Philo 01: Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person

USC – SHS North Campus

A. Y. 2021 - 2022

1.1 WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?

I. What will you learn from this module?

After studying this module, you will be able to:

-distinguish a holistic perspective from a partial point of view;
-realize the value of doing philosophy in obtaining a broad perspective in life; and
-do a philosophical reflection on a concrete situation from a holistic perspective.

II. Let’s Check What You Already Know

The folktale of "The Blind Men and

Elephant" teaches intercultural
awareness by illustrating how different
perspectives lead to distinct points of
view.

ACTIVITY:

Take a close look at the illustration and analyze how it could be related to philosophy.
Answer the following questions briefly. Follow the numbered format for your answers.

Questions:

1. What do the people see?

2. Why do you think they see differently even if they are touching the same animal?
3. What does the elephant stand for?
4. How do you relate the picture with life in general?
5. Can you relate the message of the picture with philosophy? How?

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 Philo 01: Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person

USC – SHS North Campus

A. Y. 2021 - 2022

III. Let´s Explore

I. What is Philosophy?

1. When we look at the word 'philosophy,' we can start answering the question by
analyzing or dissecting the word itself. Philosophy comes from the Greek words
Philos (love, lover of, friend of) and Sophia (wisdom). Hence, a philosopher is a friend
of wisdom.

2. Another way of answering the question can generally be found in seeing it as an

activity of questioning that attempts to seek what are the ultimate
causes/reasons/principles of everything that can be thought or known using only
human reason.

3. As a discipline, it is over 2,600 years old. The very first questions that we can
consider philosophical about natural processes (what was as close to science during
their time) that are still with us recorded can be traced back to Thales of Miletus (624
- 546 BC) when he tried to identify the substance by which all things were composed.
He rationalized that the principle of all things (ex. like how we view atoms making up
our universe) was water. This means that philosophical thinking has been around for
more than 2,600 years and is still continuing today with us as of this writing. So, what
is philosophy? In short, it is the starting point of the sciences, and later, it's extension.

II. How does one philosophize?

4. For one, we have been doing philosophy even before joining our first Philosophy
class. We are natural thinkers. We, humans, Aristotle said, “desire to know.” Whether
for good or for bad, our biases reveal that we judge -- if not discriminate -- what is out
there as either true or false, pretty or ugly, desirable or undesirable.

5. Although we have been philosophical even before joining a philosophy class, this
does not mean that we do not need to take a philosophy class. Being in a philosophy
class enhances what we naturally have. For example, doubt is a natural activity, but
philosophy teaches us that furthering our doubting activity amounts to nothing

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 Philo 01: Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person

USC – SHS North Campus

A. Y. 2021 - 2022

because doubting for the sake of doubting is already knowing for sure that one is
doubting. We naturally love what is good, whatever it is we find to be good. But
philosophy encourages us to search for the similarities and differences of what
makes a book, a chair, or a person “good”. Philosophy does not stop in knowing a
part. It demands to know a part in relation to its whole. (Funny thing to know that
Hole, Whole, and Holy share the same root.)

III. Why should I philosophize at all?

6. So why should I philosophize? Doing philosophy in a classroom setting provides an

appreciation of looking into things as holistically as possible. It is not enough for us to
count -- so to speak -- using our fingers, which, in Latin, translates to digitus.
Philosophy encourages us to look beyond the digital and the fragile without
dismissing them to be irrelevant. A Philosophy class like what we have now allows us
to see the whole forest without ever abandoning a single tree.

IV. Having Philosophies

7. The first word we associate with the term "philosophy" for Filipinos is the word,
pilosopo. A pilosopo is seen as a smart aleck, someone who tries to be clever, or
someone who thinks outside the box. When we say that we have a philosophy it is
not the same as being a philosopher. We start with what it means to have a
philosophy. To have a philosophy is to have a general guideline on how to live. It can
take the shape of a motto or point of view to understand the world around us and tell
us what is the correct way to live.

8. Having a philosophy can also mean having a general guideline about a specific
activity or an aspect of life. Just like having a cooking philosophy, having a gaming
philosophy, and having a philosophy of romance. To have a philosophy is to have a
rational idea or system of rational ideas that can explain the existence of the world,
show you the right way to live and pursue your life goals, and guide you to make
morally correct choices.

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 Philo 01: Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person

USC – SHS North Campus

A. Y. 2021 - 2022

Questions to Ponder:
1. What is your hobby and what is your philosophy of it?
2. What idea that you agree with (yours or not) would explain the universe and you in it?
3. What guiding motto summarizes your moral philosophy?

