XAVIER UNIVERSITY – ATENEO DE CAGAYAN

THE JOURNEY OF MAN TOWARDS ITS END AS THE FULFILLMENT OF HIS

EXISTENCE

SYNTHESIS PAPERS SUBMITTED TO

THE FACULTY OF XAVIER UNIVERSITY – PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT

IN FULFILLMENT OF THE

COURSE PHILOSOPHY 90.1

PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT

BY

XELMARC JONES D. LIAL

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY

FEBRUARY 2019
 The Journey of Man Towards its End as the Fulfillment of his Existence

Table of Contents

I. Acknowledgement................................................................................................. 3

II. Introduction: Man starts with his journey as a living person who is capable
of being good, knowing of reality ........................................................................... 4

III.Man’s search of meaning (Philosophy of Man) ................................................. 5

A. Man is an embodied spirit ........................................................................... 5
B. Man is free and co-existing being................................................................ 6
C. Man Finds meaning in man’s experience .................................................... 7
D. Insight ......................................................................................................... 8
E. Conclusion .................................................................................................. 8

IV. Man has the capacity to do good (Ethics) ........................................................ 9

A. The involvement of man’s freedom to his being ethical ............................... 9
B. There are sources of obligation that man can use as guide for moral
actions ........................................................................................................... 10
C. Thre is universal sense of morality ........................................................... 12
D. Insight ....................................................................................................... 13
E. Conclusion ................................................................................................ 13

V. Misused Technology VS Mother earth (Special Topic:

Environmental ethics) ............................................................................................ 14
A. Technology, man, and environment .......................................................... 14
B. Respect and care for the environment ...................................................... 16
C. Environmental awareness and dialogue ................................................... 17
D. Insight ....................................................................................................... 17
E. Conclusion ................................................................................................ 18

VI. Man in search of being (Metaphysics) ............................................................ 19

A. Basic metaphysical inquiry ........................................................................ 19
B. Paradox of the human mind ...................................................................... 20
C. Man’s sense of wonder ............................................................................. 21
D. Insight ....................................................................................................... 22

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 E. Conclusion ................................................................................................ 22

VII. Man search for God (Philosophy of Religion) ............................................... 23

A. Approaches on God’s existence................................................................ 23
B. The nature of evil ...................................................................................... 25
C. Man’s experience of the Absolute ............................................................. 26
D. Insight ....................................................................................................... 27
E. Conclusion ................................................................................................ 27

VIII. General Conclusion ........................................................................................ 28

IX. Bibliography ...................................................................................................... 29

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Acknowledgement

For the four years of experience garnered in this school I would like to thank all

the people who is involved in making this day possible. As I work on my papers there

are people who gave me hope and inspiration for me to go further into this beautiful

abyss in school and in the seminary.

First I would like to thank my family who never faltered on giving me this sense

of light whenever I am in the brink of falling. Secondly, I want to thank the San Jose

de Mindanao Seminary for making me develop my talents and capabilities and also

my vocation. Thirdly, I want to thank the Philosophy department including all my

classmates for experiencing both fun and strife that developed my character as a

student. Fourth, I want to thank the Archdiocese of Cagayan de Oro for the scholarship

that has been granted to me. Lastly, I would like to thank God who is my inspiration

and my strength at the troubles in life. He is the reason why I still smile in the middle

of pain, laugh in the middle of despair, and think more in the middle of confusion. God

gave me this sense of reason to live.

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Introduction

Man is a journeying being. Man is capable to do the good, to understand the

reality, to experience God, the challenge of evil. however, withstanding all these

capabilities, man must define the highest fulfillment of his nature. The areas of

philosophy which will be discussed here are ethics, environmental ethics,

metaphysics, philosophy of religion, and philosophy of man. These philosophies will

clarify who man is and what he ought to do.

Philosophy is the ticket for man to extend his knowledge to himself, to others,

environment, to the world, and this sense of experiencing God and ultimately by

discovering the ultimate reality. This is only possible by going into the depths of reality

of man and his relation with the world, others, and God.

Man journeys into a life where he lives as person who is able to know the good,

truth, beauty, meaning, and reality; however, there are challenges about knowing the

good such as the question on how man ought to live. There is also the challenge to

know the truth such as the state of man where he comes into the oblivion of being.

