Philosophy of Man

Handout
Plato- known through his dialogues which
Philosophy- Dr. Bob Zunjic
contained the
- philosophy is difficult to define because:
presentation of his ideologies and theories in a
1. no specific subject matter
conversational form.
2. pursues questions rather than answer
Aristotle- created comprehensive system of
3. changes historically
philosophy,
*Philosophy a field of study of the process which
encompassing ethics, aesthetics, politics,
includes standards and guidelines for thought.
metaphysics, logic,
*Philosophy is a human drive in the search of
and science.
knowledge and wisdom to facilitate the evolution
Medieval Philosophy- concerned with proving
of man.
the existence
*Philosophy studies the fundamental nature of
of God and with reconciling Christianity/Islam
existence, of man, and of mans relationship to
with the
existence.
classical philosophy of Greece.
Branches of Philosophy
Avicenna- tried to reconcile the rational Greek
Metaphysics- study of existence; answers the
philosophy
questions, what is out there? Or what is real; it
with Islamic theology.
determines whether the world is real, or merely
an illusion.
St. Thomas Aquinas- great influence on
Epistemology- study of knowledge; answers the
subsequence
questions, how do we know?; concerned with how
Christian philosophies, particularly that of the
our minds are related to reality, and whether this
Roman Catholic
relationships are valid or invalid.
Church.
Ethics- study of action; answers the questions,
Early Modern Philosophy- Age of Reason
what should I do?; deals with the proper course of
during 17th century and the Age of Enlightenment
action for man; method by which people
during the 18th century. Changes during the
categorize values and pursue them.
period were the advancement of science, the
Politics- study of force; answers the questions,
growth of religious tolerance, and the rise of
what acts are permissible; ethics applied to a
liberalism.
group of people.
Rene Descartes- Father of Modern Philosophy;
Aesthetic- study of art; answers the questions,
responsible for one of the best-known quotations
what life can be like?; it evaluates art by using
in philosophy I think therefore I am.
the standards of human life, and if whether it
Baruch Spinoza- human behavior occurs
accomplishes the job of satisfying mans
through operation of necessity, leaving absolutely
intellectual needs, or whether it tends to hurt or
no room for free will and spontaneity.
make worse of those needs.
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz- postulated the
Logic- study of reason; answers the question,
concept of monads which refer to the ultimate
what is correct reasoning?; attempts to
element of the universe from which all things,
distinguish a fact from a fallacy.
including human being and God Himself are made
Pre-Socratic Philosophy- characterized by the
of.
rejection of the mythological explanation on the
Immanuel Kant- immesurable
nature and phenomena in the universe.
Modern Philosophy- referred to as a
Thales- first philosopher in western
contemporary period, became the venue of major
civilization.
development in philosophy characterized by the
- became known for positing that
rise of new philosophical movements.
water is the single element that comprised all
Jeremy Bentham- political radical, and legal and
things in the universe.
social reformer of the early modern period;
Anaximander- student of Thales who
founder of Utilitarianism which refer to the
postulated that air is the source of all things in
moral principle that holds that the right action is
the universe.
that which would cause greatest happiness of
Classical Philosophy- characterized by the rise
the greatest number.
of the Greek
John Stuart Mill- conducted major
Triumvirate, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
improvements on the principles of Utilitarianism.
Socrates- most prominent philosopher in ethics;
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche- known for
more
challenging the foundations of Christianity and
concerned with how people should behave rather
traditional morality, famously uttering, God is
than how
dead.
the world works.
Western Philosophy- particular in Europe.
Western thought puts more emphasis on

