DISCLAIMER: This module contains informations from varied sources from the author.

Dissemination of this module will

be subject to plagiarism and punishable by law. Author will not be held liable of such a matter.

Student Name:

Teacher: FRANCES R. BAUTISTA

Strand/Year/Schedule: HUMSS/G12/
OF THE HUMAN PERSON
MODULE WEEK 1

Date Checked:
Date Received:

Date Submitted:
INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY
 Author’s Note

The spirit of modern philosophy is an outburst of discovery. Rationalism (175 th Century) and empiricism (18th)
Century both relied on human discoveries such as world, of thought, and of humanity in all sorts of conditions.
Knowledge, however, was male-dominated. Mary Wollstonecraft envisioned an education for women. In her work, A
Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792), Wollstonecraft believed that women were to be more that just wives and
caretakers; they were to educate children, and to act not as slaves to their husbands, but as companions (Rifkin 2009).

As technology enters the larger conversation of humanity, the senior high school students (young as they are)
should understand that education is more than just simply browsing the Internet. Education also emphasizes the concept of
progress, which asserts that human beings are capable of improving and perfecting their constantly changing
environment.

In this vein, this book is one of the first steps toward a clearer and more effective analysis of the K-12 curriculum
of the Philippine Education System. It underpins the dignity of the human person, the “burden” of being human and the
meaning of life. In this age of globalization, this module promotes not just interaction and interdependence between actors
and groups but a genuine dialog or conversation between them.

Also, the contents of this module will make clear that “philosophers” are not strange human beings, with interests
and ambitions alien to the rest of humankind. Rather, they are lovers of wisdom who reflect and critically bring to light
and examine the largest and widest implications of the life of all human beings.

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 Table of Contents

Contents

Author’s Note ………………………………………………………………………….... i

Curriculum Information………………………………………………………………..…ii

UNIT ONE

Lesson 1: Pursuing Wisdom and Facing Challenges in the Twenty –First

Century ……………………………………………………………..………….1

1. Introduction: Doing Philosophy ………………………………………1

1.1. The meaning of Philosophy………………………….…..…1-2

1.2. The Branches of Philosophy…………………………..…....2-3

1.3. Why become a Philosopher?

On attaining a comprehensive outlook in Life…………..…4-5

Exercises ……………………………………………………….…5

Evaluation ………………………………………………………... 6

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 Curriculum Information
Education Type K-12
Grade Level Grade 12
Learning Area INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON
Content/Topic UNDERSTANDING OF THE MEANING AND PROCESS OF DOING
PHILOSOPHY
Intended Users Learners
Competencies 1. To distinguish a holistic perspective from a partial point of view.
2. To realize the value of doing philosophy in obtaining a broad
perspective on life
3. To do philosophical reflection on a concrete situation from holistic
perspective.
Copyright Information
Developer Christine Carmela R. Ramos , Ph.D
Copyright Philippine Copyright 2016
Copyright Owner Rex Bookstore Inc.
Conditions of Use Educational Materials

Unit 1

1st quarter: The meaning and method doing philosophy in relation to the human person as an embodied being in the
world and the environment.

Content standard: Understanding the meaning and process of doing philosophy of the human person as an embodied
being in the world and the environment as a means towards a holistic understanding of life.

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 Pursuing Wisdom and Facing Challenges in the Twenty-First Century
Objectives:

1. To distinguish a holistic perspective from a partial point of view.

2. To realize the value of doing philosophy in obtaining a broad perspective on life
3. To do philosophical reflection on a concrete situation from holistic perspective.

