PHILOSOPHY OF MAN
Clarry Sada
Email: clarrysada@yahoo.co.id
Blog:clarrysada.wordpress.com
Mobile Ph: 081522614260
Definition of Philosophy
• Philosophy is a thinking mode or a method which
asks questions about the nature and essence of
various realities appearing on our earth (Laehy,
2008)
• Philosophy concerns with questions such as:
– What is the meaning of life and activity, freedom
and love?. What does one speak about universe,
man, God?
Philosophy of Man?
• Philosophy of man which considers what man
himself means. It tries to articulate as best as it can
what the being or creature we call “man” really is.
• In the past, Philosophy of Man called:
– Philosophical of psychology or rational psychology
– Term “psychology” is difficult bec etymologically
“psychology” is “a science of the mind”.
– Philosophical anthropology (anthropos in Greek means
“man”. It appears more exact bec it denotes the whole
human being, spirit and body, mind and flesh.
Difficulty of Philosophy of Man
Two different perspectives: a) Sciences and
b) philosophers
a) Specific Sciences dealing with man from
perspectives : his origin, physical characteristics,
ways of conduct, achievement, diseases and
anomalies. (scientific discipline: biology, history,
psychology, embryology, anthropology, sociology
theology, etc)
b) Philosophers’ conceptions:
1. Plato and Plotinos – consider man a divine
human being
2. Epicuros and Lucretius – consider man a shortlived creature, born by chance and then gone
altogether
3. Descartes – human freedom resembles the
freedom of God
4. Voltaire – human beings does not essentially
differ from superior animals.
5. Hobbes – human beings are aggressive and evil in
action
6. Rousseau – human beings good by nature.
The different conceptions of those philosophers
have brought out the philosophy of man is a
neccessity and possibility of study.
Human Nature and Its Characteristics
• Human nature and its characteristics are as the
object of Philosophy of Man
1) The existence of nature and characteristics
distinguish human beings from other creatures.
2) Typical characteristics of human conduct are
different, eg. Africans and Asians.
3) Men of the same culture may have different
concepts about: morally good and morally bad