I N T R O D U C T I O N T O T HE P H I L O S O P H Y

O F T HE H U MA N P ER S O N

Introduction:
DOING
PHILOS
OPHY
LESSON 1
 WHAT IS
PHILOSOPHY
ETYMOLOGICAL DEFINTION
Philosophy comes from the two Greek
words philo meaning “love” and sophia
meaning “wisdom.” Thus, philosophy means
“love of wisdom.”
T ECHNICAL DEFINITION
Philosophy is defined as “the science of
beings in their ultimate reasons, causes,
a n d principles acquired by the aid of
h u m a n reason alone (Bittle, 1984).”
1. PHILOSOPHY I S A SCIENCE

It is called a Science because the investigation is

systematic. It follows certain steps or it employs
certain procedures. In other words, it is an
organized b o d y of knowledge just like any other
sciences.
2. PHILOSOPHY USES THE POWER OR
NATURAL
L I GPhilosophy
HT O F investigates
REASON things, not by using any
other laboratory instrument or investigative tools,
neither on the basis of supernatural revelation,
otherwise it becomes theology; instead, the
philosopher uses his natural capacity to think or
simply, h u m a n reason alone or the so-called
unaided reason.
3. PHILOSOPHY I S THE STUDY OF ALL THINGS

Philosophy is not one dimensional or partial. A

philosopher does not limit himself to a particular
object of inquiry. He question almost anything, if
not everything. It is multidimensional or holistic.
4. PHILOSOPHY SEARCHES FOR THE ULTIMATE
REASONS, CAUSES AND PRINCIPLES OF BEINGS.
This me an s that philosophy studies the ultimate
“whys and wherefores” of beings.
To illustrate: Philosophy does not investigate
plant life, but rather, it seeks an answer to the
question: “What does it m e a n to be a living thing
as opposed to a non-living thing?”
4 PRINCIPLES OF LOGIC/THOUGHT

A. PRINCIPLE OF IDENTITY

“Whatever is, is. Whatever is not, is

not. Everything is, what it is. Everything
in its on being, and not being is, not
being.”
EX: All letters “a” are equal to “a”.
B. PRINCIPLE OF CONTRADICTION

it is impossible for a thing to be and not to

be at the same time and at the same respect.

Ex: “A” cannot be “not A”.

C. PRINCIPLE OF EXCLUDED MIDDLE

 any statement is either true or false. There

is no middle ground.

Ex: “it is raining”

• It is true if in actual fact is raining. It is
false, when if the claim is made, it is
actually not raining.
D. PRINCIPLE OF SUFFICIENT REASON

 nothing exists without insufficient reason for its

being and existence.

Ex: “If I am standing there must be a sufficient reason

for me to be standing rather than sitting or lying
down”.
 O RIGIN OF
PHILOSOPHY
T HE BIRTHPLACE OF PHILOSOPHY IN T
HE
WEST IS GREECE.
Ancient
Greek city
of Miletus
T HALES OF
MILETUS
624-546 BCE

"What is the ultimate

stuff of the
Universe?"
 T HALES OF
MILETUS
Thales is the first man in the
history to veer a way from
methodological tradition and
began to view things in
different angles.
T HE BRANCHES
PHILOSOPHY
Man’s philosophical
questions tend to fall into any of
the following fields:
The Pre- Socratics
 1st group of philosophers.
 Their importance should not be
underestimated
 Many popular ideas today are its roots
 It has a long journey in the beginning of
philosophy in Mellitus

Mellitus is a fishing village that is a center of

trade in ancient Greece, an ideal place to emerge
philosophy. It became the melting path of idea
from other culture.
The story of philosophy started in triangulate of
three Milesians namely THALES,
ANAXIMENES, ANAXIMANDER.

MILESIANS:
THALES (water)- popular among the three being the father of
western philosophy and rewarded as one of the seven sage, a wise
man of ancient Greek.

ANAXIMANDER (fire)- a student of Thales

ANAXIMENES (air)- was a student of Anaximander

 PROMINENT
PHILOSOPHER
PHYTAGORAS
- Leader of religious cult known as
the Pythagoreans
- Among the pre-Socratics he was
different because he treated
philosophy in a different way,
a way of life.
- For him philosophy and religion
are connected and merge into
one.
Heraclitus
 Known for mystical nature
of philosophy. Specially his
idea on changed.

