Introduction To Rational Psychology

Rational Psychology Philosophy of the Human Person: An Introduction Peter Emmanuel A. Mara, AB Instructor

What is Rational Psychology? • It is a branch of Philosophy that studies the principles of Man as a composite of Body and Soul. • It is also known as: – Philosophy of the Human Person, – Philosophy of Man, and – Philosophical Anthropology

The Course Description and Objectives The course is aimed at disclosing the inherent richness of the Human Person and the exigency of integration

with

the

of

various

perspectives

Self.

It

surveys

different

cultures and schools

of

thought on the beginning, nature, value and end of the Human Person. Moreover, aside from these queries on Human Person, this course will also explore the human existential conditions as an individual dwelling in the World. At the end of this course, the students are

expected to develop an authentic

The Subject Matter • • • • •

The Human Man The Human The Human The Human

Being Person Subject Individual

• ITS ALL ABOUT YOU AND YOUR SELF!

But… • Who is the Human Being? • What is Human Being?

Ways in Understanding Human Being

1. Cosmological Type –

Views man as a being-in-the-world, as a part of the “cosmos” Aristotelian Definition of man

– • •

Homo est animal rationalis (Man is a rational animal) It characterizes man according to – – –

–

However, it accentuates of man’s reducibility to the world. • •

–

species (Human Being) Proximate genus (Living Being/animal) Specific Feature (Rational)

Man is seen merely as part and object in the world As an animal, but rational, among other animals.

It explains man in terms of genus and specific difference as a corporeal and mundane creature, an animal.

Ways in Understanding Human Being

2. Personalistic Type – –

Inward characterization of man The belief in the primordial uniqueness of the human being, and thus in the basic irreducibility of the human being to the world Human Being as a Person Irreducibility – man cannot be cognized - his essence cannot be reduced - but only manifests and revealed thru experience. This inward characterization transcends the corporeal limitations propounded by the cosmological understanding of man

–

– • •

Cosmological – exteriority and concreteness of man (Body) Personalistic - interiority and inward character of

Ways in Understanding Human Being Cosmological Type

Personalistic Type

Views man as a part of the world among other creature

Views man as Distinct among the other animate creatures

Emphasizes the commonality of man and other creatures as objects in the world

Points to the unique character of the human being as incomparable to other creatures

Views man concretely and as an embodied existent creature

Views man as somebody who has an inner characteristics that allows him to be distinguished other creatures Reducibility to the world, confined from Irreducibility to the world, enables in the character of man as a man to transcend his corporeality corporeal and mundane creature through actions and experience. There is more than the concrete existence of man, i.e. actions and experience.

Synthesis With all these differences, Cosmological and Personalistic Types of understanding Human Being complement each other, with the latter recognizing the former. The personalistic type needs the corporeal aspect of understanding man, in as much as the cosmological also needs personalistic type in order to fulfill the true nature of man, not only thru concrete existence, but also his unique and distinct character as a Human Person

Dimensions of the Human Being The Human Being can be better known as: • a Man • an Individual • a Subject • a Person

Human Being as a Man • Bears the Aristotelian definition of Man as a rational animal • Points to the corporeal and mundane character • Man as a Part of the World (relationship) • Man as an embodied existence

• In this dimension, man is considered as a creature that is no different from other animals, only that he has a rational character. • Rationality – distinct character

Human Being as an Individual • Individuality presupposes human corporeality as a separated embodied entity of this world. • Individual – separated from the others as an existent » Has a concrete body that is separated from others » It allows name to hold his existence privately, only to himself.

• Separatedness – not an absolute exclusion • But also implies a certain relation with other “individuals”

• Through individuality, one’s own existence cannot be shared by other

Human Being as a Subject

Human Being as a Person

Characteristics of the Human Person 1. A Subject •

Agent of action, existence, or simply experience

2. Rational •

Has the ability to think and understand through the faculty of reason

3. Free •

Actions must derive from the free will of the human person

The Human Person is more than a concrete existing individual, but makes something out of his existence with the use of his faculty – reason and will.

Conclusion The study of the Human Person is a complex pursuit as it is commonly experienced in our everyday life. The human being cannot be just understood under one aspect. The approach in knowing the person must be holistic, i.e. recognizing his embodied concreteness as a man, his private and separate existence as an individual, his efficacious ability as a subject, and his uniqueness as a person. In order to fully understand the human being as is, one should not miss the fundamental fact that the human being is not only a part of this world, but has a role to play in every action he executes. The human being is more than a plant, an animal. He is a complex reality, a mystery that can hardly be grasped. Nevertheless, we study not just a thing nor a specimen, but our selves, our