Antonio Caso has had a huge impact on the world with his numerous writings and philosophical ideas. He went against his peers who held positivism in such high esteem; his passion for truth compelled him to want a deeper meaning to life and why we exist. During his time here on earth he brought to light that we as humans are more than a biological process. That we are more than just physical we are also intellectual, psychological and spiritual. These very thoughts are what compelled him come up with the three levels of being: thing, individual and person.
Antonio Caso was born in Mexico City School of Jurisprudence School of Advanced Studies
Caso’s most important work was done on metaphysical spiritualism, which went against the popular belief that science governs everything and that we as humans are merely reduced to a biological level. Caso stated to this accepted thought, “living processes have a unique character that cannot be reduced to the terms of physics and chemistry but stimulates and directs the material vehicle.” ( Edwards, 44) Simply put, Caso states that we as humans go beyond nature. (Gonzalez, class notes) Man in its self, is superior, intellectual and moral, has consciousness, and is aware of his/ her place in this world regarding space and time. (Gonzalez, class notes) In actuality, Caso was contending with positivism which stated we are all the same despite our differences because biology says so. (Gonzalez, class notes) Positivism states in essence, that there is no right or wrong. To which Caso states you cannot just reduce man to biology; there are many things that make up a human being such as consciousness, spirituality, intellectuality and personality. (Gonzalez, class notes) The right or wrong issues depend on spirituality, morals and culture again much more than science could ever account for. The totality of man should be studied not just the fact that we are living breathing organisms that are derived from cells. (Gonzalez, class notes)
To go against his predecessors, Caso formed what is referred to as three levels of being, which consist of thing, individual and person. (Gracia, 43) First level of being is thing: what does it mean to be a thing? A thing is defined as a mere physical object, deficient in unity, no internal dimension, not alive, are divisible, and are not subjects of value. (Edwards, 44, Gonzalez, class notes, Gracia, 43) “If one moves from this lower level of being to that immediately above it, a fundamental difference appears that mediates between the physical world and the realm of organic matter.” (Gracia, 43) The next level of being is that of an individual. An individual are living beings that are indivisible, however, because of the fact individuals are merely living they can be substituted for one another. (Edwards, 44) It is true for this level that the positivists would start to say to themselves “you see… biology”. Although, yes it is true at this point in Caso’s level of being that he is saying that being an individual also consists of nutrition to keep it alive, growth, reproduction, and death. After all, it is a living being but he is also saying that man is the most perfected of all organisms. (Edwards, 44 & Gracia, 44) “This obvious superiority does not stem from his biological nature, but from his intellectual and moral superiority.” (Gracia, 44) Man can be thought of as a biological individuals, in a sense, but even more than that he is a person, which connects to the last level of being. This level of being a person; is by far more detailed than the previous two. A person is defined, “a living being, the composite of characteristics that make up an individual personality.” (Webster’s Dictionary) How does a person come out of an individual? Man as an individual takes on unity, identity, continuity and is the only “animal” with social ability. (Gracia, 44) To come up with a more concise definition a person has both mental and bodily characteristics. (Philosophy Dictionary) A person realizes that it has life and therefore is an individual. (Gonzalez, class notes) A person also comes to the realization that life is precious and is to be cherished; this quality is not shared by any other species. (Gonzalez, class notes) On the same thought of life being special; a person is aware of time and space which ultimately will leave its mark on history, a legacy left behind for others to follow. (Garcia, 44 & Gonzalez, class notes) To go a bit deeper a person is able to make decisions, to decide what is good or not good pertaining to many situations. (Gonzalez, class notes) This means transcendence can occur, meaning a person has the ability to reject or accept something due to his or her higher understanding of the world around them. (Gonzalez, class notes) Transcendence will become necessary if the person wants to become an individual to individuals, meaning they want to be a leader instead of settling for what the collective is doing. (Gonzalez, class