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Doing Philosophy: Unit 1: Philospohy and The Philosophy of The Human Person

This document provides an overview of philosophy and doing philosophy. It defines philosophy as the love of wisdom and the study of beings through human reason alone. Doing philosophy involves engaging in reflective thinking on problems and situations from a holistic perspective. It helps develop skills like critical thinking and allows one to make better decisions. Doing philosophy provides a broad perspective on life and influences how one views challenges.

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Chello Ann Pelaez Asuncion
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76 views

Doing Philosophy: Unit 1: Philospohy and The Philosophy of The Human Person

This document provides an overview of philosophy and doing philosophy. It defines philosophy as the love of wisdom and the study of beings through human reason alone. Doing philosophy involves engaging in reflective thinking on problems and situations from a holistic perspective. It helps develop skills like critical thinking and allows one to make better decisions. Doing philosophy provides a broad perspective on life and influences how one views challenges.

Uploaded by

Chello Ann Pelaez Asuncion
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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UNIT 1: PHILOSPOHY AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE

HUMAN PERSON
MODULE 1.
DOING PHILOSOPHY
LEARNING OUTCOME(S):
At the end of the lesson, the learner is able to:
 Distinguish a holistic perspective from a partial point of view
 Do a philosophical reflection on a concrete situation from a holistic perspective
 Realize the value of doing philosophy in obtaining a broad perspective on life
CONTENT STANDARD
 The learner understands the meaning and process of doing philosophy
PERFORMANCE STANDARD
 The learner reflects on a concrete experience in a philosophical way

ACTIVITY: PictoReality
Direction: Relate each picture in human person

A Lighted Candle Innocent Child An Eagle Pilosopo Tasyo

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DISCUSSION

What Is Philosophy?
Philosophy, particularly Western philosophy, comes from the two Greek
words philia, which means “love” and sophia, “wisdom”. Thus, etymologically speaking,
philosophy means the love of wisdom.
As is well known, love in this context is understood as a strong desire for a
particular object; while wisdom is understood as a correct application of knowledge.
Thus, philosophy as the love of wisdom, at least in this context, could refer to the strong
desire of the human person to possess knowledge and apply it correctly. It’s not a
coincidence, therefore, that most philosophers in the Ancient World, particularly in
Greece, India, and China were sages or wise men. Think for example of Socrates,
Gautama Buddha, Confucius, and Lao Tzu.

Traditionally, however, philosophy is defined as a science that studies


beings in their ultimate causes, reasons, and principles through the aid of human
reason alone. And when we speak of “being” or “beings” in philosophy in this context,
we mean all things that exist, material or immaterial. An example of beings is “stones”,
“trees”, “persons”, “cars”, air, water; and the notions of “God”, “soul”, “spirit”. All of these
are beings, and philosophy studies their ultimate causes, reason, and principles through
the aid of reason alone.

In other words, philosophy is concerned with the reason and principles that
account for everything that exists. Thus, some of the basic questions in philosophy are:

 What is the origin of the world, of everything that exists?


 Why do these things exist, rather than not exist at all?
 Is there God? If so, how can we justify the goodness of God in the face of evil?
 What is the meaning and purpose of life? Why do we have to suffer?
 If one is suffering from an unbearable pain, such as cancer, is it morally right to
resort to euthanasia or assisted suicide?

These are just some of the questions that philosophy attempted to address. And
in doing so, philosophy uses reason as a tool, which can be expressed in many forms,
such as the ability to reflect, question, articulate one’s thought, and analyze certain
phenomenon or event. In short, philosophy attempts to understand things in a critical
and logical manner.

It is important to note, however, that philosophers do not agree on a single


definition of philosophy. In fact, philosophers differ in their basic understanding of
philosophy. For example, Karl Jaspers, a famous German existential philosopher,
understands philosophy as a discipline in which questions are more important than
answers because answers themselves will, in turn, become questions.

The Perspectives of Philosophy of Human Nature

Holistic Perspective Partial Perspective


 Looks at all aspects of the given  Looks at only a limited number of
problem or situation aspects of the given problem or
 All aspects are given importance situation
when making conclusions.  Conclusions are made on considering
 All aspects are tied in together to form some but not all, sides of the problem
a general overview of the problem or or situation
situation
Example:
Example: A teacher scolds student A after Student
A teacher listens first to both stories of B accused him of stealing her pencil
her two arguing students before making case. However, the teacher only listened
any conclusion about the issue to the story of student B, and not to
student A, before deciding to scold the
students

Philosophical Reflection

This is the process by which a person undergoes a reflective state or evaluates


his or her experiences first before making any related action. The use of philosophical
reflection is important as it enables thought to be looked into using a deeper, holistic
perspective. In effect, actions are directed towards greater sources of wisdom and truth.

Human Activities and Emanating Concrete Situation from a Holistic Perspective


The human person is a unique individual different from the rest. He is in charge of
his own life, his intellect, freewill and possessing dignity.
But the human person must accept that he is not alone in this world. As a social
and political being he is oriented towards other people and needs their company.
Hence, he must relate himself in three ways:
1. He relates himself to others
2. He relates himself to society and the world
3. He related himself to the environment
The human person begins his relation at birth and continues throughout life. In the
process, the human person becomes a social person, for example, a recognize Filipino.
As a social person he relates himself with significant people-parent, peers, friends,
teacher and associates, among others. Some of the behaviors and values of these
people are accepted, adopted and internalized and form part of his personality and
character. The human person learns through listening, observing and imitating.
Meaning and Process of Doing Philosophy
Doing philosophy means engaging oneself in “matters of utility” and methodologies
to eliminate any practical problem or abstract idea.
In the process of doing philosophy, it is critical to have a holistic point of view- the
perception of looking at all aspects of a situation first before making a conclusion. Some
other skills involved in doing philosophy are critical, logical and analytical thinking,
observation and communicative skills.
Values of Doing Philosophy
1. Doing philosophy can be applied in day-to-day activities and life perspectives.
Because it involves an evaluative process, doing philosophy allows a person to
make better decision and act accordingly to situations with the help of various
philosophical skills

2. Doing philosophy enables reflective thinking which greatly influences a person’s


view of life, challenges, and relationship. Doing Philosophy directs how a person
will perceive these factors in life and how they will have faced.

3. Doing philosophy, a holistic perfective on the subject is always required. Failure


to do so or only using a partial perspective may lead to illogical or incorrect
conclusions.

4. Doing philosophy helps person to develop the ability to form opinions and beliefs.
He thinks, evaluate and decides what could be “better or best” for him

5. Doing philosophy helps the person to be creative. By being creative he develops


a philosophical perspective on problems, issues and concerns that is unique and
distinctive. He engages his life on a deeper level to give meaning to it.

EVALUATION/ REFLECTION
1. Distinguish holistic perspective from a partial point of view. Give concrete example.

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2. Can everyone be a philosopher? Explain your answer

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3. What is the most important value of the philosophy of the human person to you?
Justify your answer.

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4. Based on your training and experiences what is “certain” in life to you? Support
your answer

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_____________________________________________________________________________________

5. What does this statement means? “The way you see your life shapes your life”

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References:
Ariola, Mariano M, EdD. Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person. Unlimited
Books Library Services & Publishing Inc. 2016.
Joven, Jose. Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person. Books atbp.
Publishing Corp. 2016

Prepared by:

JEANETTE A. ESPINAS, LPT


SHS Teacher

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