THE HUMAN PERSON IN

TERMS OF SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY
Presented By: Group 1
 OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this lesson, the students should be able to:

Identify different conceptions of human flourishing;

Determine the development of the scientific method and
the validity of science;
And critics of human flourishing vis-à-vis the progress of
science and technology to be able to define for themselves
the meaning of a good life.
 INTRODUCTION
Among the animals on earth, we, humans,
identify ourselves as the ones who have a higher
intellectual capacity. We have learned that things
around us hold potential when combined with other
things or when used in ways that these things are
innately inclined to be used. Through time,
passionate search, experiment, or even accidental
encounter, a lot of things were discovered, and we
are determined to use, produce, and manipulate
nature. This lesson. explains briefly the attributes
and capacity of man and his role in relation to
technology and to society.
Technology has always been defined as a means to an end and being a
human activity.
It has long filled the world. Everyday routines are marked with
technological advances that reflect what a society is good or known for.
Technology has advanced since the middle of the 20th Century,
especially after the end of World War II.
It is not unexpected for technology to involve questions of knowledge,
which lead to its formation as one of the branches of philosophy. This
also led to the furtherance of technology based on how it is viewed and
understood. But there is more to that.
 WHAT IS HAPPINESS?
In psychology, happiness is a mental or emotional state of
well-being which can be defined by, among others, positive or
pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy.
To behaviorists, happiness is a cocktail of emotions we
experience when we do something good or positive.
To neurologists, happiness is the experience of a flood of
hormones released in the brain as a reward for behavior that
prolongs survival.
 ARISTOTLE
According to Aristotle, there is an end to all the
actions we perform that we desire for ourselves. This
is what is known as eudaimonia, flourishing, or
happiness, which is desired for its own sake, with all
other things being desired on its account.
Eudaimonia is a property of one's life when
considered as a whole.

Flourishing is the highest good of human

endeavors and is the goal of all actions. It is success
as a human being. The best life is one of excellent
human activity.
 The hedonistic view of well-being is that happiness is the polar opposite
of suffering, the presence of happiness indicates the absence of pain.
Because of this, hedonists believe that the purpose of life is to maximize
happiness, which minimizes misery.

Eudaimonia, a term that combines the Greek words for "good" and
"spirit" to describe the ideology. Eudaimonia defines happiness as the
pursuit of becoming a better person.

Eudaimonists do this by challenging themselves intellectually or by

engaging in activities that make them spiritually richer people.
 In Philosophy, eudaimonism refers to pursuing the right actions that
lead to one's "well-being." Ancient Greek philosophers developed
normative ethical theories called virtue ethics that emphasize the virtues of
mind and character.

Eudaimonia: "good spirited" coined by Aristotle

Describes the pinnacle of happiness that is attainable by humans.
Human Flourishing
An effort to achieve self-actualization and fulfillment within the context
of a larger community of individuals, each with the right to pursue his or
her own such efforts. involves the rational use of one's individual human
potentialities, including talents, abilities, and virtues, in the pursuit of his
freely and rationally chosen values and goals.

Flourishing
A state where people experience positive emotions, positive
psychological functioning, and positive social functioning, most of the
time, "living within an optimal range of human functioning.”
 Our concept of Human Flourishing of today proves to be
different from what Aristotle originally perceived then
humans of today are expected to become a "man of the
world". He is supposed to situate himself in a global
neighborhood to be able to reach a common goal.
Competition as a means of survival has become passé (no
longer fashionable; out of date); coordination is the new
trend.
Human Flourishing arises as a result of
different components such as:
Phronesis
Friendship
Wealth
Power
 DIFFERENT CONCEPTIONS OF
HUMAN FLOURISHING

Eastern Western
Focus is community-centric More focused on the individual
An Individual should sacrifice Human flourishing as an end
himself for the sake of society Aristotelian view
Chinese Confucian system Aims for eudaimonia as the
Japanese Bushido ultimate good
Encourage studies of literature,
sciences, and art for a greater
cause
ICE BREAKER
 THE TECHNOLOGY AS A WAY OF
REVEALING

THE HUMAN CONDITION BEFORE THE COMMON ERA

 THE TECHNOLOGY AS A WAY OF
REVEALING
The Human Condition Before the Common Era
Early ancestors’ primal need to survive paved the way for
the invention of several developments.
Homo Erectus has been using fire to cook, marking the era
of the Stone Age
Homo Sapiens began to sharpen stones like knives.
People discovered minerals and began metalwork.
The Human Condition Before the Common Era
Formation of communities caused humans to expand more in
territory and more people to feed; large separate
communities hailing from the same ancestors paved way for
civilizations.
Humanity became more complex
Primary goal was not merely to survive, but to live a good life
Martin Heidegger
He was born on September 26, 1889, and
died on May 26, 1976.
He is a German Philosopher, part of the
continental tradition of philosophy.
He joined the Nazi Party in 1933 and
remained a member of it until it was
dismantled toward the end of World War II.
He was dismissed from Freiburg University.
Resumed teaching in 1951.
The Essence of Technology

The essence of technology can be captured in its definition. In

the treatise, The Questions Concerning Technology, Martin
Heidegger (1977) explains the two widely embraced
generation definitions of technology:

1. Instrumental and
2. Anthropological
Instrumental Definition: Technology is a means to an end.

Technology is not an end itself; it means to an end.

Technology is viewed as a tool.
Technology is used varies from individual to individual,
group to group, and community to community.
Technology is omnipresent.
Technology is an instrument aimed at getting things done.
Anthropological Definition: Technology is a human activity.

Alternatively, technology can also be defined as a human

activity because to achieve an end and to produce and
use a means to an end is, by itself, a human activity.
The production or invention of technological equipment,
tools, and machines, the products and inventions, and the
purpose and functions they serve are what define
technology.
Heidegger distinguished the way of revealing modern technology by
considering it as a process of enframing. Humankind's desire to
control everything, including nature, is captured in this process.

Enframing, according to Heidegger, is akin to two ways of looking at

the world: calculative thinking and meditative thinking.

In calculative thinking, humans desire to put order in nature to

better understand and control it.
In meditative thinking, humans allow nature to reveal itself to
them without the use of force or violence.
Enframing, then, is a way of ordering (or framing) nature to better
manipulate it. Enframing happens because of how humans desire
security, even if it puts all of nature as a standing reserve ready for
exploitation.

The role humans take as instruments of technology through enframing

is called destining.
QUIZZZZZ!
Identifications:

1. Is a property of one’s life when considered as a whole.

2. The view of well-being is that happiness is the polar opposite of
suffering, the presence of happiness indicates the absence of
pain.
3. According to them, happiness is a cocktail of emotions we
experience when we do something good or positive.
4. According to them, happiness is a mental or emotional state of
well-being which can be defined by, among others, positive or
pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy.
5. He originally perceived that humans of today are expected to
become a “man of the world”.
6. He is a German Philosopher, part of the continental tradition of
philosophy.
7. The two ways of looking at the world according to Heidegger.
8-9. What are the to widely embraced generation definition of
technology?
10. According to Heidegger, this framework is using the technology to
turn nature into a resource for efficient use.
Answers:
1. Eudaimonia
2. Hedonistic
3. Behaviorists
4. Psychologist
5. Aristotle
6. Martin Heidegger
7. Meditative thinking and Calculative thinking
8. Instrumental definition and;
9. Anthropology definition
10. Enframing
THANK
YOU!