What is Man?

1. The world tends to view man in one of two idolatrous ways.

a. Materialism sees man as composed of nothing more than material
components. His intellectual, emotional, and spiritual aspects are nothing
but products of his material nature acting according to the rules of physics
and biology.
Implications:
i. Man is not responsible for his behavior. The environment is to
blame for unacceptable behavior. (Leads to emphasis on social
programs, big government)
ii. Man is not distinguishable from the other material of creation.
Therefore, he has no dignity or inherent worth. Animals (or even
plants) have the same inherent worth as people.
iii. Man's identity is not in any way related to God. Therefore, man is in
some sense ultimate, which is idolatrous.
b. Idealism sees man as essentially a spiritual being, and his physical body
is foreign to his essence. The body is nothing but a shell for the spirit or
the intellect.
Implications:
i. Man's body is neglected.
ii. Deeds done in the body do not pollute the essence of the person.
iii. Male/female identity is a biological accident.
c. The Christian view holds these two aspects - the material and the spiritual
- together in perfect harmony. But the Christian view goes beyond that.
MAN AS A BIOLOGICAL BEING
A man is a bipedal primates belonging to the mammalian species Homo sapiens. a man
is a living organism who from birth is destined to die, man has exited as a species for
over 50, 000 years. As biological creatures, they still retain a close genetic connection
with the animal world. Man's organism has many features in common with the higher
animals.

MAN AS A PSYCHO-BEING
Travelbee describes man as a unique, irreplaceable individual, a one time being in
thisworld.
Characteristics of Man:
1.Alike yet unalike.
2.Shows limited and unlimited nature.
3.Creature of contradiction.
4.Rational being yet irrational at times.
5.Maturity with core of immaturity.

MAN AS A SOCIAL BEING
Capable of relating with others
From birth, he is endowed to know, to like, to love and to respond to andappreciate the
uniqueness of others.

As a psychosocial being, man is a complex and highly developed mammal with a big
brain, full of needs, wants, thoughts, hormones, and instincts.

MAN AS A SPIRITUAL BEING
The spirit of man gives him life to his human body. Without the spirit, man doesnot know
the reason for his existence on this earth.
Mans Spiritual Nature:
Intellect: It allows man to look for truth. It gives him the ability to perceive his
surroundings or the forces within or outside him. It helps himunderstand the meaning of
events as they relate to him and to his lovedones.
Will: It expresses mans own wishes, desires or longing to do what he hasset his mind
to do. It gives him the power of conscious and deliberateaction or self-control in
initiating, sustaining or terminating human activity.

APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF MAN
1.Atomistic Approach
Views man as an organism composed of different organ systems, eachsystem
composed of organs and each organ composed of tissue cells.
2.Holistic Approach
Views man as a whole organism with interrelated and interdependent partsfunctioning
to produce behavior unacceptable or acceptable to him or society.
IMPORTANCE: Atomistic and Holistic approaches are useful in the planning of care
of the individual during illness or in its prevention.