INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON to men who have a good sense of judgement, deliberate well

LESSON 1: WHAT IS THE GOAL OF PHILOSOPHY and choose the right decisions.
2. PHILOSOPHICAL WISDOM - to be considered wise, the
"All men by nature desire to know. An indication of this is the principles acting as the basis of our judgements and opinions
delight we take in our senses: for even apart from their should also be true. To know the truth and make the right
usefulness they are loved for themselves; and above all decision, a intuition person needs good intuition and
others the sense of sight." judgement.
- Aristotle, Metaphysics
PHILOSOPHY BEGINS WITH WONDER
THE MEANING OF PHILOSOPHY A philosopher is a lover of wisdom, and to love wisdom is to
• Etymologically, "philosophy" has a two-fold meaning from see its value and realize one's lack of it. One does not desire
the Greek words philo, meaning something that he or she already possesses, but rather, one
"to love" and sophia, "meaning wisdom". desires something they want to possess.
• "Love of wisdom" remains the goal of philosophy.
SOCRATES
APPROACHES IN PHILOSOPHY * One of the founders of western philosophy.
1. SCIENTIFIC APPROACH- Philosophical approach is * He did not write anything, but his life and philosophical
systematic; it is an ordered body of learning as any other activity in Athens is largely known to us through the writings
resources. of his students Plato and Xenophon.
2. NATURAL LIGHT OF REASON- Philosophy uses one's * Considering himself as the gadfly of Athens, he often
natural capacity to think or observe the world and people. quizzed important figures of Athenian political life on matters
3. STUDY OF ALL THINGS- This sets the distinction between of moral philosophy and gained himself the following of
philosophy and other sciences. All other sciences concern many Athenian youths.
themselves with a particular object of investigation, but * He was convicted of impiety and corrupting the youth of
philosophy is multidimensional or holistic. A thinker is not Athens and subsequently sentenced to death by drinking
bounded to a specific object of inquiry. He or she probes hemlock.
almost everything.
THE SOCRATIC METHOD
FIRST CAUSE OR HIGHEST PRINCIPLE IN PHILOSOPHY * it aims to make a person dissatisfied with what he knows
1. PRINCIPLE OF IDENTITY - it means that a thing, idea, or and disturbed with questions that cause them to see the
person always has a name, a concept, and a characteristic for inconsistencies in their own beliefs. The goal is to make one
that thing to exist. hungry for genuine understanding.
2. PRINCIPLE OF NON-CONTRADICTION - it denies that a * a method of Socrates, a process compared to the giving
thing can be and not be at the same time. birth of knowledge which characterized by a series
3. PRINCIPLE OF EXCLUDED MIDDLE - everything must either questioning.
be or not be; there is no middle ground conceivable.
4. PRINCIPLE OF SUFFICIENT REASON - nothing happens Lesson 2: What are the Branches of Philosophy?
without a sufficient reason for its being and existence.
Five Branches of Philosophy
EMPTYING *each branch should not be conceived independently of the
* suspending one's judgement and conclusion about a matter other since they overlap and intersect
and mentally exploring the pros and cons, the characteristics, *the distinction serves to demonstrate the different faces of
and the purpose of an idea or situation philosophy
* pushing ourselves to not be affected by our personal biases
and stereotypes so we can make an objective and fair Aesthetics
assessment of things *is the branch of philosophy that deals with beauty, art, and
* means simplicity and humility the nature of value judgments
*it comes from the Greek word aisthetikos, which translates
Philosophy as the Pursuit of Wisdom to “perception” and is also referred to as the philosophy of
art because it is mainly concerned with how we judge
ARISTOTLE appearances, art forms, and beauty.
* One of the great philosophers of Ancient Greece
* A student of Plato, he eventually found himself disagreeing IMPORTANCE OF AESTHETICS
with many of his teacher's doctrines and founded his own *It vitalizes our knowledge.
school of thought, the Lyceums in Athens. *It helps us to live more genuinely and completely
* He thought to have written around 200 philosophical works *It brings us in touch with our culture.