There is also the challenge to grasp and create beauty in terms of how man interacts

with the nature. There is also the challenge of achieving this sense of unity with other

beings where man struggle to find fulfilment in himself and with others. And there is

the challenge to knowledge that is threatened by ignorance. Thus, man is journeying

towards the ultimate reality of life.

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 Man’s search of meaning
(Philosophy of the Human Person)
Philosophy of man is a search of man’s meaning of his existence. Man as

embodied spirit clarifies that man is a composite of body and soul; however, the

challenge arises on the body and soul’s asymmetrical relationship. Nonetheless, Man

as liberty spells out that man is capable for freedom. However, man is a finite being,

thus, has its own limitations. Man must realize that he exists with other man. As man

exist, he expresses himself with others and finding true humanity within himself. In this

synthesis paper, the topics that will be covered are: first, man is a composite of body

and soul. Second, man as liberty and as co-existing. Lastly, finding meaning in man’s

experiences.

Man as an embodied spirit

There are many approaches on how to describe man. For St. Augustine of

Hippo, the individual human being is a composite of body and soul where the soul lies

in the spiritual entity whereas the body lies in the material entity1. This means that the

body and soul relationship of man is a relationship of two extremes. One is on the

realm of spiritual. The other side is the realm of the material.

The idea of Augustine about man was coined from the idea of Plato about the

divided line2. In the divided line, there is a dualistic view of the world. The world is

divided into two. On one hand, there is the sensible world or the world senses,

temporality, and material. On the other hand, there is the intelligible world or the world

of forms and permanence.

1Michael Mendelson, "St. Augustine" Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

12 november 2010. http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/augustine (accessed January
30, 2019).
2 Mendelson

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 Consequently, for Aristotle, man is endowed with intellectual capacity. Simply

put, man is a “rational animal”3. Meaning, man has this capacity to think which places

man to be of highest rank of all animals. To clarify further, other animals does not have

the capacity to think. Only man has the capacity to think. Therefore, it is why man is

placed to the highest rank of all animals.

Moreover, Aquinas adapted the idea of Aristotle, but instead of calling man a

rational animal, Aquinas coined the term man “embodied spirit”4. This notion of

Aquinas’ embodied spirit captures the idea that man is a composite of body and soul.

It also suggests that man is a self-possessing being which means that man is a master

of himself and is capable for self-determination.

Man as free and co-existing

Freedom is a capability of man. It is the power to choose. Man can either do

the good or evil because he is free. However, man is also fallible which means that

man has limitations, a sign of finitude. Pope John Paul II is suggesting the just use of

freedom5. What he means is that because man is free but fallible at the same time, he

must use his freedom without destroying the freedom of others.

In addition, man is to choose of either the three goods. The just good, useful

good, and the pleasurable good.6 This three goods is a man’s ground for action. For

example, when man decides to choose the just good, he must have a goal that

conforms of being just hence making his goal just. On the other hand, when man acts

upon the pleasurable good, his actions are grounded to a pleasurable goal. That is

3 Norris Clarke S.J. Person, Being and Ecology. Rainier Ibana Ed. (Quezon
City: ADMU –Office of Research and Publications, 1996), 23
4 Clarke, 23
5 Pope John Paul II, Memory and Idenitty: Conversations at the Dawn of a

Millennium, (New York: Rizzoli international Publications, INC., 2005). 37

6 Pope John Paul II, 34

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why Pope John Paul II is suggesting the just use of freedom because man is bounded

to choose freely to either good or bad.

Since man must use his freedom justly, he must express himself as a free

person but with respect to other existence at the same time. But how does one express

oneself? Marx propose that man expresses himself through work as a development of

himself.7 This means that man expresses himself through work or human labor.

Human labor provides that man is co-existing8 with other man. Hence, work is the

expression of man’s humanity.

Finding meaning in man’s experience

Man is in search for his meaning of life, he is in a journey. Man can find meaning

in his life through experience. Through experience, man’s sense of “self” is understood

in through his experience. Husserl is suggesting a method on finding meaning in man’s

experience through Transcendental-Phenomenological Reduction.9

There are three steps on Husserl’s Phenomenology. First is the epoche, or the

suspension of natural belief.10 In epoche the object of experience is viewed in to its

narrower sense. Epoche also includes bracketing of biases and prejudices. For

example, the object of experience is rain, when we reduce rain into its narrower sense

we view rain by suspending our biases on it and we view rain as rain in itself.