V. Being Philosophical

9. The problem with having a philosophy is that sometimes the idea you have may not
be profound enough to make it truly "philosophical." Being philosophical has
something more to do with a certain way of thinking. Hence, being philosophical is
different from having a personal code of conduct or an exclusive point of view.

10. For example, the ancient Greek Athenian Philosopher Socrates (470–399 BC) was
considered to be the wisest of the city not because of what he knew i.e. having
thoughts (scientia), but because he was a man who "knows that he does not know"
i.e. he thought a certain way.

11. When we are being philosophical we examine the object of thought (whether it is an
idea/system of ideas or physical object) carefully and as a result, we are able to
explain why we think about it in a particular way.

12. In being philosophical we think about things that we hold to be certain. We also
examine the reasons why we think the way we do about things, why we have the
points of view that we have, and why we think it is true and real. Although
philosophical questions might seem to be the kind of questions children ask, note that
a properly examined question will never have a final answer. Being philosophical
means continuing to explore other ways of thinking about, asking, and answering
these questions which do not have a definite answer.

13. Being philosophical can be defined as our continuing quest to refine and reevaluate
the assumptions or social environment has given us; those ideas or ways of thinking
that thinkers have taken for granted as true, or even commonsensical, or as proven.
A philosopher is one who has the courage and will to think outside of the box or those
who refuse to give ready, expected answers.

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 Philo 01: Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person

USC – SHS North Campus

A. Y. 2021 - 2022

14. To philosophize means we make the questions ours (even if we did not create it)
and enter its history. In a way, we participate in an ancient and shared responsibility
that concerns the destiny of human thought. To philosophize means we are willing to
see and accept that there is still uncertainty and things still unknown in the midst of
accepted certainties. This ultimately means that what matters more than getting
answers in philosophizing is asking questions that ultimately point to how and why
we think about anything at all.

Questions to Ponder:
1. It is said that "a little learning is a dangerous thing." Do you agree? Why or why not?
2. Can being philosophical be synonymous with the phrase "learning is a lifelong
process." Do you agree? Why or why not?
3. "With great power comes great responsibility." If being able to think is power, what
then is the thinker responsible for?

VI. The Activity of Philosophy

15. Philosophy is an activity that requires skills to learn and training to hone. Philosophy
is the activity of thinking about thinking. There are many ways of thinking and many
directions toward the target of thought. Philosophy and being philosophical involve
questions that entertain various possibilities, various meanings, and other ways of
thinking about things. One learns the skill of considering many points of view, which
may be similar, contrary, or different from one another.

16. When we try to understand things from different points of view on a philosophical
level, we are attempting to join a particular part of the conversation that has been
around for many, many years, and try – if we are honest and careful in our attempt –
to contribute our own ways of seeing the issue.

17. Philosophizing is (really) a human activity; you will participate as a part of the
timeless, universal idea of mankind, asking questions about your own self, your own

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 Philo 01: Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person

USC – SHS North Campus

A. Y. 2021 - 2022

situations, and your own way of life. The hope is that you will have a mind that can
seek and appreciate a sense of wonder about the world and everything in it.

18. The activity of philosophizing is usually done by yourself but it can be done with
others too. Philosophizing doesn't need to happen after taking a course, and in fact,
everyone already has a philosophy or philosophizes regardless if they know it or not.
However, if you want to philosophize well and generate a thought that can bring birth
to new insights to enrich your life and those of others, this will require training, an
openness to explore different perspectives, and having the courage to face
these new ideas. The ability to reflect and explore such perspectives does not need
to be contained in the academe but it ought to eventually be applicable wherever you
go on your journey through life whether it is at work or at home. One must never be
satisfied with the answers he or she has acquired, but to continue one's questioning.
To use the words of Karl Jaspers about philosophy: “…questions are more essential
than [its] answers, and every answer becomes a new question.”

Questions to Ponder:
1. What do you think is the ultimate target of proper philosophic thought?
2. Why is it okay for philosophers that they will never find an end to thinking?
3. What do you think is the principle why only humans can philosophize?

IV. References
Calano, PhD, M. J. T., Pasco, PhD Cand., M. O. D., & Ramoya, PhD Cand., M. C. B.
(2017). Philosophizing and Being Human: A textbook for Senior High School. Sibs
Publishing House, Inc.

Stumpf, Samuel Enoch & Fieser J (2008). Socrates to Sartre and Beyond: A History of
Philosophy. Mc Graw Hill, Inc.

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