Catanduanes State University

College of Arts and Sciences

SOCIAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
Virac, Catanduanes
 UNIT 1: GENERAL INTRODUCTION

UNDERSTANDING PHILOSOPHY IN A BIGGER PICTURE

Learning Outcomes:
Discuss and explain the meaning and process of philosophy;
Utilize philosophy as essentially a personal and communal activity;
Compare schematically the four major branches of philosophy;
Understand ethics both as a study and activity.

Introduction:
Every person has the capacity to find the value of philosophy in their own life.
However, without a formal introduction to the discipline, we may not be aware that we are
engaging in philosophy.
This unit provides an introduction to the study of philosophy and ethics. This lesson
will explain the basic philosophical concepts and questions that are personally meaningful to
you. Moreover, this unit shows why ethics can provide useful tools for clarifying arguments,
understanding a range of viewpoints in a debate, and justifying one’s own ethical positions
clearly. Key conceptual frameworks and some key terms are introduced and explained as well.

A. The Origin of Philosophy:

Human beings want to know the truth and understand the world for there are so
many things we have not figured out. We wonder about many things including the system of
universe, mystery of human experience, and the existence of Supreme Being. Thus, we wonder
about things that puzzle us.

According to Socrates “wonder is the only beginning of philosophy.” Aristotle, in

response to Socrates, said that “it is because of wonder that men began to philosophize.” This
is precisely the basis of the claim that philosophy begins in wonder (Llewelyn, 2001).

But what kind of wonder is this? This wonder includes the feeling of surprise with
admiration. We are curious on how a new gadget works, but we may wonder whether one can
live without the new gadget. But this is not enough. Wonder as the beginning of philosophy is
precisely “philosophic wonder” that is, the feeling of being puzzled. For example, the ancient
Greek philosophers were puzzled about the origin and nature of the world. As Aristotle stated:

“For men were first led to study philosophy, as indeed they are today, by wonder. Now, he
who is perplexed and wonders believes himself to be ignorant…they took to philosophy to
escape ignorance”

In this sense, philosophic wonder seeks clarity by trying to understand the confusion
within the questioning mind. In other words, philosophic wonder seeks answers to make sense
of the mysterious world. Thus, when one begins to make sense of the questions regarding,
for example, the origin of the world, or the meaning and purpose of life, one begins to
philosophize. Thus, in philosophic wonder, one is not amazed by the mysteriousness of the
world or of life, but seeks to understand this mystery.
 It is commonly believed that philosophy was originated in Miletus (the richest and
the most powerful of all the Ionian cities, and was the first center of scholarship in ancient
Greece.) Thales was the first philosopher because he was the first, at least in recorded
history, to put his philosophy into writing. In fact, we find in Thales, and many philosophers
after him, some reasoned arguments for the origin and development of the world. Indeed, this
is a unique feature of ancient Greek philosophy that distinguishes it from the pre-philosophical
rumblings of other cultures. To reiterate, Western philosophy begins in wonder, and that
the origin of philosophy in terms of place is said to be in Miletus, Ionia.

B. The Nature of Philosophy

Etymologically, the word Philosophy comes from the Greek words philo meaning
“love” and sophia meaning “wisdom”.
Thus, Philosophy means “love of wisdom”. It was Pythagoras (580-500 BC), a Greek
mathematician and philosopher, who coined the word “love of wisdom” or Philosophy. Thus,
a philosopher is a lover of wisdom. Wisdom connotes knowledge directed to the basic concerns
of existence. Wisdom in philosophy helps us think more clearly, precisely, and systematically.
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 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 wise men (Socrates, Gautama Buddha,
Confucius, and Lao Tzu.)

Technically, Philosophy is the science of beings/all things in their ultimate reasons,

causes, and principles acquired by the human reason alone.

Based from the above statement, we can identify elements in the definition of
philosophy. “It is a science”. Okasha, mention that philosophy is a science because it is a
systematic body of knowledge which is not only based on opinions, hypothesis and
theories, but on ideal knowledge.

“Being”- Artigas (1990) the term being denotes everything that exists or may exist,
everything knowable. “Being” or “beings” in philosophy means all things that exist,
material or immaterial.

Material beings - “stones”, “trees”, “persons”, “cars”, air, water; and the

Immaterial beings - 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.

