PHILOSOPHY REVIEWER 2.

Freedom should also be exercised with regard

LESSON 1: Freedom for knowledge and truth.
FREEDOM 3. We should also recognize and uphold not only
 an intrinsic and essential property of the our personal freedom, but also the freedom
person. Of others.
 The human person by nature is a free being, LESSON 2: THE HUMAN PERSON IN SOCIETY
and it is in his or her nature to seek freedom. Personal
 An important indication of human freedom is  interactions are based on mutual regard for
the ability to make choices and perform each other as persons.
actions.  Interactions in personal relationships are
 the power to be what you want to be and defined by cooperation rather than by
the ability to decide and create something for competition.
yourself.  The focus of personal relationship is
 also requires a degree of control from the preservation and development of the mutual
person who exercises it. regard for each other.

PHYSICAL FREEDOM Jurgen Habermas’ Social Theory

 the absence of any restraint.  Social system of money (economic)
 we cannot go to two places at a time yet we  Social system of power (political)
have the ability to go to wherever we want to  The lifeworld
go.
Economic Sphere
PHYSIOLOGICAL FREEDOM  mainly involves the market.
 freedom of choice.  Example is that we pay someone in return for
 A person has the will power whether to act or goods that we need to have and own.
not to act on what he or she considers to be
right and wise. Political Sphere
 mainly involves the state.
MORAL FREEDOM  Some individuals control others’ actions in
 is using freedom in a manner that upholds order to ensure that peace and order is
human dignity and goodness. maintained.
 A person becomes more free when he or she
uses freedom well, but he/she becomes less Lifeworld Sphere
free when he or she uses it in a bad way.  involves family, school, religious communities,
and civil society among others.
VOLUNTARINESS  lifeworld is significantly different from social
 the ability of a person to act out of his or her and political systems.
own free will and self-determination.  Lifeworlds thrive on mutual recognition.
 A person may decide to act or not to act, and
these decisions are made out of his or her Social Interaction and development of societies
own free will.  Social systems and the lifeworld make up a
 A person may act even if he or she is not society.
required or called to take action.  All societies consist of social systems and life
worlds.
RESPONSIBILITY
 is the person being accountable for their Elements developing societies
actions and consequences. Transactional
 interactions are based on a regard for each
Self-reflection is vital in the proper exercise of human other as a means of attaining one’s goal.
freedom  Persons are “used” not necessarily in the
derogatory sense, to help one attain his goals
or succeed in his plans.
 Here we put aside personal matters in our
Ways to exercise freedom responsibly and with interactions.
benefits
1. Human freedom should be exercised with Material Reproduction
control and a recognition of reasonable limits.
  is the utilization and distribution of society’s
resources for the physical survival and welfare  Individualistic societies tend to view solidarity
of all individual members. movements as the “sacrifice” of one’s
 is facilitated by the function of social systems. freedom, and the call for unity as plaque with
obstruction to one’s own development.
Symbolic Reproduction Collectivism
 is the transmission and renewal of cultural  is observed in societies that give priority to
knowledge, the establishment of solidarity unity over the recognition of one’s individual
and cooperation and the formation of freedom.
identities of person through socialization.  discourages individual’s dissenting voices, and
as such, curtails critical thinking.
LESSON 3: Intersubjectivity
Historical Development of Societies Martin Buber
Tribal and Feudal Society  is a philosopher well known for dealing with
 Material reproduction (hunting and gathering, human relations despite being a philosopher
agricultural) was not clearly defined from in religion.
culture, norms and the self-understanding of  is also considered to be one of the greatest
individual members. minds of the 20th century in the field of
 Tribal leaders have the powers in distribution education.
of material resources in society so as in Feudal Buber’s Belief
society. Monarchs rule in the society with  Human beings possess a two-fold attitude
absolute power. towards the world, indicated by the
 foundational concepts ‘I-It’ (Ich-Es) and ‘I-
Modern Industrialized Society Thou’ (Ich-Du).
 There is a development of trade and the The I –Thou relation
emergence of a capitalist system of economy.  stresses the mutual and holistic existence of
 Political systems gradually recognized the two entities.
rights of individuals and the redistribution of  is an encounter of equals, who recognize each
wealth in societies. other as persons
 The lifeworld became more and more  is dialogue.
distinguished from the social systems. Culture,
social values and personal identities were no Dialogue
longer merely dictated or imposed on  occurs when two persons “open up” to each
individual members of societies by a dominant other and give and receive one another in
power. their encounter.
 Genuine dialogue occurs when persons are
Mechanical and Organic Solidarity willing to share themselves with one another
The Province (Rural)
 those who grew up in rural communities Levels of Self-Other Interaction
would say that the model of society they live  Simple awareness of the existence of the
in still has traces of feudalism. other.
 There is a stronger sense of collectivism  Awareness of the self as being seen by others
among community members, and this can be
seen in traditional practices such as in I-It relation
weddings, or in the communal support of  entities meet but fail to establish a dialogue.
bereaved families.  Instead, in the I-It relation a being confronts
The City (urban) another being and, by objectifying it, fails to
 the situation is significantly different in urban recognize it as an equal.
communities that are more industrialized  Philosophers agree that it is important for
rather than feudalistic. humans to pursue and achieve genuine relationships
 There is a stronger sense of individualism to attain development.
among urban dwellers who live close to each
other yet remain strangers to one another. Aspects of Intersubjectivity
Empathy
Indvidualism  The ability to share emotions.
 we describe a society that champions the
freedom of individual persons.
  This emotion is driven by a person’s  Also worked as product and support manager
awareness that the other is a person with at Code Factory, which creates devices such as
thoughts and feelings. cellphones for the blind and visually impaired.
 It enables us to experience another person’s  She is also a motivational speaker and has
emotions, such as happiness, anger and given several talks and seminars to students,
sadness. teachers, and professionals.
The Human Person in Society: The Formation and
Availability Kinds of Society
 The willingness of a person to be present and
be at the disposal of another.  is an organized group whose members
 Be willing to help the other in need. interact frequently and have a common
Ethics of Care territory and culture.
 An ethical theory that emphasizes the moral  According to philosophers society is the
dimensions of relationships and interactions. product of deliberate actions by individuals
 This moral perspective encourages individuals who come together in pursuit of a common
to help others, especially the vulnerable. goal.
 The obligation to respond to the needs of  is unique among all other groups because of
other people. the nature of the humans that compose it and
the relationships among its members.
Seeming Behavior  Society also makes it possible for the
 occurs when an individual presents himself emergence of certain individualities.
nor herself in a certain way when dealing with
others. Forms of Society
 Persons take on “roles” or act out characters Hunting and Gathering Society
when dealing with certain people or when in  recognized as the earliest and simplest form
certain situation of society.
 is generally characterized by its small size and
Hellen Keller is composed mainly of families.
 An American author, political activist, and the  is nomadic because they spend most of their
first deaf and blind to earn bachelor’s degree. time searching for food and thus, have no
 Learned to hear people’s speech by feeling permanent territory.
their lips with her hands
 At age 22, she published a book entitled The Pastoral Society
Story of My Life  characterized by the domestication of animals
for food for a more stable and predictable
Nicholas James Vujicic food supply.
 An Australian evangelist and motivational  often produce surplus food and resources,
speaker who was born with phocomelia, a which they trade with other societies.
condition in which a person is born with no
arms or legs. Horticultural Society
 He was born with two small and deformed  primarily engages in the small-scale cultivation
feet, and an operation enabled him to use his of plants, fruits, and vegetables and the
toes to grab and manipulate object. domestication of animals.
 is semi-nomadic, meaning they travel to
Roselle Ambubuyog another place when they have already
 First visually-impaired Filipino to graduate depleted the resources in one area
summa cum laude from Ateneo de Manila
University Agrarian or Agricultural Society
 Initiated Project Roselle together with the  is a further evolution of the pastoral and
Rotary Club of Makati-Ayala, and provided horticultural societies.
schools with software and equipment, such as  is characterized by improved technology and
computers and printer, that will aid blind the use of tools to aid in farming
students in their studies. Feudal Society
 Worked at Freedom Scientific, Inc. as a  is based on the ownership of land.
consultant in developing software for visually  rules grant their followers or vassals the right
impaired people and those with learning to manage parcels of land.
disabilities. Industrial Society
  is based on the use of specialized machinery philosophers put forth their theories regarding the
in the production of goods and services. formation of society
 is a significant departure from the agrarian
society, as many of the relations are not family
or community-based.