notes) To be a pioneer, to live life that would best suit the person not what others tell them to do. An excellent analogy is a leaf in the wind, the person who wants to step out of conformity says: I don’t want to be a mere leaf in the wind and “float” around in society. (Gonzalez, class notes) A person has the ability to think a head and to see a projected future; from this ability a person can determine how they want their life to go, for example: education and career goals. (Gonzalez, class notes) A person has the ability to be differential, that is, to look at ones self as being good or bad, which is also known as self esteem. In order to have self esteem, one must have purpose in their life to create a self image. (Gonzalez, class notes) This goes along with the idea of being able to set attainable goals which will in turn create meaning and a reason to live. (Gonzalez, class notes) Self esteem is a direct reflection of a persons self worth also known as self reflection, which is unique for each individual. (Gonzalez, class notes)
“Person is a sui generic essence that rests on the mode of being characteristic of each subject and is also unique in it’s being. Personality then is the world of irreducible spiritual being. The universal in personality is its un-substitutability, the uniqueness of its existence.” (Gracia, 45)
In order to know the personality, a person must be able to self reflect. (Gonzalez, class notes)
“The highest level is personality…. “the etymology of the word its self refers to “what is underneath”. The person is not what is underneath, but what is above all human personality…. The human person is the highest level of being.” (Gracia, 44)
Aside from man being a psychological creature he is also a spiritual being. (Gracia, 44) “He is a creator of values”. (Garcia, 44) Values are defined “relative to social and personal preferences such as attitudes, likes, dislikes, feelings, predispositions conditioned by ones environment and culture.” (Dictionary of Philosophy) Culture is the continuing of society where values come together. (Gonzalez, class notes) The objective of the culture is to work towards a utopia. (Gonzalez, class notes) In general, a society will hold values that will be for the betterment of the community. For example, do not murder; it is better for everyone: the person whom will be killed will live, the family of the supposed victim will not endure the loss of the loved one and the supposed murderer will not spend time in jail. Finally, we have the ability to love others. Love is commonly understood as a spiritual action in which one: cares, shows loyalty, sacrifice, and devotion for another individual. (Dictionary of Philosophy) However, it can also be confused as charity. Charity can be good in it’s self when you are not calling attention to yourself; otherwise, it becomes a thing for show. This demeans love to merely looking good on the outside. (Gonzalez, class notes)
“Humanity has forgotten love. It no longer thinks of works of charity, but works of egoism. Social distribution is the universal preoccupation, because love, which would give it’s all if it were asked, is confused in the consciousness of our contemporaries.” (Garcia, 46)
A higher understanding is achieved when a person is able to step back and realize what he or she is missing; then and only then does transcendence occur. (Gonzalez, class notes) If it is real love it does not come from socialism. That is, love does not come from show which is only from a higher level of being. (Gonzalez, class notes)
In conclusion, Caso’s three levels of being puts up a good argument against positivisms push towards everything being explained by science, which reduces man to a level that is just merely existence without meaning and purpose. A thing is a being without unity and internal dimension. An individual is one step above a thing; in that, it has life and can be replaced. A person is the highest level of being which cannot be replaced. It is the appreciation of life, moral dimensions, higher understanding, vision for the future, it is spiritual, intellectual, it has personality and it has morals.
All of these attributes are only seen in humans, as it stands today, scientists cannot figure out where a single thought comes from. Therefore, biology cannot represent a human life accurately. It is a mere piece of the puzzle but not the totality.
Works Cited:
1) Latin American Philosophy in the Twentieth Century
Edited by Gracia, Jorge
Prometheus Books, New York
2) The Harper Collins Dictionary of Philosophy
Written by: Angeles, Peter
Harper Perennial, New York
3) Class Notes- Gonzalez, Pedro
Transcribed by: Depue, Amie
4) The Encyclopedia of Philosophy
Edited by: Paul Edwards
Macmillan Publishing Co Inc & The Free Press, London , New York
5) Webster’s II New College Dictionary
Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston , New York
Copy right: 2001.
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