It is also considered as the mother of all sciences because of its vast scope and subject
matter. It aims to know the “ultimate cause”. Villasoto (2013), philosophy asks and answers
not only facts and immediate causes but also the deepest causes of things. Its task is to give
answers not only to the question “what” but most importantly to the question “why”.
 “Philosophy relies in the aid of human intellect alone”. Meaning philosophy uses
natural reason alone and not divine revelation. The natural reason is the product of one’s
own thinking and not of imagination or fantasy (Meer, Hualda, & & Bamba, 2004).

In other words, philosophy is concerned with the ultimate reasons and principles
for everything that exists. Thus, some of the 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. 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.

C. Major Branches of Philosophy

Philosophy is divided into four major branches: Metaphysics, Epistemology, Logic

and Ethics.
The 1st major branch of philosophy is Metaphysics.

Metaphysics came from the Greek words meta, - means “beyond” and physika, - means
“physic”. Thus, metaphysics means “beyond physics”. Hence, metaphysics means the study
of things beyond the physical, that is, concepts or things that cannot be experienced, such
as the concepts of God, freedom, and soul (Inductivo, 2013). Metaphysics is understood as
the foundation of philosophy and Aristotle calls it the “first philosophy”.

Ontology derived from the Greek words onto, which means “being” or “that which
is”, everything that exists; and logos, which means “knowledge” or “study”. Therefore,
Ontology is the branch of philosophy that studies beings in their ultimate causes, reasons,
and principles through reason alone. In other words, Ontology studies the first principles or
the essence of all things (Artigas, 1990).

Some of the basic questions in ontology are:

What is being?
Why do things exist, rather than not exist at all?
What is the meaning and nature of reality?
What is the underlying principle of all that exist?
Is there nothing?

Cosmology, from the Greek words kosmos, which means the “world” and logos,
meaning “study”. It is the branch of philosophy that studies the world (or universe),
including its origin, dynamics, and characteristics, as well as the laws that govern its order
(Artigas, 1990).
Some of the basic questions in cosmology are:

What is the origin of the world?

What is the basic material of which the world is formed?
How do things arise?
In what consists it’s (the world) fundamental form or principle of order?
Is the world or universe infinite?

Psychology comes from the Greek words psyche, which means “soul” or “mind”
and logos, “study”. Thus, psychology is the branch of philosophy that studies the soul or
mind. Likewise, it’s the study of the nature and dynamics of the human person with emphasis
on the way the person’s mind functions and the way a person behaves (Artigas, 1990).

Some of the questions in psychology are:

What is the nature of the human person?

Is there such thing as human nature?
What is the meaning and purpose, if any, of life?
Is there life after death?
How do we account for the existence of sufferings in the world?

Theodicy (Natural theology) is derived from the Greek word theos, which means God.
Theodicy is the study of God, as far as human reason can reach. Specifically, it is concerned
with the justification of the goodness of God in the existence of evil in the world (Artigas,
1990).

Some of the questions in theodicy are:

Is there God?
What and who is God, if He exists at all?
How do we prove the existence of God?
If God exists, how do we justify the existence of evil and suffering in the world?
Does a belief in God really necessary?

The second major branch of philosophy is Epistemology.

Epistemology came from the Greek words episteme, which means knowledge, and
logos which means study. It is formally defined as the study of the nature and scope of
knowledge and justified belief. Specifically, it analyzes the nature of knowledge and how
it relates to similar notions, such as truth, belief, and justification. (Meer, Hualda, & &
Bamba, 2004)

Some of the basic questions in epistemology are:

What is knowledge?
What do we know?
How is knowledge acquired?
What is the structures and limits of knowledge?
What makes justified beliefs justified?
The third major branch of philosophy is Logic.

Logic comes from the Greek word logos – meaning “word” or “discourse”. Logic
has different meanings. It is defined as the science of correct thinking or the study of the
principles and criteria of a valid argument. More specifically, logic attempts to distinguish
sound or good reasoning from unsound or bad reasoning. (Villasoto, Dollantas, &
Limqueco, 2013).

Some of the basic questions in logic are:

What is correct reasoning?

What distinguishes a good argument from a bad one?
How can we detect a fallacy in an argument?
What are the criteria for determining the validity of an argument?
What are the types of logic?