Second is the eidetic reduction.11 In this step, man must reduce his own object

of experience into its essence. For example, the object of experience is rain and man

must reduce it into its essence. Is rain a rain when it precipitates lightly? Or is rain a

7Manuel Dy, PHILOSOPHY OF MAN Selected Readings. 3rd ed. (Katha

Publishing Co., Inc., 2012.), 117
8 Dy, 117
9 Dy, 47
10 Dy, 48-49
11 Dy, 51

7
rain when it precipitates on a sunny day? There can be lot of questions in order to

reduce an object of experience into its essence.

The final step is the Transcendental reduction where man is to own his

experience. By giving meaning on it. The approach that is used in this step is personal.

There is a sense “my experience” in his approach of man’s experience. For example,

the object of experience is rain. Man interprets this object of experience into something

he owns. He can say that “rain is a reminder that there is hope from me” or “my

experience of the rain is my remedy for pain”.

Insight

Man is search with his meaning of life. By valuing his experience, he can find

meaning on it. There can be a start of manifesting man’s humanity by making himself

expressive and expressible. There is a sense of receptivity on each of one of us. This

sense of receptivity must be realized by man.

Conclusion

In conclusion, man is entitled as a composite of body and soul. Man is also a

rational being who lives with all other community of existence. As man lives with others

he must express his humanity and be expressed by other existence by the just use of

freedom. This just use of freedom is needed in order to be aware that other man has

also dignity. Man finds all meaning of his life by the use of phenomenology, a method

where man ends up owning his experience.

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 Man’s capacity to do good
(Ethics)
Ethics addresses the principles about the good which is centered on man’s

fulfillment. It also addresses the norms and grounds about how man ought to live.

There are ethical theories that addresses man’s rewards on doing good such as the

notion of happiness. There are also other theories that speaks about the natural

tendency of man to do good. There is also an individualistic view of how man ought to

be a unique self. In this juncture, there is a challenge on how man ought to live. Hence,

there are three discussions on this synthesis paper that will covered: first, the

involvement of man’s freedom to his being ethical, second, sources of obligation.

Lastly, universal sense of morality.

The involvement of man’s freedom to his being ethical

Man is capable of self-determination or man’s capacity for freedom, the power

to choose. For example, man can make decisions, plans, and choices according to his

own volition. Self-determination has this sense of willing to or willing not to do it. Hence,

freedom has something to do with man’s action in his daily living.

However, there are failures on understanding the idea of freedom. One as such

notion of freedom as doing whatever we “want”. This notion of freedom explicates the

sense of immaturity in action. This means that this notion of freedom indicates actions

that are guided by pleasure only. For example, a man says that “I can drink all the

hard liquors in a store because I have freedom to do what I want to do”. This man’s

action is manifesting irresponsibility and a sense of immaturity in himself.

The real meaning of freedom, however, is not doing what we want. It is rather

the power to choose guided with responsibility and maturity. For Kant, Man must be

9
self-governed or autonomous12. It means that man must do good according to what

actions he thinks are moral. In this sense, man is toward this sense of goodwill in order

to act upon his freedom. Hence, freedom should be guided towards good actions,

maturity, and responsibility.

When man is in the community, he must realize that he is with other free man

who has also the same capability for freedom. In this sense, he must treat other free

man with dignity. Kant would say that other man should not be used as mere object.

This means that man should treat others as an ends in themselves and not merely as

means to an end13. To clarify further, each man is an ends in themselves, meaning

there is value in themselves, hence man should not be used as mere means. For

example, man x should not use man y as a mere means to get money from man y.

Sources of Obligation

There is a need to evaluate actions because there are qualities of actions where

one is to condition how good or bad the actions are. For example, when man kills a

person out of self-defense or when one cheat in an exam in order to pass. There is

need to distinguish those actions and decide whether it is morally good or bad. There

are many ways to determine an action whether it is good or bad.

In cultural relativism, the understanding of morality depends on how cultures

deal with moral codes. Meaning, “Different cultures have different moral codes”14. In

other words, there is no standard of morality and one can judge the action whether it

is good or bad depends on how a culture looks at the action. For example, the

12Que, Nemesio, SJ. MORAL THINKING a Collection of readings for

foundations of Moral Values. p.179
13 Que, p.178
14 Que, p 18

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polygamous marriage is accepted in Muslim culture; on the other hand, polygamous

marriage is not acceptable to Christian culture.

