MODULE 5

HUMAN FLOURISHING

5.1 Introduction

Every living creature is meant to become what is meant to be. The caterpillar is meant
to become a beautiful butterfly; a small seed into a full-grown herb, bush or tree; and a human
baby into a mature person, the person “who is fully alive, the glory of God” in the words of St.
Irenaeus (Corpuz, 2015).

5.2 Learning Outcomes

At the end of this section, you should be able to:

1. define human flourishing;
2. differentiate western and eastern philosophy about human flourishing; and
3. cite the importance of Human flourishing.

5.3 Introduction

Every living creature is meant to become what is meant to be. The caterpillar is meant to
become a beautiful butterfly; a small seed into a full-growth herb, bush or tree; and a human
baby into a mature person, the person “who is fully alive, the glory of God” in the words of St.
Irenaeus (Corpus, 2015).

As we grow and develop, there are different factors that affect us; questions that need to be
answered; and, steps and actions that need to be undertaken. Flourishing is the highest good
of human attempt to achieve his/her goal. It is a success as a human being when he/she
achieved it for the betterment of his/her life. The best life is one of excellent human activity.
“Eudaimonia” literally “good spirited” is a term connected by renowned Greek Philosopher
Aristotle (385-323 BC) to describe the peak of human’s happiness that can be attained. The
big question is “How?”. How will you achieve your flourishing?
5.4 Lesson 1 Define Human Flourishing

Human flourishing is 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 efforts. In the
Theory of Sequential Development or Theory of Hierarchy of Needs, Abraham Maslow (1908-
1970) dealt on self-actualization (self-fulfillment, reaching one’s potential to the fullest,
creativeness and appreciation of beauty and symmetry) as the last level of man’s motivation
(Ariola, 2009).

Human flourishing encompasses the uniqueness, dignity, diversity, freedom, happiness, and
holistic well-being of the individual within the larger family community and population.
Achieving human flourishing is a lifelong existential journey of hopes, achievement, regrets,
losses, illness, suffering, and coping.

According to Anthony Bradley, in an article on the World Magazine writes: ‘an emphasis on
human flourishing, ours and others, becomes important because it is characterized by holistic
concern for the spiritual, moral, physical, economic, material, political, psychological, and
social context necessary for human beings to live according to their design.”

This idea of human flourishing is important to Christians today. In the Old Testament, the
concept of flourishing is best described by the Jewish word shalom which signifies a number
of things.

According to Kenneth W. Watcher of the University of California, human well-being (human

flourishing) however, consists in a much broader range of states and outcomes including
mental and physical health, happiness, and life satisfaction, meaning and purpose, character
and virtual and close social relationship.

5.5 Lesson 2 Aristotle’s Human Flourishing

Aristotle’s human flourishing arises as a product of different factors such as phronesis,

friendship, wealth and power. The Ancient Greek society believed that for the people to
achieve the true meaning of happiness, these qualities should be acquired, which in effect
allow them to join in the greater notion of what we call the “Good”.

For Aristotle, the good is what is good for the purposeful and goal-directed entities. He defines
the good proper to human beings as the activities in which the life functions specific to human
beings are most fully realized. A person’s nature as a human being provides him with guidance
with respect to how he should live his life. A fundamental fact of human nature is the existence
of individual human being each with his own rational mind and the will. The highest or most
general good which all individuals should aim is to live happily, successfully, and well. This is
done through the active exercise of a person’s distinctive capacity, rationality, as he/she
engages in activities to the degree appropriate to the person in the context of his/her own
identity as a human being.

In his ethical writings, Aristotle endorses egoism, rationality, and the value of life. He insisted
that the key idea in ethics is a human individual’s own personal happiness and well-being.
Each person is responsible for his/her own character. According to Aristotle, each person has
a natural obligation to achieve, become, and make something of himself/herself by pursuing
his/her true end and goals in life. Each person should be concerned with the “best that is within
him/her” and with the most accomplished and self-sufficient success and excellence.

5.6 Lesson 3 Development of Human Flourishing

People found means to live more comfortably, explore more places, develop more products,
and make more money, and then the cycle is just repeating to suffice their happiness. In the
beginning, early people relied on animals for their transportation; they relied on stones and
spears to hunt food; they used skin of animals to protect their skin and used it as clothes; they
used stones to make fire and lastly, they just lived in a cave as their shelter. As time went by,
there was a big change in the way the people lived before and the way the people live today.
Development allowed them to make grander and more sophisticated machines to aid them in
their endeavors that eventually led to space explorations, medicine innovations and ventures
of life after death. Our concept of human flourishing today proves to be different from what
Aristotle originally perceived. Humans of today are expected to become a “man of the world”.
The person today is supposed to build himself/herself in a global neighborhood, working side
by side among institutions and different governments to be able to reach common goal.
Competition as a means of survival has become outdated; cooperation and coordination
among individuals are the new trend.

There is a difference between eastern and western ideas regarding society and human
flourishing. The Western Society where Aristotle is included tends to be more focused on the
individual, while those from the East are more community-centric. Individual flourishing as an
end is primarily more of a concern for western civilization. Eastern civilization puts the
community above the individual. Community is given the highest regard and that the individual
should sacrifice himself for the sake of society.

5.7 Lesson 4 The Human Flourshing in Terms of Science &

Technology

Due to the rapid advances of science and technology in today’s contemporary world, there
are questions being raised about human life, human flourishing, human suffering, and death.
One ticklish question is: How should we live and die in this 21st century when almost everything
is under the control of the digital age? There are questions at this time when science and
technology shape our conceptions of what it means to be human.

The human person had become a global character because of the intersection of science and
technology. S&T cut across material, cultural, and religious boundaries.

The human person and the human body are divine gifts deserving of unconditional respect. In
both the Catholic and Muslim view, God endowed human beings with reason as means to
communicate with one another, to strive after truth, and to care for His creation. Science and
technology are recognized as positive in principle but can also, like human enterprises, serve
evil ends.

5.8 Lesson 5 Human Flourshing Versus the Progress of Science

& Technology
Science and technology and theology are key elements that contribute to human flourishing.
Science (or scientia), in its broader sense encompasses the whole range of human
knowledge. New scientific and spiritual information enable human flourishing to have a “better
way of life for all human”.

The whole range of science and technology examine one or more f the following aspects of
human flourishing:

a. the structure of the physical world in which we live

b. the nature of human identity and human mystical experiences
c. character formation in adverse circumstances
d. relationship between scriptures and modern scientific knowledge
e. notion or purpose of biology