Sensitivity check:

1. Look at the image. What do you think is the message express (3pts)________________
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2. Brainstorming: What virtues do you value most? Wisdom ? Honesty? Open-mindedness? Beauty? Why? (3pts)
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3. What is “Holism”? Explain. (3 pts)____________________________________________________________

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1. INTRODUCTION: DOING PHILOSOPHY

One of the key elements in many educational reforms is diversity, difference, and choice or other proposals that
establish separate curricular routes for different groups or individuals.
Diversity- it is the difference that makes each person unique (ex. Biology, ethnicity and culture, family beliefs geography,
experiences, and religion.) Sometimes, we have difficulty in accepting others because they are different from us. Yet,
such behavior can limit a person’s opportunities or can make the person feel excluded. Educational challenge in the 21st
century entails how to deal appropriately with cultural and racial multiplicity and that one does not engage in harassment
of any form (Kurcinka 2006).

1.1. The meaning of Philosophy

PHILOSOPHY – comes from two (2) Greek words.
PHILO- “TO LOVE” & SOPHIA “WISDOM”
Philosophy originally meant, “Love of Wisdom” and in broad sense, Wisdom is still the goal of philosophy. (Meaning our
wisdom is important specially in doing philosophy). Another definition of Philosophy to be considered.

a. SCIENCE- it called science because the investigation is systematic. It follows certain steps or it employs
certain procedures. In other words, it is an organized body of knowledge just like any other sciences.
b. NATURAL LIGHT OF REASON – Philosophy investigates things, not by using any other laboratory or
investigates tools, neither on the basis of supernatural revelation, otherwise it becomes theology; instead , the
philosopher uses his natural capacity to think or simply, human reason alone or the so- called
UNAIDED(independently)reason.
c. STUDY OF ALL THINGS- This sets the distinction between philosophy from other science, thus all other
sciences concern themselves with a particular object of investigation (ex. Anthropologist study of human beings
in relation with society, sociologist study of society, theologians investigates God etc.); whereas , a philosopher
studies human being, society, language , God and plants , among other concern.

The reason is that philosophy is not dimensional or partial. In short, a philosopher does not limit himself to a
particular object of inquiry. HE QUESTIONS ALMOST ANYTHING, IF NOT EVERYTHING. IT IS
MULTIDIMENSIONAL OR HOLISTIC.

d. FIRST CAUSE or HIGHEST PRINCIPLE. A principle is that from which something proceeds in any
manner whatsoever.

 Principle of identity- whatever is is; and whatever is not is not; everything is what it is. Everything is its
own being, and not being is not being.
 Principle of Non- Contradiction – it is impossible for a thing to be and not be at the same time and at the
same respect.
 Principle of Excluded Middle – a thing is either is or is not; everything must be either be or not be;
between being and not –being , there is no middle ground possible.
 Principle of Sufficient Reason – nothing exits without as sufficient reason for its being and existence.
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In attaining wisdom, there is a need of emptying. Emptying can be intellectual. For instance, Taoist consider an empty cup
for useful than a full one. This means simplicity and humanity.

Activity 1:

Answer the following. (3 pts. Each)

1. Cite examples of how philosophy can be a Principle of Sufficient Reason and Principle of Non – Contradiction.
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2. What is the importance of Philosophy in our daily life?
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1.2 THE BRANCHES OF PHILOSPHY

a. Metaphysics – is really only an extension of a fundamental and necessary drive in every human being to know
what is real. The question is how to account for this unreal thing in terms of what you can accept as real. Thus, a very big
part of the metaphysician’s task is to explain that part of our experience, which we call unreal in terms of what we call
real.

Plato, Socrates’ most famous student, is a good example of a metaphysician who draws the sharpest possible
contrast between reality and appearance. Nothing we experience in the physical world with our five senses is real,
according to Plato. Reality, in fact, is just the opposite. It is unchanging, eternal, immaterial, and can be detected only by
the intellect. Plato calls these realities as ideas of forms. These are meanings which universal, general terms refer to, and
they are also those things we are talking about when we discuss moral, mathematics, and scientific ideals.