Furthermore, According to Aristotle, happiness is the ultimate goal of man and

one can achieve it by practicing virtues that is situated to the mean and that man must

put it into habit.15 This idea of Aristotle is goal-oriented. This means that an action must

be moderated between two extremes, one of an excess and one of a deficient. If an

action falls into either extremes, then it is evil. For example, courage is in itself a virtue.

The excess is rashness and deficient action is cowardice. In other words, one can

evaluate whether the action is good or bad if an action is situated on the mean or not.

On the other hand, in utilitarian perspective, happiness is the absence of pain;

and pain is the deprivation of pleasure16. In order to achieve happiness, actions must

promote happiness. For John Stuart Mill, happiness is the only truly the desirable

thing, and so that it should be maximized.17in other words, the evaluation whether an

action is good or bad depends on the outcome of the action. If the outcome of the

action promotes happiness then, it is good. If the action does deprive one to

experience happiness, then the action is bad.

On the contrary, the deontological view on ethics has different attitude on

judging whether the action is good or bad. Unlike teleological view wherein it focuses

on the goal of man, deontological view focuses on man having this sense of moral

obligation. For Kant, man is bounded to respond to his moral obligation in a form of

will that is acted from his moral duty.18 For example, the obligation of the mother is to

15 Que, Nemesio, SJ. MORAL THINKING a Collection of readings for foundations of

Moral Values. pp. 85-87
16 Que, 187
17 Que, 187
18 Que, 154

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take care of the baby. Her duty must be done regardless of what she feels about

nursing a baby.

There are many ethical views on guiding man to his being ethical.

Universal sense of morality

Being moral has been part of man’s life; however, there is a challenge on how

man ought to live. The challenge also lies on what must be the universal standard for

an action to be called good. Consequently, the challenge lies on cultural relativism. In

cultural relativism, it bars the idea of having the universal sense of morality19. In other

words, there are moral codes that are only applicable on a certain culture whereas

some are not, hence no exact universal truth what action is good. In addition, the

challenge on how man should ought to live is whether he acts teleological or

deontological.

However, there is a binding force that holds all different moral codes into one.

this binding force is innate on man. This binding force is also the ground and norms of

being ethical and moral. This binding force is called reason. Whether man’s basis for

doing good is according to his culture or whether he acts with a goal or not, reason

tells us what is the right thing to do. In other words, reason is innate to man which then

makes the reason as the voice of his actions then becomes conscience20. Simply put,

conscience, which is the manifestation of reason, is the one that makes man be aware

of his actions.

19Que, Nemesio, SJ. MORAL THINKING a Collection of readings for foundations of

Moral Values. pp. 85-8718
20 Ambong Fernandez, Ethics for Today’s Inquiring Filipinos,

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Insight

The ideas of many philosophers challenges the right view of what is the

principle that will dictate man how ought to live. Using different kinds of ethical

principles depends on the situation. Sometimes, one can be absolutist in his action

just like Kant or teleological just like Aristotle. One can be like either Kant or Aristotle

depending on the given situation.

Conclusion

In sum, ethics gives us the principles and theories of how to do morally good

actions. Ethics gives us also the fundamentals that extends man’s understanding of

himself being moral. Man has the power to choose and he must use his freedom

responsibly and with maturity so that he can recognize that he also lives with other

man with the same capability for freedom and dignity. There are many principles and

theories about how man ought to live but reason is the one that holds the ground for

being ethical and principles are there to help man understand situations on being

moral or ethical. Hence, man is journeying to the world of ethics so that he can know

the basis of being good.

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 Misused Technology VS Mother earth
(Environmental Ethics)
In this modern era, the environment begins to crumble which is caused by using

nature as a means to profit, for consumer’s use, conversion of land, rivers, dumping

wastes, air pollution. Nature is supposed to run on its own course but because of man’s

disproportionate use of power given by the technological advancements, nature

begins to act abnormal. For example, the thinning of the ozone layer that causes the

melting of polar glaciers in Antarctic. It causes the sea level to rise more than its normal

level which caused by global warming due to accumulation of carbon as the effect of

burning fossil fuels that present on factories cars and other carbon related issues.

which is therefore caused by the misuse of the technological advancements. Hence,

this synthesis paper on environmental ethic deals with the topic of technology, man,

and environment. Second, respect and care towards the environment, and

environmental awareness and dialogue.

Technology, man, and environment

Technology has done great things in this industrial world. For example, washing

machines, electric fans, and all sorts of technologies has made life of man convenient.

