Introduction to the

Philosophy of the
Human Person
Lesson 6
Learning Competencies
● Evaluate opinions

Essential Questions
Why is it important to evaluate opinions?
Guide Questions:
1.Give your insights of the opinion stated above.
2.Do you with the statement?
Write your answers in your notebook.
Activity 1
Direction: Base from the given example of Socratic Method of Philosophizing, arrive to a
truth statement of the exercise below. Write your answer on the blue box.
Socratic Method of Identifying Truth
STEPS Example Exercise
1- Give an initial definition of a “A table is a four legged furniture” “Freedom is the ability of the
thing or concept human person to do whatever
2 – Look for characteristics not “Is the table a cow?” she wants to do”
captured in the initial definition “Am I really free to kill my enemy
3- Give a new definition “A table is a four legged furniture, simply because I hate him”?
made up of wood, and has a flat No, I cannot kill anybody I want to
surface.” kill.
Truth:
4 – Repeat the process by Truth: “A table is a four-legged
___________________________
looking into its “essence” or furniture, made up of wood, and
___________________________
“purpose”. has a flat surface and primarily
used for dining or putting things
on it.”

Write your answers in your notebook.

Activity 2
Read the Type of Fallacies below and identify the given argument what type they belong. Write your answers in
the space provided before the corresponding item.

A fallacy is a defect in an argument other than its having a false premises.

Types of Fallacies by Robert D. Abella
Types of Fallacies Characteristics Examples
Ad hominem Attacking the person “These soldiers who fought
presenting the argument in the war are all
instead of the argument bloodthirsty murderers!”
itself.
Appeal to force Using the threat of force or “If the peace agreement will
an undesirable event to not be signed by the
advance the argument government, then we will
have no recourse but to go
to war”
Activity 2
Read the Type of Fallacies below and identify the given argument what type they belong. Write your answers in
the space provided before the corresponding item.

A fallacy is a defect in an argument other than its having a false premises.

Types of Fallacies by Robert D. Abella
Types of Fallacies Characteristics Examples
Appeal to the popular The idea is presented as “Marriage should be between a
acceptable because a lot of man and a woman. It has been
people accept it so for a long time in this
country; it should remain so
today and, in the future,”
Appeal to emotion Using emotions such as pity or “All these charges are baseless;
sympathy this is just plain harassment –
can’t you see how this affecting
my family”
Activity 2
Read the Type of Fallacies below and identify the given argument what type they belong. Write your answers in
the space provided before the corresponding item.

A fallacy is a defect in an argument other than its having a false premises.

Types of Fallacies by Robert D. Abella
Types of Fallacies Characteristics Examples
Fallacy of Division Assuming that what is true “You come from a family of
for the whole is true for its doctors and intellectuals!
parts Surely you can do better in
this course”
Begging the question Assuming the thing or idea “I have a right to free
to be proven is true; also speech; therefore, you
known as “circular cannot stop me from
argument” talking”
Activity 2
Read the Type of Fallacies below and identify the given argument what type they belong. Write your answers in
the space provided before the corresponding item.

A fallacy is a defect in an argument other than its having a false premises.

Types of Fallacies by Robert D. Abella
Types of Fallacies Characteristics Examples
Cause and Effect Assuming a “cause-and “Ever since you bought that
effect” relationship between sweater, everything has
unrelated events. been going wrong in your
life. You should get rid of it”.
Fallacy of Composition Assuming that what is true “These cases of robbery in
of a part is true for the whole this district have convinced
me that the city has become
a den of thieves and
criminals”
Example: Appeal to the popular: 89% of the entire Philippine population believes that he is corrupt,
and I do not want to support this kind of government official.
_________ 1. “Generation Z has been raised in social media and internet; therefore, it is good to
say that they are all tech savvy”.
_________ 2. “You’re wrong, you do not know the importance of education, you did not even
finish your elementary grade”.
_________ 3. “Better join my group, or else …”.
_________ 4. “If you will give me a failing mark Ma’am, my parents will let me do hard works in
farm and may even stop me going to school”.
_________ 5. “This is the best school, everyone knows that”.
_________ 6. What I shall not do by way of providing that account is to set forth a formula which
defines the tradition, a memorable line which captures the essence of this type of philosophy.
_________ 7. It is often understood in contrast to other philosophical traditions, most notably
continental philosophies such as existentialism and phenomenology, and Hegelianism.
_________ 8. The philosophical study of phenomena, as distinguished from Ontology, the
study of being such a study of perceptual experience in its purely subjective aspect
_________ 9. A descriptive or classificatory account of the phenomena of a given body of
knowledge, without any further attempt at explanation
_________ 10. The philosophical study of the structures of experience and consciousness.
Write your answers in your notebook.
Why is it important to evaluate opinions?

Write your answer in your notebook.