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Module 2.1 - Methods of Philosophizing

The document discusses epistemology, the study of the nature and scope of knowledge. It provides an overview of key concepts in epistemology including empiricism, rationalism, and the process of acquiring knowledge through perception, concepts, propositions, and inference. The purpose of epistemology is to show how knowledge can be acquired and to determine if acquired knowledge is true. It also distinguishes between truth, which is based on facts, and opinion, which is based on emotions and open to interpretation.

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Ralph Ryan Too
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16 views

Module 2.1 - Methods of Philosophizing

The document discusses epistemology, the study of the nature and scope of knowledge. It provides an overview of key concepts in epistemology including empiricism, rationalism, and the process of acquiring knowledge through perception, concepts, propositions, and inference. The purpose of epistemology is to show how knowledge can be acquired and to determine if acquired knowledge is true. It also distinguishes between truth, which is based on facts, and opinion, which is based on emotions and open to interpretation.

Uploaded by

Ralph Ryan Too
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Methods of

Philosophizing
Lesson 2
Christmas Night
On Christmas Day a woman looked up at the night sky and
spoke:
"Eventually the night will end, and morning will come.
Wouldn't it be wonderful if, after the sun sinks and it becomes
night once more, it could be Christmas again?"
The man replied: "Okay, I'll make your dream come true."

Is this possible? How?


Christmas Night
Yes, it is possible.

12:00am (midnight)
6:00am (morning)
12:00pm (noon)
6:00pm (night)
Have you ever experienced believing in
something you thought is true but in the end you
discovered that it is false?
According to philosophy if you want to know the
truth you have to use, not your emotions, but your
thinking ability.

But sometimes, what we perceive or believe as true


may be far from the truth itself.

Sometimes we need guidance to straighten our


thoughts.
Epistemology
 Study of the nature and scope of knowledge.
 Human beings are rational animals.
 Knowledge enabled man to survive, prosper and
reach the present level of our civilization.
Purpose of Epistemology
1. To show how we can acquire knowledge.
2. To give us a method of demonstrating whether the
knowledge we acquired is really knowledge (i.e.,
true).
How do we acquire knowledge?
Empiricism
 We acquire knowledge through our sensory experience.

Proponents:

John Locke George Berkley David Hume


How do we acquire knowledge?
Rationalism
 We acquire knowledge with the use of our minds
(rational faculty).

Proponents:

Rene Descartes Baruch Spinoza Gottfried


Wilhelm Liebniz
Process of Acquiring Knowledge
1. Reality
 To know is to know something.
 If nothing exists, knowledge is impossible.
 This “something” is what philosophers call reality,
existence, being.
 "Existence" - it is everything that we can perceive (animals,
plants, humans, objects) and everything in our heads
(thoughts and emotions).
Process of Acquiring Knowledge
2. Perception
 Our first and only contact with reality is through our senses.
 Knowledge begins with perceptual knowledge.
 At first our senses give us knowledge of things or entities:
Dog, Cat, Chair, Table, Man.
 Then we become aware of certain aspects of things like
qualities, quantities, etc.
Process of Acquiring Knowledge
3. Concept
 After we perceive things we begin to notice that some of the
things we perceive are similar to other things.
Male Asian
Doctor
Caucasian
Man Engineer
Black
Student
Living Female
Organism Bulldog
Dog Poodle Pitbull
Animal Persian
Cat Siamese
Oriental
Process of Acquiring Knowledge
4. Proposition
 A statement that expresses either an assertion or a denial
that an existent being belongs to a class or possesses a certain
attribute.

"Men are mortals" Affirmative Proposition


"Men are not mortals" Negative Proposition
Process of Acquiring Knowledge
5. Inference
 How do we demonstrate if a statement is true?
 By providing an argument/evidence.

Proposition 1: All men are mortals


Proposition 2: Socrates is a man
Conclusion: Therefore, Socrates is mortal
Truth Opinion
Based on the facts of  Based on emotions
reality  Cannot be confirmed
Can be confirmed with  Open to interpretation
other sources
 Inherently biased
Independent of one’s
interpretation, preferences
and biases

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