 He believes that the only thing

that is permanent is this world is
changed.
Democritus

Known for antiquity as

the loafing philosopher.
Because of his emphasis in
the value of cheerfulness as
one of the founders of the
atomic theory
Diogenes of Sinope

A great sonic philosopher

best known for holding
lantern claiming that he
was searching for an honest
man.
Epicurus
Believed that in the basis of
racial materialism, naturalistic
account of evolution from the
formation of the world to the
engagement of human into the
society.
Socrates
Socrates was a Greek
philosopher from Athens
who is credited as the
founder of Western
philosophy and among the
first moral philosophers of
the ethical tradition of
thought.
Plato
 Founder of the Platonist
School of thought and
the Academy- the first
institution of higher
learning in the Western
World.
 He was a student of and
heavily influenced by
Socrates.
Aristotle

Taught by Plato, he was the

founder of Lyceum, the
Peripatetic School of
philosophy and the
Aristotelian tradition.
T HE BRANCHES
PHILOSOPHY
Man’s philosophical
questions tend to fall into any of
the following fields:
A . METAPHYSICS
( QUESTIONS RELATED TO BEING AND EXISTENCE)
 It studies the nature of the mind, the self, and consciousness. It is
the science which deals with the nature of being, its attributes,
constituent principles, and causes.

 comes from two Greek word “meta” means beyond or after; and “physika” which
means physical or nature
Metaphysics attempts to resolve the following questions:
“What is being?”
“Why is there being rather than non-being?”
“What is existence?”
“What is essence?”
 B. E THICS
( QUESTIONS RELATED TO MORALITY)
 Ethics deals with development of a virtuous and moral character. It is
the science of the morality of human acts as ordained to the end.
 comes from the Greek word “ethos” which means custom or habit

 Ethics attempts to resolve questions like:

“What makes my action right or wrong, and how could I know it?” “Is
there a norm good and evil?
*Note the ethics is not the same with morality because ethics denotes the theory of
right actions and the greater good while morality indicates practice that is the
rightness or wrongness of a human actions.
C. E PISTEMOLOGY
( QUESTIONS RELATED TO TRUTH AND KNOWLEDGE)
 Epistemology is the science of knowledge. This includes the
statement and solution to the critical problem, nature, origin,
objectivity, and validity of knowledge, truth and certitude.

 Explains how we know, what we claim to know, how we can find out, what we
wish to know

 comes from the two Greek words “episteme” means knowledge and “logos” means
study which is formally defines as the study of the nature and scope of knowledge
and justified beliefs.
D. L OGIC
( QUESTIONS RELATED TO REASONING)
 Logic studies the laws of thought. It is the science of correct
reasoning. This covers the study of simple apprehension and
ideas, judgment and proposition, reasoning and arguments.

 comes from the Greek word “logos” is the study of science of correct thinking, the
study of the principles and criteria of valid argument it attempts to distinguish sound
or good reasoning from unsound or bad reasoning.
Logic a t t e m p t s to resolve the following questions:
“What makes good arguments good and b a d arguments
bad?”
E. A ESTHE TIC
S
( QUESTIONS RELATED TO BEAUTY AND TASTE)
It is the s c i e n c e of b e a u t y a n d art. Beauty m e ans the quality
attributed to whatever pleases the beholder such as form,
color, and behavior. Art is creativeness and skill in making or
doing things that have form and beauty. It includes the concept
of creativity, expression, representation, form, and style.
Aesthetics a t t e m p t s to resolve q u e s t i o n s like:
“What are the essential characteristics of beauty?”
“What is aesthetic value?”
“Do the arts provide knowledge?
F. POLITICAL PHIOLOSOPHY
Studies governments and deals with questions of
justice, power and the rights and obligations of citizens.
G. Philosophy of the Human Person
Understands the human person from a
philosophical perspective –integrating and
synthesizing the different branches of philosophy
and other fields of study to know the truth about the
human person.
W HY THE STUDY OF PHILOSOPHY IS IMPOR
TANAccording
T? to Zunjic (2011) studying or doing
philosophy could be beneficial in m a n y regards such
as:
1. Philosophy enlarges our understanding of the world.
It expands our intellectual horizons and freedom of
thought.

2.Philosophy raises public awareness and helps

in forming en g ag ed and responsible citizens.
WHY THE STUDY OF PHILOSOPHY IS IMPORTA
NT?
3.Philosophy c a n increase our sensitivity for
universalistic moral values and stimulate our
readiness to stand up for the principles of justice
and fairness.

