On The Unique Qualities of Man

Mingo, Daniel J.
BS Architecture 4-2
On the Unique Qualities of Man
Self-consciousness, freedom of choice, ethical discrimination, ability to think and to

generalize, worship of a Higher Power, and the search for meaning are some of the said unique
qualities of man.
Self-consciousness is the reason why man is aware of what he looks like, what he is
doing, and what he is feeling. For these reason, self-consciousness is the basis of personal and
social responsibility. Self, I believe, is an abstract thing unlike the corporeal state of a man but
also a way too different from soul. Self, in my thought, is the general term for a being which
composed of the physical body, the soul, and the mind. It refers to the whole idea of what a
human being is.
Freedom of choice is the ability of man to decide and choose among many things.
However, some says illusion is the freedom of choice. Fatalism explains that we have no choice
but to accept what it happening in our life. It is already predetermined and no one can change it.
It is said that every occurrence happens because of the power of fate. Almost the same with
Fatalism is the Predestination. It argues that God created beforehand what will happen to us, to
the world, to everything. We have no choice but to accept the predestined events of our life made
by God. Determinism also concludes that we have no options to choose from. It is the causes and
effects that governs our destiny. It states that we may not be aware but what is happening now is
not our choice but an effect of what we did before. Conversely to the above theories, there is one
that proves that there is really a freedom of choice. It is said that man, being a self-conscious
being, has the ability to think on its own thus can choose a life that he wants to. Man can make
his own destiny.
Mans ability to determine what is right and what is wrong is the ethical discrimination.
Since the essence of life is basically self-preservation in which we protect our human existence
and avoid what would jeopardize us, this concept is the same as the law of survival. From the
definition of ethical discrimination, there arises several ethical theories. Formalism explains that
a moral decision depends on maxims expressed by our reasons. Utilitarianism teaches that a
morally made decision or act is the one that will make everyone happy and contented; the act
should benefit the majority. Legalism says that an act should refer to set of standards that are
prefabricated. These rules are not just guide but rules to be followed. Contrary to Legalism,
Situationalism argues that an act should be decided on a case-to-case basis. Every situation is
different from the other so they need different approaches and not a standards of rules.
We acquire knowledge by means of the information our senses has sensed and
differentiated by our perceptive skills and later conceptualized by our brain. There are some
theories that explains how do we really acquire knowledge. Empiricism claims that knowledge
can only be acquired through experience. True knowledge should be based on our sensory
experiences and if not, then the knowledge is unjustifiable. Rationalism, however, argues that not
the sensory experience but the reason is the foundation of knowledge. It is the intellectual
capacity of man that produces the information from the sensed data. Lastly, Intuitionism states
that knowledge is cannot be sensed or thought but felt. It is said that the ultimate knowledge
lies beyond our senses and minds.
Not all knowledge is true. For this reason, the following theories are created. The
Correspondence Theory states that there is an autonomous truth out of our mind and if a
statement corresponds to that truth therefore the statement is considered to be true. The
Coherence Theory holds that knowledge can be considered true if it does not opposes with the
laws of logic. The Pragmatic Theory argues that an idea is true if it works. This theory relies on
the usefulness, workability and expediency of an idea for it to be deliberated as truth. The
Marxist Theory says that knowledge is considered to be true if it contributes to the social change
and if not then it is worthless.
Worship of a Higher Power can be traced back to the ancient civilization. It is due to the
fact that humans do not have the intelligence to know everything and ability to regulate the
forces of nature that man searched for or created a Higher Being that will save and guide them in
the course of their life. Being in fear of what will happen to the world in the future, man tend to
lean on Someone Who is stronger than them. Over the time, their belief leads to the concept of
religion where people practice rituals, say a prayer, sing chants, and so on. There are the so-
called Great Religions having vast believers. In this modern world full of chaos, these Great
Religions have the greatest potential to save and bring back peace to the world only they take
aside their culture and tradition and talk to each other. Great Religions have the greatest ability to
unite the mankind and live in harmony with each other, with nature, and with God.

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Mingo, Daniel J.

On the Unique Qualities of Man

Self-consciousness, freedom of choice, ethical discrimination, ability to think and to

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