individualism, science, math, and politics hence

rational and materialistic. It can be seen as the
triumph of reason and empiricism over
faith/religion a search involving many questions.
Eastern Philosophy- particular in Arab country.
Eastern thought puts more emphasis on
interdependence, harmony, unity, and faith hence, meditative and spiritual. It can be seen as
the triumph of faith/religion over science and
reason - an answer following realization.
What is the meaning of life?
Theories of Knowledge
Empiricism -the starting point of mans
knowledge is the sense experience
John Locke- argued that all man once born is a
tabula rasa; mans thoughts are the product of
observations of the surroundings and reflections
on these observation
Rationalism-the starting point of all knowledge
is reason
Rene Descartes- contended that man have a
form of rational intuition or insight which
enables them to grasp certain truths intellectually
The Philosophical Method of Inquiry- the
usage of reasoning and contemplation
(rationalism) combined with and confirmed by
experience, observation, reflection and tradition
(empiricism) in solving problems
Gautama Buddha: The Metaphysical Basis of
Human Life
Brahma- the only absolute, universal and all
pervading reality in which all things are one; man
was united originally with Brahma and is called a
Brahman
Nirvana- the sinless calm state of mind, the
destruction of earthly yearnings, the absence of
lust, the cessation of sorrow
Reincarnation-capacity of rebirth and
subsequent regeneration of mans life
Lao Tzu: Taoism
Fundamental Principles of Taoism
Tao- means road, pathway, channel or doctrine
De (Te)- the active expression of Tao
Wu Wei- literally means action without action
Pu-relates to simplicity and is symbolic of the
state of Wu Wei
The Three Oriental Sages
Lao Tzu: Taoism
Taoist Teachings on Existence
He is rich and happy because his fellowmen are
all his
brethren and the world is his abode

He is ignorant of the passion of defiance

because it is through bending that he survives
and by giving way that he asserts
He does not seek worldly possessions because it
is in owning little that he possess mu
-He overcomes his passions because he who
conquers
himself is the greatest conqueror
He detest mere appearances as he loves
sincerity and
reality
He abhors adulation and flattery because these
are hostile
to honesty and truth
He gives generously of his resources because
the more he
gives to others, the more he has for himself
Confucius: Confucianism
The Analects of Confucius
The superior man is universally minded and
have no partisan
The superior man thinks of his character; the
inferior
man thinks of his position
The superior man desires justice; the inferior
man desires favor
The superior man makes demands upon
himself; the inferior man makes demands upon
others
The superior man thinks of virtue; the inferior
man thinks of comfort
The superior man thinks of what is right; the
inferior man thinks of what will pay
The superior man regrets not knowing; the
inferior man regrets not being known
The superior man is not concerned that he has
no place, but rather how he may fit himself for
one
The superior man ranks the effort above the
prize, and worthiness to be known above being
known
Fundamental Principles of Confucianism
Li -principle of self-restraint and sense of
propriety
Hsiao-love for the immediate family and then
society
Yi -principle of righteousness
Xin-principle of honesty
Jen -principle of being kind and humane to your
fellow beings
Chung -principle of loyalty to one's family and to
one's country
Plato
Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a
hard battle.
Death is not the worst that can happen to men.

Desires are only the lack of something: and

those who have the greatest desires are in a
worse condition than those who have none, or
very slight ones
If women are expected to do the same work as
men, we must teach them the same things.
Ignorance, the root and the stem of every evil.
Man...is a tame or civilized animal; never the
less, he
requires proper instruction and a fortunate
nature,and then of all animals he becomes the
most divine and most civilized; but if he be
insufficiently or ill-educated he is the most
savage of earthly creatures.
Thinking is the talking of the soul with itself.
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the
dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are
afraid of the light.
Wise men talk because they have something to
say; fools, because they have to say something.
You can discover more about a person in an hour
of play than in a year of conversation.
No evil can happen to a good man, either in life
or after death.
You cannot conceive the many without the one.
Socrates
All men's souls are immortal, but the souls of
the righteous are immortal and divine.
Be as you wish to seem.
False words are not only evil in themselves, but
they infect the soul with evil.
By all means marry; if you get a good wife, you'll
be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a
philosopher.
I am not an Athenian or a Greek, but a citizen of
the world
Children today are tyrants. They contradict their
parents, gobble their food, and tyrannize their
teachers.
If a man would move the world, he must first
move himself.
As for me, all I know is that I know nothing.
Socrates
All men's souls are immortal, but the souls of
the righteous are immortal and divine.
Be as you wish to seem.
False words are not only evil in themselves, but
they infect the soul with evil.
By all means marry; if you get a good wife, you'll
be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a
philosopher.
I am not an Athenian or a Greek, but a citizen of
the world
Children today are tyrants. They contradict their
parents, gobble their food, and tyrannize their
teachers.
If a man would move the world, he must first
move himself.
As for me, all I know is that I know nothing.

