Man, His Nature, Development and Destiny.

Rosita Onato Asopardo

VARIOUS PERSPECTIVE OF MAN

Monism: Means any various theories that there is one basic substance or
principle as the ground of reality or that reality is consists of one single element.

Dualism: Believes that a man is made of two irreducible elements- matter and
spirit of soul.

In other words, these two views about the composition of MAN are that MAN is
Matter- the substance of which any physical object consists or is composed .

And the Spirit- the incorporeal part of man such as the mind and the soul.

The First view implies that MAN is not only made of two independent elements
but also made of Matter and Spirit that are independent entities and interact
with each other.

This view was supported by St. Thomas Aquinas, Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud.

They assert that as two independent elements, it is possible for the spirit and
the body either temporarily or permanently separate on a particular period of
time.

For Christians, using the Bible as their frame of reference, MAN is made of body,
soul and spirit.

The Body: is the physical external part of man which he using for seeing, hearing,
touching, tasting and smelling. Through this body, he is able to have physical
contact with his environment.

The Soul: regarded as distinct entity separate from the body or the spiritual part
of man as distinct from physical part and cannot be seen, constitute the inner
part of man. It consists the mind and the will.
The Spirit, supernatural, and incorporeal being which is the innermost part of
man. The vehicle to communicate with God."The Spirit- is the essential part of
man's nature the heart of all human life"

THE ORIGIN OF MAN

1. THE THEORY OF DIVINE ORIGIN

It asserts that the origin of man is based on the biblical story of creation." And the
Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breath into his nostrils the
breath of life, Man became a living soul."

2. THE THEORY OF EVOLUTION

Assumes that man came into being through the process of gradual growth and
development: from single cell organism to a structurally complex one.

ESSENCE:

Which is the intrinsic nature of man. Opinions as to the essence of man is group
according to the following:

1. The scientific view- is divided into biological and behavioural

considerations.
2. The religious view- focuses on the divine and God- like characteristics of
the nature of man. Since man is said to be created in the image of God, by
implication " man's spiritual elements enable him to transcend his
physical limitations and the natural conditions of life ."These conditions of
life provide him unlimited opportunities to be great value to be GOOD
which will contribute to the total development and welfare of man.
3. The rational focuses on the inherent capacity of man to understand and
reason out through the power of reason and sound judgement that make
difference from other creatures.
4. The biological view states that man as endowed in superior intelligence and
being of the highest form of animals, whose activities are determined and
regulated by natural laws that govern all matters in the physical
environment.
According to the behavioural thinkers, "Men, are by Nature are Similar"

For them, they are simply empty organisms furnished with the same neural(
nervous system)and mechanical equipment waiting to be formed and shaped
either purposely or accidentally by the forces around him.

MAN is by Nature is Good, his innate Goodness, though is subject to the influence
and moulding power of his dominant environment. Other traits and
characteristics which differentiate Man from other forms of animals are his social,
cultural and intellectual attributes.

Most precious endowment of Man is his large and develop brain and the nervous
system that sets him above from other species of animal.

These traits make man distinctive as follows.

OTHER TRAITS THAT MAKE MAN HIGHER IN FORMS:

1. The ability to communicate

2. To have a highly develop brain which enables him to invent and create.
3. Being social and political
4. Being conscious of history
5. Having aesthetic taste and appreciation
6. Having the ability to value what is right and wrong.
7. Being religious being , engages and worships

MAN: AS A BIOLOGICAL BEING

Biologically, man is innately Good . When a man and a woman fall in love and
copulate their biological endowment is fused, thus a new life is created.

The physical characteristics of a child shall be inherited from both parents or

whosoever genes is dominant.
The emotionally stability of the mother during pregnancy somehow affects the
emotional stability of the child in the process of his growth and development.

Since the child is ,by nature is Good upon birth , innate goodness can be enhanced
or tainted to a large extent by the conflicting forces of the environment. It is
therefore important that this environment be carefully selected and structured.

Social scientist averred that the issues regarding the nature of man is that
environment can be structured at HOME, CHURCH , the SCHOOl and WHOLE
COMMUNITY.

MAN: THE SOCIAL AND RATIONAL BEING

Being a product of social and psychological factors such as heredity , geographical,

socioeconomic and cultural . Man is immensely influenced by those factors as
they interplay in his development as social and rational being.

As a social and rational being . life is intimately interwoven with the lives of his
fellowmen. He needs to interact with others for his life to be enriched. That is so
called SOCIALIZATION .Whereby the individual is converted into a whole person .

NORMS OF SOCIETY

The role of social institution e.g. the family, the school and social media
immensely influence the moral thinking and development of man.

The Physical Environment greatly affects or influence in the shaping of the

foundations of human personality.

MAN: A MODERN PERSPECTIVE

Man has achieved his present stature because of his natural endowments. He
actively participates in the total processes of social interaction .He has
interpersonal relations. He must adheres to the ideals of moral goodness in the
pursuits of beauty, goodness and truth .
The modern virtuous of man epitomizes the virtue of prudence, temperance and
fortitude. He is not known only in his country, but also internationally, as
professional , he is committed and dedicated to excellence ,service and truth.

MORAL ASSUMPTIONS OF MAN'S NATURE

Man as a social being , is born into the company of others and attains his full
stature only by engaging in activities in the society.

There are certain assumptions about this social being .

1. Man is created in the image of God and God is infinitely good with a noble
intention about his creation.
2. Man's nature is inferentially unquestionable good.
3. It is nature of man to make and remake himself by his free act of choice.

THE PROBLEM OF EVIL

The problem of evil are the results of man's greed, selfishness, arrogance,
rapacious desires, excessive desires for wealth, avarice and extreme obsession
of something. Man uses his conscience to judge good and evil, and relies on his
consciousness to determine the degree of his responsibility.

THE HIGHEST GOOD MAN

The highest good man is seen in different ways. To some it is peace to oneself,
with fellowmen and with God . To others it is the clarity of mind. Still others it is
the service to humanity.

Man's Search for Happiness ."Happiness is the perfect good which lulls the
appetite altogether".- St. Thomas Aquinas Happiness is the basic motive in all
we do, though we may seek it only implicitly.