(Box 1) Reflections, Meditations, and Conversations that Rocked the World:

By What Values Shall I Live in the World?
Plato

This leads up to the famous simile of the cave or den. According to which, those who are destitute of philosophy
may be compared to prisoners in a cave who are only able to look in one direction because they are bound and who have the
fire behind them and the wall in front. Between them and the wall, there is nothing; all that they see are shadows of
themselves and of objects behind them casted on the wall by the light of the fire. Inevitably, they regard these shadows as
real and have no notion of the objects to which they are due (Price 2000). At last, a man succeeds in escaping from the cave
to the light of the sun; for the first time, he sees real things, and becomes aware that he had hitherto been deceived by
shadows. He is the sort of philosopher who is fit to become a guardian; he will feel it is his duty to those who were formerly
his fellow prisoners to go down again into the cave, instruct them as to the sun of truth and show them the way up.

However, he will have difficulty in persuading them, because coming out of the sunlight, he will see shadows
clearly than they do and will seem to them stupider than before his escape.

Plato seeks to explain the difference between clear intellectual vision and the confused vision of sense perception by
an analogy from the sense of sight. Sight, he says, differs from the other senses, since it requires not only the eye and the
object, but also light. We clearly see objects on which the sun shines; in twilight, we see confusedly; and in pitch-darkness,
not at all. Now the world of ideas is what we see when the sun illumines the object; while the world of passing things is a
confused twilight world. The eye is compared to the soul, and the sun, as the source of light to truth or goodness (Mitchell
2011).

b. Ethics – how do we tell good from evil or right from wrong? Ethics is the branch of philosophy that explores the nature
of moral virtue and evaluates human actions.

Ethics is generally a study of the nature of moral judgments. Philosophical ethics attempts to provide an account
of our fundamental ethical ideas.

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 (Box 2) Reflections, Meditations, and Conversations that Rocked the World:
What Constitutes a Human Person?

Plato Socrates Aristotle

For Socrates, to be happy, a person has to live a virtuous life. Virtue is not something to be taught or acquired
through education, but rather, it is merely an awakening of the seeds of good deeds that lay dormant in the mind and
heart of a person. Knowing what is in the mind and heart of a human being is achieved through self-knowledge. Thus,
knowledge does not mean only theoretical or speculative, but a practical one. Practical knowledge means that one does
not only know the rules of right living, but one lives them.

Hence, for Socrates, true knowledge means wisdom, which in turn, means virtue. The Greek word arête, which
we translate as virtue, seems originally to have been associated with valor in battle and may be connected with the
name of the Greek God of war, Ares, whom we know better under his Roman name, Mars. Both the Greek word arête
and its English equivalent, virtue, have connotations of machismo and manliness. So, when Socrates came to define
virtue, he thought of courage as one of its prime components and he came up with the proposition that courage,
therefore, as virtue is also knowledge.

c. Epistemology- Specifically, epistemology deals with nature, sources, limitations and validity of knowledge (Soccio
2007). Epistemological questions are basic to all other philosophical inquiries. Epistemology explains (1) how we know
what we claim to know; (2) how we can find out what we wish to know; and (3) how we can differentiate truth from
falsehood. Epistemology addresses varied problems; the reliability, extent, and kinds of knowledge; truth; language; and
science and scientific knowledge.

d. Logic – reasoning is the concern of the logician. This could be reasoning in science and medicine, in ethics and law, in
politics and commerce, in sports and games, and in the mundane affairs of everyday living. Varied kinds of reasoning may
be used, and all are of interest to the logician.

The term “LOGIC” comes from the Greek word “LOGIKE” and was coined by Zeno, the Stoic (c.340-265BC).
Etymologically, it means a treatise on matters pertaining to the human thought. It is important to underpin that logic does
not provide us knowledge of the world directly, for logic is considered as a tool, and, therefore, does not contribute
directly to the content of our thoughts. Logic is not interested in what we know regarding certain subjects. Its concern,
rather, is the truth or the validity of our arguments regarding such objects.

e. Aesthetics – when humanity had learned to make something that is useful to them, they begin to plan and dream how to
make it beautiful. What therefore is beauty? The establishment of criteria of beauty is the function of aesthetics.