4.Philosophy c a n give one self-

knowledge, foresight, and a sense of
direction in life.
W HY IS THERE A NEED TO PHILOSO
PH1.IZMen
E? have the tendency to wonder (Plato).
For example: we asked questions about our
existence
2.Men also have the tendency to
doubt ( Rene de Cartes).
For example: Men have to test and verify
information before accepting it.
WHY IS THERE A NEED TO PHILOSOP
HIZE?
3.Men do philosophize b ec a us e of his/her
experience ( Karl Jaspers). Our daily experience
challenged our ideas and wa y of thinking.
For e x a m p l e : Giving money to a beggar, and found out
that he uses it for gambling.
4.Men’s love for wisdom (Socrates). Men’s desire for
truth or seeking of knowledge is not to claim ownership of
it but to get the bottom of things.
T HREE GREAT ORIGINAL CENTERS
OF PHILOSOPHY IN THE WORLD
GREEK I CHINES
( WESTERN) NDIAN E

All these three arose as critical reflections on their own cultural traditions.
EXPANDING OUR PHILOSOPHICAL FRAMES: WESTERN A
ND NON– WESTERN T RADITIONS

Historically speaking, Asian classics of the Indians

and the Chinese predate the oldest of Western
classics. During the first centuries, there was more
Philosophical activity in the East than in the West.
 G REEK TRIUMVIRATE

SOCRATES PLATO
ARISTOTLE

From the time of the Greek Triumvirate there was a reversal. The Western
thinkers started to indulge in feverish philosophical speculation, whereas the
 E ASTERN WESTER
N
1. Western philosophy is mainly used in the Western parts of the world, such as
in the European countries, while the Eastern philosophy is prevalent in Asian
countries.
2. Western philosophy deals with Indiv idualism while Eastern Philosophy is
related to Collectivism.
3. Both philosophies center on virtues.
4. Eastern philosophy takes more of a spiritual approach while
F ILIPINO THINKING:
INDIGENOUS BELIEF
S
1. Loob: Holistic a n d Interior D i m e n s i o n s

The Filipino generally believes in the

innate g o o d n e s s of the human being.
2. Filipino P h i l o s o p h y of Time

The Filipino believes in the gulong ng

palad (literally, "wheel of fortune") and
hence, looks at life as a series of ups and
downs (Timbreza, 1992).
3. B a h a l a N a

The Filipino subconsciously ac cepts the

b a h a l a na attitude as a part of life. B ah al a
na literally mean s to leave everything to
God who is Bathala in the vernacular.
4. Filipino t h o u g h t a n d val ue s : Positive a n d
Negative Aspects
P HILOSOPHICAL
REFLECTIONS
W HAT IS PHILOSOPHICAL REFLECTION?

The careful examination of life situation. This

involves the weighing of alternatives and
using specific standards to evaluate one’s
action. An individual reflects philosophically
when he builds on previous actions, events
and or decisions.
"T HE UNEXAMINED LIFE IS
NOT WORTH LIV ING.”
SOCRATES
Reflection is vital in ensuring that our
actions and decisions are well
thought out and are done with due
regard for their implications and
consequences on others, our
surroundings, and ourselves.
PA RTIAL THINKIN H OLISTIC THINKIN
G
A way of thinking that focuses
G
on the specific aspects of the
A perspective that considers large-
situation. The partial view is an
scale patterns in systems. This is often
important component of
described as looking at the “big picture”
analytical thinking, on certain when describing and analyzing a
areas or aspects of the situation or a problem. A holistic
problem in order to understand perspective requires an individual to
it. have an open mindset and an ability to
get a general sense or impression
regarding a situation.
O UR AB I LI TY TO E N G A G E I N PH I LO SO PHICA
L
RE FLE CTI O N H E LP S U S DEVELOP B E N E F I C IAL
S K I L L S, WHICH AR E DEEMED IMPORTANT IN OU
R
DAI LY SITUATIONS SUCH AS :
 1.Philosophy enables a person to develop a critical
and analytical mindset in processing information and
addressing certain issues encountered in life.
- Our ability to critically think helps us from being tricked
by false claims and manipulative schemes.
2.Philosophy helps us develop problem solving and
decision- making skills.
- It is through our engagement with philosophy that we
learn how to analyze a problem and come up with
alternative solutions is very important skill learned through
philosophy.
3. Philosophy trains us to become precise and clear in
presenting our ideas and thoughts.
- As we engage in discussion and debate,
philosophy enables us to convey our ideas precisely and clearly.

4. Philosophy contributes greatly to the self-development of

a person.
- In our quest to become a better version of our self,
philosophy encourages us to understand our self, our
strength and weaknesses, our identity and our very purpose in
life along with our engagement in the community, the nation
and the world.