Post – Industrial Society

 is marked by the establishment of societies
based on knowledge, information, and the
sale of services.
 Information influences the behavior of people
and has thus become a very important
commodity in the post-industrial society.
How does society influence our development
as persons?
 The person and the society have a
very dynamic relationship in which one cannot
exist without the other.
 Society is the backdrop by which we adopt the
prevailing culture, identity, values, ideas, and
knowledge of the persons, groups, and
communities that surround us.

How does society influence our development

as persons?
 Society influences the interactions of its
members through the establishment of
norms, which are a set of traits and behavior
that society considers acceptable, and is thus
encouraged and passed on to other members.
 Norms, laws, and other rules that regulate
human interactions give rise to a social
system, which is an organized or patterned set
of relationships among individuals and groups
that compose a society.
 Individuals who share similar backgrounds or
perform similar roles are grouped together
into social groups and social classes.
 Certain groups that perform vital functions in
society are recognized as social institutions,
and these include the family, school,
government, and religion.
 Society also transforms human relations,
which leads to the transformation of its
members.
 Another way society shapes us is through
social values, which are actions or ideals that
are considered important by society.
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LESSON 4: The Human Person in Society: Social
Interaction and Social Systems

THE SOCIAL CONTRACT THEORY

During the Enlightenment, social philosophers
pondered on the natural laws that govern human
societies, and in their discussions, several