Aesthetics is the science of the beautiful in its various manifestations including the sublime, comic, tragic,
pathetic, and ugly. To aesthetics, therefore, means whatever experience has relevance to whether the experience is that of
the creative artist or of appreciation. As a branch of philosophy, students should consider the importance of aesthetics
because of the following:

 It vitalizes our knowledge. It makes our knowledge of the world alive and useful. We go through our days picking
up a principle as fact, here and there, and too infrequently see how they are related.
 It helps us to live more deeply and richly. A work of art - whether a book, a piece of music, painting, or a
television show - helps us to rise from purely physical existence into the realm of intellect and the spirit.
 It brings us touch with the culture. Things about us change so rapidly today that we forget how much we owe to
the past. We cannot shut ourselves off form the past any more that we can shut ourselves off geographically from
the rest of the world.

Activity 2:
Essay: (3 pts each)
1. Give your own interpretation of Plato’s Cave. (Refer to the box 1 in page 4)
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2. How do you define “happiness”? Do you support the view of Socrates: “To become happy, a person must live a
virtuous life? Explain. . (Refer to the box 2 in page 4)
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1.3. Why become a Philosopher? On attaining a comprehensive outlook in Life

Knowing that we have a lot of key elements in educational reform, we have also various viewpoints of the
philosophy: THE WESTERN AND NON-WESTERN, with emphasis on our very own Filipino indigenous beliefs and
finally, going beyond the logical and the technological imperative of existence.

A. Expanding Our Philosophical Frames: Western and Non- Western Traditions

a.1 Three (3) great original Centers in the Philosophy

 Greek (or Western)
 Indian
 Chinese

a.2 Three Greek triumvirate

 Socrates
 Plato
 Aristotle
B. Filipino Thinking: From Local to Global
It may sound presumptuous o speak of “Filipino Thought” for the reason that the Philippines could not
very well speak of tradition such that China, India and Greco- Roman. Yet, for Filipino there has to be “Filipino
Thought” or none at all.
Like other people, the Filipino must have eventually take consciousness of his own particular life and his
world.
Filipino do have their own Philosophy. The Three (3) Dimensions of Filipino thought are: Loob,
Filipino Philosophy of Time, and Bahala Na. These attitudes and values constitutes the hidden springs of the
Filipino mind.

1. Loob: Holistic and Interior Dimensions

Kagandahang –loob , kabutihang- loob, and Kalooban are terms that show sharing of one’s self to others.
Loob put one in touch with fellow beings. Filipino believes in the innate goodness of the human being.
the Filipino who stresses duties over rights , has plenty in common with his oriental neighbor such as
Chinese and the Indian.

In short, the Filipino as individual looks at himself as holistic from the interior dimension under the
principle of harmony. The Filipino looks himself as a self , as a total whole- as a “A Person”, conscious of
his freedom, proud of his human dignity , and sensitive to the violation of these two (Mercado 2000).

2. Filipino Philosophy of Time

A human being is like a bird who flies up and goes down -proves that he believes in the gulong ng palad
(literally, “wheel of fortune”) and hence, looks at life as a series of ups and downs (Timberza 1992). This
philosophy of life makes the Filipino an unmitigated optimist. When the so-called wheel of life is on the
downtrend, he looks to the future with hope because life’s wheel cannot stay down forever. When one
weeps, one will surely smile. the Filipino looks upon every event, fortunate or unfortunate, as fleeting or
transitory.

Time is considered cyclic. Gulong ng palad nonetheless blends well with foreign philosophical ideas in
the Asian region. It approaches karma of the Indians and yang and yin thought of the Chinese.
Pakikisama, on the other hand, is close to the Chinese and Japanese philosophy of “living in harmony
with nature”.

Filipino Time is mistakenly interpreted as always delayed in the committed time of arrival. This notion
can be misleading since the Filipino farmers are early risers to go to their field and waste no time for
work. The concept of “siesta time” or “power naps” is also important for Filipino culture that must not be
necessarily considered negative.