Technology also helps in the aspects of communication through the telephone and

lately the advanced systems applied in the social media. With this new mode of doing

things life seems so easy. Pope Francis, in his encyclical” Laudato Si”, even agreed

that technology helps us, He says: “How could we not feel gratitude and appreciation

for this progress, especially in the fields of medicine, engineering [,] and

communications?”21

Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Encyclical Letter “Laudato Si” (On Care if Our
21

Common Home) (Rome: Vatican Press, 2015), 70.

14
 However, on the past decades and up until now, the making of the technology

was not in line with morality. With this kind of activity, not just the environment is at

risk but also the social civilization. For example, the atomic bombs, missiles, and

nuclear weapons that threatened any form of life was popular during the times of the

two world wars, Korean war, Vietnam war, etc. Currently, countries like china has

made bombs that can wipe 90 percent of population and indeed an activity that loses

the sense of morality.

Furthermore, there are also other forms of technology that’s been used on as

means to gain profit through nature. For example, loggers use some kind of machine

that will make them cut trees easier. The issue lies on the cutting of trees itself with

the help of machines that will cut down trees immediately. With this kind of activity, it

abruptly increased the count of trees that has been cut down. Another example is the

emission of carbons due to factories and burning of fossil fuels. With this kind of

attitude towards nature, profit increases but the sense of respect to the environment

is missing.

Philosopher Aquinas said, man is naturally inclined to preserve life, propagate

and education of the offspring, and seek for the truth and avoid ignorance22. In relation

to the environment, these precepts of natural law can be developed not just in the

human being but it also extends to all creation. For example, we preserve life not just

for ourselves but it must extend to all creation so that there can be a sense of respect

and care towards the environment.

22Nemesio Que, Moral Thinking: A Reflection of Reading for the Foundations

of Moral Values, 156.
15
Respect and care for the environment

There is a need for respect and care for the environment. There are ways to

manifest those actions of respect and care such as moderation in terms of some

activities that can cause environmental deterioration. For example, the moderation on

using nature as a resource such as cutting trees. The issue is not just about the legality

of cutting trees. The issue lies on how much trees are being cut. There is a necessity

on cutting trees; however, not to the extent that all trees must be cut. If the activity of

excessive logging prevails, the environment is at risk.

There is also a need for moderation to the technological use specifically on

gadgets. Cellphones, laptops, and other gadgets help people to communicate each

other. Gadgets also helps in education. However, when man is engrossed with

technology, it affects man’s relationship with the world. In this case man losses

meaning in respecting environment. There is a need for man to go back to see what

is happening of the environment without destroying the fact that technology is a tool

and is good for developmental purposes. Pope Francis writes:

Nobody is suggesting a return to the Stone Age, but we do need

to slow down and look at reality in a different way, to appropriate
the positive and sustainable progress which has been made, but
also to recover the values and the great goals swept away by our
unrestrained delusions of grandeur.23

What Pope Francis is trying to say is that we must recover this sense of meaning of

life and that technological use must be bounded for the development of the society.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Encyclical Letter “Laudato Si” (On Care if Our
23

Common Home) (Rome: Vatican Press, 2015), 78

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Environmental awareness and dialogue

Just because some are not aware of this environmental issues, does not mean

that there can be no action on making people aware that there exists an issue on which

not just the environment is at stake but also human lives. There are no excuses on

making oneself aware on this kind of issues regarding environment. But how do we

develop environmental awareness?

Dialogue is very important in making things possible. Pope Francis would assert

that “A global consensus is essential for confronting the deeper problems”24 which

means an interdependence must be made amongst countries to mitigate

environmental deterioration. By ways of international communication, there will be

solutions and immediate actions to control environmental deterioration.

There are ways of environmental dialogues. First, is negotiation of each country

so that there will be legal solutions such as laws that will help mitigate environmental

deterioration. For example, there should be a dialogue lead by the UN. Second is the

dialogue and review of the scientific community that can help to create solutions for

the problem of the environment. For instance, COMEST and UNESCO should have a

scientific dialogue to formulate solutions that will help enviromment.

Insight

As a person born in this millennial era I think that technology helps a lot in

dealing the problems on this country; however, the misuse of the technology is a big

issue in where people depend on those things that eases their effort. I think it is a bad

call to make technology the center of our lives.

Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Encyclical Letter “Laudato Si” (On Care if Our
24

Common Home) (Rome: Vatican Press, 2015), 108.

17
Conclusion

In sum, technological advancements are good especially in line with work,

industry, farming, communication, education, business, transportation, hospital and

health, military, space, and agriculture; however, because of the misuse of technology,

it became the mainstream of environmental deterioration. There are things that can

mitigate environmental deterioration such as moderation, appropriation, awareness

and dialogue.

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 Man in search of being
(Metaphysics)

Metaphysics addresses the challenge on understanding the meaning of being.

Understanding being is a complex intellectual activity. In metaphysics, man is to find

the meaning of being by the use of his rational capacity. Although man is finite, and

so is his thinking, man strives to understand being by all of his capacity to know. By

this capacity, man can connect to the reality. Moreover, wondering is the drive to know

being; However, there is a tension between man and his knowing of being. This

tension is when man forgets how to wonder. Thus, this synthesis paper will cover the

topic on basic metaphysical inquiry. Second, the paradox of the human mind. Third,

Man’s sense of wonder.

Basic metaphysical inquiry

In terms of knowing reality, man must be able to realize that he has the capacity

to know. Man must realize his capacity in order to have an articulation to know being.

This capability to think is innate in man. When man activates this intellectual capability

to know, he is entering into the horizon of inquiry. This means that, man enters to the

realm of questions in order to gain facts tells about what is being.

Hence, man arrives into the root and ground of all metaphysical inquiry. This

metaphysical inquiry is acquired by the immanent capability of man to think. When

man is in the state of knowing reality, this is not just because he has the capacity to

be but also man has the “unrestricted drive to know”25. This unrestricted drive will lead

man into knowing the whole of reality. Then, he makes sense of reality.

25Nemesio S. Que SJ, Ed., Central Problems of Metaphysics. (Manila Ateneo

de Manila University, 2001), 3
19
 In addition, man is continuously knowing being. Meaning, man is in constant

search for being until he is able to realize its inexhaustibleness. Although knowing

being is inexhaustible man can still express what is all there in being. Hence, being is

a mystery; however, just because being is mystery, does not mean that man has no

aptitude on knowing being. Man is to unveil the truth26 or bringing his idea of being into

a consciousness expressing what is all there about being.

Paradox of the human mind

In the journey of man towards understanding being, there lies a challenge within

man himself which is encountered in a metaphysical aspect. This challenge is the

paradox of the human mind. The paradox of the human mind is a challenge because

it presupposes that man has the capacity to think, but this capacity is at once finite

and infinite.27 The question raised about the paradox is that how can a finite human

being be able to know the whole of reality?

In addition, the issue of paradox of the human mind deals with the possibilities

that may weaken metaphysical inquiry. For example, if the human mind is finite is he

not worthy to answer questions which are inexhaustible? Or if the human mind is

infinite, is he not a god of some sort? These questions either expresses that man is

nothing but an ordinary man and is not capable of knowing things or a man must be a

god.

However, a paradox is made of two contrasting ideas, but it is actually possible.

It is also true in the paradox of the mind. The human mind is finite and infinite at the

same time, but does not mean that man is either an ordinary guy that is not worthy of

26
Nemesio S. Que SJ, Ed., Central Problems of Metaphysics. (Manila Ateneo
de Manila University, 2001), 8
27 Que, 3

20
knowing or a god. Every human intellect is thus a finite, perspectival vision-of-the

whole.28 Meaning, human mind is finite because man is finite and just a part of the

entire reality. Human mind is also infinite in terms of his potentiality to know.

Man’s sense of wonder

Man’s sense of wonder starts through experiencing. When man experience

things of any sort, he starts to wonder until the time that his wonder is satisfied by

knowing what is there all about in those experiences. In the metaphysical aspect, it is

fundamental to experience being in order to know being. hence, in this sense of

experiencing lies a drive to know being that is man’s sense of wonder.

However, often times being becomes so typical or usual because of the fact

that beings are everywhere, anywhere in the realm of experience of man. Even the

tiniest organism is part of this domain of reality. Heidegger would assert that when

man experiences this sense where being becomes so typical he becomes so used on

seeing it. Man falls into what Heidegger calls the “oblivion of being”29.

Oblivion means the state of something that is not remembered or man becomes

unaware of something. What man forgets is the very being itself and what man only

sort of remember is how he/she can use a being but unaware of being itself; hence,

man losses his sense of wonder on beings, a sense of losing the idea of being in our

consciousness.