The Allegory of the Cave by Plato

The Cave
Imagine a cave, in which there are three
prisoners. The prisoners are tied to some rocks,
their arms and legs are bound and their head is
tied so that they cannot look at anything but the
stonewall in front of them.
These prisoners have been here since bir
th and have never seen outside of the cave.
Behind the prisoners is a fire, and between them
is a raised walkway.
People outside the cave walk along this walkway
carrying things on their head including; animals,
plants, wood and stone.
The Shadows
So, imagine that you are one of the prisoners.
You cannot look at anything behind or to the side
of you you must look at the wall in front of you.
When people walk along the walkway, you can
see shadows of the objects they are carrying cast
on to the wall.
If you had never seen the real objects ever
before, you would believe that the shadows of
objects were real.
The Game
Plato suggests that the prisoners would begin a
game of guessing which shadow would appear
next.
If one of the prisoners were to correctly guess,
the others would praise him as clever and say
that he were a master of nature.
The Escape
One of the prisoners then escapes from their
bindings and leaves the cave.
He is shocked at the world he discovers outside
the cave and does not believe it canbe real.
As he becomes used to his new surroundings, he
realizes that his former view of reality was wrong.
He begins to understand his new world, and
sees that the Sun is the source of life and goes on
an intellectual journey where he discovers beauty
and meaning
He sees that his former life and the guessing
game they played is useless.
The Return
The prisoner returns to the cave, to inform the
other prisoners of his findings.
They do not believe him and threaten to kill him
if he tries to set them free
The Teachings of Socrates
Socrates- born in Athens circa 469 B.C. and died
399 B.C., known as one of the mankinds greatest
teacher. Eventually, Athenians charged him with
impiousness (lack for respect for God) and
corrupting the minds of the youth and sentenced
him to death.
Socrates on Man and Virtue

-virtue is a natural endowment, not an artificial

convention or habit of action to be acquired by
education.
-virtue is depended on knowledge and could be
defined as true knowledge of ones self.
-true knowledge should not just be speculative
but practical.
Two Processes in Socratic Method
Ironic Process- this serves to make the seeker
of knowledge clear his mental decks for action.
Famous Socratic Paradox the only thing that I
know is that I know nothing.
Maieutic Process- after clearing ones mind
through the ironic process, Socrates uses the
maieutic method to draw out the truth from his
students. This is usually done through a dialogue
or a conversation.
The Teaching of Plato
-Born around 424 B.C. in Athens, Greece.
-studied mathematics, and founded the Academy
of Athens.
-best known for a series of dialogues which
contained his teachings and philosophical point of
views; the main character of most of the
dialogues was his former teacher, hence the
name, Socratic Dialogues.
Plato on Man and Soul
Platonic Soul- postulates that the soul is the
spirit that uses the body; it is in a non-natural
state of union, and longs to be freed from its
bodily prison.
The Platonic Soul is composed of three parts:
1. Logos- which is translated as mind/reason
2. Thymon- which means emoltion or ego.
3. Pathos- which is synonymous to appetite.
Aristotles Life
Born at Stageira in Thrace in 384/3 B.C.
Pursued his studies at the Academy when he
was 17 years old
Educated Philip of Macedons son, Alexander
who later became known as Alexander the
Great
Established his own school, the Lyceum
Died of an illness in 322/1 B.C.
Man is not a pure mind or spirit
Reason is the most distinguishing attribute of
man; it is

the factor that elevates man away and above

brutes
The main purpose of man is to become rational;
the
activity of reasoning makes a man human
Theory of Contemplation
The happiest place on earth is the one dedicated
to contemplation
A contemplative life is a quest for a selfsufficient life
Rational and moral activities of man are
considered as
the crowning occupation of man since it sprung
from human reason
A man who constantly lives a life of
contemplation will never age and will be
immortal.
Theory of the Golden Mean
Truth and virtue are found midway between two
false and vicious extremes
Advocates man to avoid extremes and practice
moderation
A function is properly exercised and performed
when it is
done with consonance with reason within rational
bounds -which lie midway between two false and
vicious extremes
For example:
COURAGE
______________________________________
(excess)
(virtue)
(deficiency)
rashness (vice)
cowardice
(vice)