institutions, and Individual
lives.
Second Sense

- Limits and Authenticity of Li.

- Principle of Social Order, Rituals, and Ordering.
- Every action affects someone else.

Yi Righteousness: Moral disposition to do well.

o Be concerned about who you are, not the individual things you do.

Hsiao Filial Piety: Reverence

- Respect and admiration to your parents. They are the source of your life, they
sacrificed much for you.
- Bring honour to your Family.
- Consider someone who has saves your life or someone who has sacrifice his
life for you.

Chih Moral wisdom, knowledge of right and wrong

- Since we draw the difference between right and wrong from our own mind,
this ideas are innate.
- Man is a moral animal (Mencius), Man has the potential to be good
(Confucius).
Origin of Evil
o From external circumstances nature and needs of survival.
 o From society and culture being is disarray it would be to our
disadvantage to be Moral.
o From lack of knowledge we do not seek to find out the options we
have.

Te (Day) power by which men are ruled: power of moral example.

- Patterns of prestige are used in the service of government in the country.
- Government is good if it can maintain: Economic sufficiency, Military
sufficiency, and Confidence of the people.

Chun-Tzu The ideal man, superior man, Gentle person in the most
significant sense. Note that few people can attain this ideals.
- He is intelligent enough to meet anything without fear.
- Personal relationships came first before anything else.
- Must have 5 virtues. Kindness, rectitude, decorum, wisdom, and sincerity.

Confucianism Advocates:

- Goodness of Man, sense of mercy, sense of shame, sense of respect, and

sense of right and wrong.
- Man should make his own destiny.
- Privacy of family and a strong sense of duty must be taught.
- Golden rule: Do not do unto others what you do not want others do unto you.

Taoism

Tao (Dao) is Taoisms ultimate principle, the source of all existence.

Concepts of Taoism
The One

The One is the essence of Tao, the essential energy of life, the possession of which enables
things and beings to be truly themselves and in accord with the Tao.

Taoist texts sometimes refer to the Tao as the mother and the One as the son.

Wu and Yu

Wu and Yu are non-being and being, or not-having and having. Wu also implies
inexhaustibility or limitlessness. Some writers suggest that Wu can be directly experienced
by human beings.
Te isusually translated as virtue

Tzu Jan isusually translated naturalness or spontaneity

Wu Wei

The method of following the Tao is called Wu Wei. Wu Wei is sometimes translated as non-
action, but this wrongly implies that nothing at all gets done.

The Tao TeChing says:

When nothing is done, nothing is left undone.

Wu Wei means living by or going along with the true nature of the world - or at least
without obstructing the Tao - letting things take their natural course.

Yin Yang

Yin Yang is the principle of natural and complementary forces, patterns and things that
depend on one another and do not make sense on their own.

The Taoist body

Taoists view the body as a miniature of the universe, filled with the Tao. The parts of the
body have their counterparts in physical features of the universe, and:

Ch'i

Ch'i or qi is the cosmic vital energy that enables beings to survive and links them to the
universe as a whole.

Immortality

Immortality doesn't mean living for ever in the present physical body.

The idea is that as the Taoist draws closer and closer to nature throughout their life, death is
just the final step in achieving complete unity with the universe.

Knowledge and relativity

Human knowledge is always partial and affected by the standpoint of the person claiming
that knowledge. There can never be a single true knowledge, merely the aggregate of
uncountable different viewpoints.

Because the universe is always changing, so knowledge is always changing.

 Its Philosophy holds that all things originated from TAO (nature). Conformed to Tao
and from Tao mans returns.

Taoism Thoughts

- Things are ever changing that which governs the change is not changing.
- Anything that develops certain extreme quality reverts to the opposite.
- Tao who attains clear vision of eternal Tao acquires peace and happiness.
Taoism further teaches the Eternal Principles of:

- The absolute
- Phenomenon, world and its order
- Nature of man

The Absolute
-A term for the most real being.
-Absolute is form as being itself or perhaps being transcends and comprehends all
other beings.
- Conceptually defined as something inexpressible and perhaps unthinkable.
3 Concepts of Absolute.
The first and greatest being.
o The absolute is the truest and intelligible reality, it can be spoken of and
known.
Not a being but the ground of being.
o The absolute might be conceived of as utterly outside of all other reality
and hence unintelligible.
Ex: Plato says the form of the good is beyond being.
Both the ground of being and a being
o The absolute might be conceived of as transcending duality and
distinction.
o This concept of a fundamental reality that transcends on includes all
other is usually associated with divinity
Ex: The Tao that can be spoken is not the Eternal Tao (T.T.C.)
Eternal Tao which cannot be named or explained.
Tao Seems to exist, can be named and explained.

Phenomenon, World and its order

- The philosophy of Tao signifies the fundamental or true nature of the world, it is
the essential, unnamable process of the universe. Tao both precedes and
encompasses the universe
 - Nothing in the universe is fixed, static or non-moving, everything is transforming
all the time.

Nature of Man
- Most of the philosophy centers on the cyclical continuity of the natural world,
and its contrast to linear, goal-oriental actions of human being.

CONCLUSION

Man is both a subject and an object for study, thus he is viewed differently by
by the different schools of thoughts. For one thing he is a matter too, one mind to
another or both matter and mind to some.

The Greek views and Eastern thoughts clearly point out that mans essence is
conceived according to how great thinkers of their times were influenced.

REFLECTION

Do unto others what we wish others do unto us.

 Laguna State Polytechnic University
Santa Cruz Main Campus
College of Engineering

(HUM 313: Philosophy of Man)

CHAPTER 5 :

THE NATURE OF MAN

Submitted by : BSCE-3A

Dorado, John Mark

Estopace, Micheal Henry
Lualhati, Trecy
Malahito, Fernando
Salenga Jr., Anselmo
Tenebro, Angel Grace

Submitted to :

Mrs. Aubrey Ann Florencio