In this case, man extends his intellect to know more and all about being.

bounded to be known by man. Man must come to an awareness by looking at being

28
Nemesio S. Que SJ, Ed., Central Problems of Metaphysics. (Manila Ateneo
de Manila University, 2001), 3
29 Que, 3, 8-9.

21
itself in a renewed way. Meaning, man must not be trapped on things that makes him

not aware of being. hence, man is to realize the sense of acceptance to a sort of

challenge to know being and that one can overcome the oblivion of being by reflective

awareness of being. Meaning, man must gain again this sense of awareness and

wonder of being by penetrating into it.

Insight

The man is able to think and I think that is the man’s activity in his entire life. To

think is to consult things and to consult leads to discovery. Man is able to that because

it is in his nature and I think this nature must be developed in order for the man to have

this sense of clarity on things.

Conclusion

In conclusion, metaphysics deals with the difficulty on understanding being. with

the help of philosophical ideas, the difficulty is clarified. As man journeys into knowing

being more, man realizes that there are times that he might fall into forgetting the

beauty of being but by continuous knowing he is able to know being more. Why do we

need to know being because being itself good which connotes to something lovable

and valuable which helps man to appreciate the beauty of being?

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 Man search for God
(Philosophy of Religion)
Philosophy of religion addresses the principles about the existence of god and

its nature. Philosophy of religion also addresses the facts which is comprised of the

religious beliefs and practices. As man is trying to understand his god and his belief

and maybe at some point he might be enlightened of what he is able to experience in

a religious sense there is a sense that god is an incomprehensible being. With the help

of the philosophical discourse about religion man might able to understand God’s

existence and nature.

However, as man journey towards understanding God’s existence, evil

challenges man in his believing in God. In this light, this synthesis paper attempts to

explore the nature of man’s experience of God and of evil that revolves around the

topic on the approaches of God’s existence, the nature of evil, and man’s religious

experience.

Approaches on God’s existence

There exist theists who believe in God or gods. They also believe that this/these

supreme being(s) is the creator of the universe. In addition, there are types of theists.

First is the polytheists which refers to the people that believe on multiple supreme

beings like Zeus, Athena, Hades, and other gods and goddesses. Second, are the

monotheists who believe only in one supreme being. Next is pantheists who believe

that god is present in all things.

On the other hand, Atheists are those people who do not believe in the

existence of god. Atheism is the exact opposite of the theism which gives the idea that

in this world there are those people who believe in God and people who does not.

Hence, the existence of God is uncertain.

23
 Philosophy offers ideas on proving the existence of God and there are those of

Aquinas’ cosmological arguments, of Anselm on ontological arguments, Paul Tillich

on Ultimate concern, etc. that stirs the uncertainty of the existence of God.

Aquinas prove the existence of God via cosmological argument which is also

called the 5 ways of Aquinas30. Why is it cosmological because cosmological

movements participate in God’s existence and there are 5 cosmological movements

and one is that of motion. As things move it is impossible to move on its own; hence,

there must be an agent that causes the movement. For example, when a ball bounces

because someone dribbled it or the ball just fell on the ground.

In every motion there must be mover that causes that thing to move but there

can’t be an infinite number of movers, otherwise we fall into an infinite regress31 or an

argument that will lead to nothing. so there must be a being itself unmoved which is

God.

Same goes with the argument from causality that there are causers of the

effects but there can’t be an infinite number of causes otherwise we will fall into infinite

regress, so there must be a being itself uncaused that causes all things which is God.

These arguments concern on God as a being who is a pure actuality which

means God does not belong of any process of potentiality and of becoming something.

Thus, 5 ways of Aquinas disturbs the uncertainty of the existence of God.

The existence of God can be also proved by Anselm’s ontological argument 32.

Anselm would assert that there are two ways to exist one is to exist in the mind and

30
Anton C. Pegis, Basic Writings of St. Thomas (New York: Doubleday,1945).
31Pegis,
32 Anselm, Saint, Archbishop of Canterbury. “Proslogion.” In Anselm of

Canterbury: The Major Works. Edited with an introduction by Brian Davies and G.R.
Evans, 82-104. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
24
one is to exist both in reality and in the mind. He also pointed out that to exist in reality

and in mind is greater than just to exist in the mind. Anselm would then argue that if

God does not exist in reality he would not be greater or the greatest but because God

is the greatest thing that can be thought of then he must exist.