that includes Organon, Rhetoric, Metaphysics, Nicomachean
Ethics and Politics among others. Metaphysics
*is the branch of philosophy that deals with being and reality
TWO FORMS OF WISDOM *the face of philosophy that aims to go beyond physical and
1. PRACTICAL WISDOM - is marked by the skill in calculation into the very reality of physical objects around us
and evaluation of consequences, a capacity to choose the *it comes from the Greek words meta, which means “after”
means that would lead to good ends. this form is attributed or “beyond,” and phusika, which refers to “nature”
*is derived from the title of Aristotle’s work, ‘Ta meta ta MAIN POSITIONS OF ETHICS
Phusika’, a compilation of fourteen books that tackles the Natural Law or Divine – What principles guide humanity
first cause of things (where things came from) and the toward happiness and ultimate destiny?
eternal things beyond physical
Teleological Theory – What are the consequences that
ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE - PLATO emphasize pleasure?
*A reflection that distinguishes between appearance and “What is good for the greatest number of people is the best
reality. For Plato, there are two worlds: the world of choice and the moral choice”.
appearances and the real world. Plato argued that opinion is
the lowest realm of knowledge; one can still know some kind Deontological Ethics (Duty Ethics or Kantianism) – What is
of truth. my moral duty?
*In the illusion in the cave, the person who can reach the -Immanuel Kant, author of this ethical theory that may also
highest level of knowledge is a prisoner who was freed. For be known as his categorical imperative, yielded unqualified
Bertrand Rusell (2004), the world of appearances is not absolutes (Pojman 2006).
completely false. This world is based on our senses: sight, -This means that a person is bound to duty and does not
touch, taste, smell and so on. focus on what a person thinks or feels about that situation.
*Plato argues that there must be an ideal world above and
beyond this world of appearances. Our sensory world has a Virtue Ethics – What does it mean to live a good life beyond
multitude of possibilities and differences material want?
-Socrates, Plato and Aristotle are some of the proponents of
Epistemology this theory.
*is the branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of -This ethical theory ignores the consequences, duties, and
knowledge, its justification, and certitude social contracts. Instead, it focuses on character development
*it is also concerned with the production and source of of individuals and their acquisition of good virtue ethics
knowledge, whether from experiences, reason, intuition, (Tavani 2011).
*it comes from the two Greek words episteme, which means
knowledge, and logos which roughly translates to 'word' or Relativism – What does my culture or society think is
'reason' acceptable?
“When in Rome, do as Romans do” is a view of ethical
TWO PARTS OF HUMAN KNOWLEDGE relativism that actions are morally right within a particular
-Induction – general ideas are formed from the examination society when they are approved by law, custom, or other
of particular facts. conventions of the society.
Empiricism – a view that knowledge can be attained only
through sense experience. According to Empiricists, real For Socrates, to be happy, a person must concentrate on the
knowledge is based on what our sight , hearing, smell, and goodness of the soul.
other senses tell us is really out there, not what people make
up in their heads. Based on facts and evidence that we can
see and perceive the world.

-Deduction – it is more important to find a general law

according to which particular facts can be understood or
judged.
Pragmatism – the meaning and truth of an idea are tested by
its practical consequences.

Logic
*is the branch of philosophy that is concerned with
argumentation, or the avenues by which we express and infer
truths
*it deals with our reason behind accepting a belief or
statement—whether they are true, valid, or justified
*it comes from the Greek word logos which means “word,”
“reason,” “speech,” or “discourse"

Ethics
*is the branch of philosophy that is concerned with the
question of how people bought to act in order to live a good
life
*it is also called moral philosophy as it deals with the
principles of morality, the idea of goodness, and the good life
*it comes from the Greek word ethos, which means “custom”
or “habit”