3. Bahala Na

The pre-Spanish Filipino people believed in a Supreme Being, Batula or Bathala. The Filipino
subconsciously accepts the bahala na attitude as a part of life. Bahala na literally means to leave
everything to God who is Bathala in the vernacular. The bahala na philosophy puts complete trust in the
Divine Providence; it contains the element of resignation. Thus, the Filipino accepts beforehand whatever
the outcome of his problem might be (Mercado 2000).

Bahala na (come what may) nonetheless, is one of the most outstanding Filipino virtues. It is in one
aspect perceived as courage to take risks. For instance, it could be accounted that not only poverty but
also because of bahala na why millions of Filipinos are working abroad in complicated and high-risk

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 environment and places. From war-torn to besiege countries, Filipinos will risk their lives just to be able
to support their families back home.

4. Filipino Thought and Values: Positive and Negative Aspects

Reciprocating debts of gratitude between coordinates and subordinates holds the whole group together-
superordinate and subordinate (utang na loob). The Filipino gives great value to endurance and hard work
as means to economic self-sufficiency. In this vein, we should stress other positive values such as
bayanihan or helping others in times of need. Bayanihan is another moving spirit of the Filipino people.

C. PHILOSOPHY: TRANSCENDING AND AIMING FOR A LIFE OF ABUNDANCE

Abundance comes from the Latin term, “abundare” (Aguilar 2010) meaning, “to overflow nonstop”. Abundance
is out flowing than incoming. It is not about amassing material things or people but our relationship with others,
ourselves, and with nature. (Aguilar 2010) asserts that our very life belongs to God.

Abundance is not what we gather but what we scatter.

Often, abundance is equated with materialism, but it is when we raise our empty hands and surrender,
when we do not grab, when we are unattached to anything or anyone, when we offer oneself-all these are
abundance. Only if we have empty hands can we receive full blessings.

Abundance is not what we keep but what we give away.

To live an abundant life, one must pursue one’s desires and inner self. One must go after what fulfills,
before making more money. It is truly paradoxical because to be able to have, we must first let go. To be able to
acquire, we must first control ourselves.

Abundance is not what we hold but what we share.

Undoubtedly, money counts in our globalized society. However, (Aguilar 2010) reminds us that money
should not matter much, for every moment is a blessing, even if one does not have money. Abundance comes to
the one who has money and heart, money and values, money and relationships, money and deeper happiness. the
author agrees with Aguilar’s claim that abundance is more than our ambitions; there are more precious things
such as people that matter.

Abundance is a choice.

The author also realized that in pursuing her dreams, there are people who can be negative regarding her
efforts and successes. Negative thoughts, emotions and people should be avoided. As we aspire for our dreams,
we should try our best to be positive in our thoughts, motives, and efforts. A friend once said that when we look
down, we only see our misfortunes but when we look up, we realize that we are more fortunate than others.

Abundance is to evolve into a higher being.

It becomes clear that the concept of abundance covers both external and internal life. We cannot truly live
without material considerations, but external are not all there are; values, for instance, matter. As we are
bombarded by negative people and moods, it becomes our choice to adopt an abundant disposition

EXERCISES

Identification: Answer the following questions and write on the space provided.

1. Which branch of philosophy deals with arguments? ________________________

2. Which branch of philosophy evaluates human actions? _____________________
3. Etymologically, what does philo mean? __________________________
4. ”Virtual Reality vs. The Real Thing” is under which branch of philosophy? _____________
5. Which branch of philosophy that deals with nature, sources, limitations and validity of knowledge?
Nos. 6-8. Who consist the Greek triumvirate?
6. ________________
7. ________________
8. _________________
Nos. 9-11. Three (3) Dimensions of Filipino thought.
9. ________________
10. _______________
11. _______________
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EVALUATION:

Essay (3 pts. each)

1. Define Philosophy in your own. Explain what is unique about philosophical thought.
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2. Do you think philosophy is important in the age of globalization? Why or why not?

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3. As a student, how can you live a life of abundance? Give example

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