For Paul Tillich, every man is religious in some way that they have an ultimate

concern. Even the Atheists are religious because all man has an ultimate concern33.

This ultimate concern pertains to an object which is worth dying for and in some way

ultimate concern points its way to an idea of God. Simply put, God is the ultimate

concern of man and for the case of the atheists, their ultimate concern might not be a

God that the theists have but it could be the thing that they are willing live and die for.

The nature of evil

However, the reality of evil is present which challenges the proofs of the

existence of God. A question would then raise that if God is all good then why is there

physical evil in this world? The continuous experience of evil makes man raise that

certain kind of question.

The common understanding of evil is privation of the good. Always on the

negative side which means it causes man grief, misfortune, pain, anxiety, etc. In the

ethical perspective moral evil is something commonly done by man given the capacity

of man to do moral evil; consequently, there are three responses regarding moral evil.

First, this response claims that the whole moral endeavor is nothing but an illusion.

This response is called cynicism.

33 Tillich Paul, Dynamics of faith. New York: Harper and Row.

25
 Second, this response claims that moral evil is tolerable. This response is called

stoic affirmation. Third, this response claims that moral evil has something to do with

freedom as a moral task. This response is from the religious faith point of view.

Some philosophers would claim that the source of evil is not God but God

allows evil for his people to return to him. In this sense, as what Paul Tillich said that

there is a sense of estrangement of man that started on the first fall of man who is

Adam and Eve who disobeyed God. As this estrangement is caused by the sins of

man and while the estrangement is felt, there is a sense of man for him to long for

God. Hence, evil in a form of sin becomes a challenge towards faith of man.

Man’s experience of the Absolute

Man believes that there is an absolute being who is higher than him. Man is a

finite being and God is the infinite one which connotes that there is a sense of distance

between man and God. Man seeks God and as man do it man experience this kind of

fear and fascination at the same time.

Fear can be felt by man when he realizes and comes into an awareness that

he himself is just a finite being. What he seeks is someone that is beyond him,

someone infinite that is so distant to him. Meaning, as man longs for that infinite being

he realizes that there is a great abyss between them that makes him and the infinite

being distant to each other. As far as concerned, man faces a sense of separation

between that infinite being; therefore, fear is something happens when the sense of

hope to long for God becomes absurd of some sort and that feel when man realizes

how impossible for an ordinary man to reach God.

On the other hand, man experience fascination when man realize how

awesome God is. According to Paul Tillich, as we born in this world, we started to

26
suffer. And as we suffer we long for comfort and we feel comfort because of God and

from that point henceforth, we started to long for God’s comfort and that we feel awe-

inspiring by God comfort, awesomeness, etc.

Fear and fascination happens at the same time. Man feels a deep longing for

God’s presence but this presence seems to be far away but does not mean that it can’t

be perceived. The presence of God may be far but does not mean not available for

man to be felt.

Insight

Faith matters in matters of religion. But faith is challenges when one recognizes

evil. With this in mind. I think that every man is able to live in the brink where man can

live as a free person.

Conclusion

In sum, philosophy of religion is a dialogue on the ideas of God as existing and

God as non-existing which leads to the idea of evil that somehow discredits the idea

of God. With all these ideas, man is able to idealize an image of a God although

uncertain in existence because of the diversity of beliefs that either God exist or does

not; however, the uncertainty does not hinder man to long for God because the

uncertainty itself could bring us a warning that inculcates an idea of a God. Hence, the

ideas of proofs of God’s existence is challenged in the idea of evil but does not hinder

man to fear and be fascinated by the infinite being.

27
General Conclusion

Man as an embodied spirit is in the journey of finding meaning in his life. As he

is journeying, he also finds the reality of himself as good. Man is developing his sense

if goodness within himself. Man also finds the reality of beauty through the world. Man

is able to realize this sense of care and respect towards others and the environment.

Man also journeys towards knowledge. By the responsibility to know being man

becomes knowledgeable about being. Man also finds reality and unity towards his

faith. He is able to experience this union with God. As a human person, the experience

if God is a special experience that can value.

At the end of the day, philosophy helps man de be developed in his unique self

with the unique others. Man in the community experiences belongingness. Philosophy

is the search for the ultimate meaning. Man must search that meaning with all his

capabilities. Man must realize that it is important to know this meaning.

28
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