Reviewer in Philosophy (3rd LT)

ORIGIN OFPHILOSOPHY

What is Philosophy

● LOVE IS WISDOM

Philia – Love

Sophia – Wisdom

Love – strong desire towards something.

Wisdom – correct application of knowledge.

PHILOSOPHY

● branch of science that studies about beings in their ultimate causes, reasons, and principles
through the aid of human reason alone.

 Branch of philosophy
 metaphysics
 Epistemology
 Ethics
 Logic
 Aesthetic

Being / Beings

● All that exist.

METAPHYSICS

● Study of things beyond physical.

Meta – Beyond/ after

Physics – Physical/ nature

 Subdivision of Metaphysics
 General Metaphysics
– Ontology
 Special Metaphysics
 Reviewer in Philosophy (3rd LT)

● Cosmology
● Psychology
● Anthropology
● Natural theology or theodicy

ONTOLOGY

● Studies of beings in their ultimate causes.

● The essence of all things.

~ “ Logos is reason or underlying principle of all that is” - HERACULUS

Onto – being or that which is.

Logos- Knowledge or study.

● Basic questions of ontology:

● What is being?
● Why do things exist rather than not?
● What is the meaning and nature of reality?
● What is the underlying principles of all that exist?
● Is there nothing?

COSMOLOGY

● Studies the world (or universe) including its origin, dynamics & characteristics, as well as the
laws that govern its order.

Cosmo – World

Logos – study

● Basic questions of Cosmology:

● What is the origin of the world?
● What is the basic material of which the world is formed?
● In what consist its fundamental form or principles of order?
● Is the world or universe infinite?

PSYCHOLOGY

● study of nature and dynamics of the human person as a whole with emphasis on the way the
person’s mind functions and the way he/she behaves.

Psyche – soul, mind

Logos – study
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● Basic questions of Psychology:

- What is the nature of the human person?
- Is there something as human person?
- What is the meaning and purpose if an, of life?
- Is there life after death
- How do we account for the existence of suffering in the world?

THEODICY

- study of God
- Justification of the goodness of God in the face of the existence of evil.

~ Coined from – Gottfried Wilhem Leilanz (Theodecee – 1700)

Theos – God

Logos – study

● Basic questions of Theodicy:

- Is there God?
- What &who is God, if he exist at all?
- How do we prove the existence of God?
- If God exists, how do we justify the existence of evil &suffering in the World?
- Does the belief in God really necessary?

EPISTEMOLOGY

- study of nature and scope of knowledge and justified belief.

Episteme – knowledge

Logos – study

● Basic questions of Epistemology:

- What is knowledge?
- What do we know?
- How is knowledge acquired?
- What are the structure and limits of knowledge?
- What makes justified beliefs justified?

LOGOS

Logic

- science of correct thinking.

● Basic questions of Logic:

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- What is correct reasoning?

- What distinguishes a good argument from a bad one?
- How can we detect fallacy in argument?
- What are the criteria in determining the validity of an argument?
- What are the types of logic?

ETHICS

Ethos – custom or habit.

Morality - human actions.

- How human person ought to act and the search for a definition of a right conduct and good life.
- Practices, the wrongness and rightness of human action.

Ethics – Theory of denotes the right action and the great God.

● Basic questions of Ethics:

- What is the right conduct as that which causes the realization of the greatest God?
- How do we determine a right conduction?
- What is a good life and can we attain it?
- What is the difference between human act and actions that are based on instinct?
- What do people think is right?

AESTHETIC

- it delves into art

- It examines what art is & the purpose.

● Basic questions of Aesthetic:

- Is art subjective?
- Is art relative?
- Does anything appeal to any person fit under the classification of art.

DEVELOPMENT OF WESTERN PHILOSOPHY

The Problem of Cosmology

Cosmology – explanation of the nature of the world.

WHAT IS THE BASIC MATERIAL OF WHICH THE WORLD IS FORMED?

 Ancient Greek Philosophers:

Thales – “All is water”

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Anaximander –APEIRON “unbanded”

Anaximenes – “All is air” – breath of life

IN WHAT CONSISTS FUNDAMENTAL FORM OF ITS PRINCIPLE OF ORDER?

Pythagoras – “All is number”

- The essential reality of all things can be completely express in numerical form.
HOW DO THINGS ARISE – world process

Heraclites of Ephesus – Everything is change, we cannot step twice in the same river.

LOGOS –fire – Universal principle

- the world arise out of the Logos-fire

- fire is the basic materials of the world.

Parmides of Elea – Reality is one , what is and it is impossible for it not to be?

- world process is an illusion real one remains forever and immovable.

- “Something original and unchangeable lies at the foundation of the world process.

Empedocles – fundamental materials of the world : fire, water, earth and air.

THE ATOMIST

Democritus and Leucippus – Atom is *Numberless, *Primary Beings, * Foundation of world process

WHAT IS THE EXPLANATION OF THE FORM AND ORDER OF THINGS?

*Primordial being – Nous or mind

Anaxagoras – End period of natural philosophy.

Mind is necessary – use reason in explaining reality.

THE PROBLEM OF EPISTEMOLOGY

Knowledge is impossible to attain:

- Parminedes – No world process, No mental process

- Heraclitus – World process, no knowing subject, nothing known
- Empedocles – Mechanical process, no mental process
- Anaxagoras –Nous or mind, no natural process of knowledge.
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No KNOWLEDGE – No TRUTH

● Nothing remains but subjective opinion, nothing but the individual as the measure of all things.

SOPHIST – Knowledge is impossible to attain.

Gorgias Protagoras – man is the measure of all things, of the reality of those which are and the unreality
of those which are not.

● “ As to gods, I cannot know whether they exist or not; too many obstacles are in the way, the
obscurity of the subject and the shortness of life.”
● Knowledge and Truth are impossible to attain because people disagree in almost everything.

SOCRATES – saw the problem of sophism

- He believes “harmony and agreement is inherent in disagreement.”

● Truth and knowledge are possible.
● With dialogue, universal concepts those in which all men agree- are made possible

PLATO – (427 BCE -347 BCE) – Everything that exists is just a copy of the real; the world of ideas is the
only real world, the only real knowledge.

● Dualism of matter and form.

*How does matter acquire form?

HOW DOES MATTER ACQUIRE FORM?

ARISTOTLE (382 BCE – 322 BCE) – “Something cannot exist if it does not have both matter and form , it
is not complete.”

● Form actualizes matter.

● Principles of Act and Potency
● Prime matter – source of everything ; has possibility of becoming something.
● Ends the classic period of Greek Philosophy.

The problem of Freedom

STOICISM – (refinement of cynicism)

● founded by zero of Citium – Development of self control and fortitude as means of

overcoming destructive emotion.
● seeks to transform emotions by a desolate.

ASCETICISM – A Voluntary abstinence from worldly pleasures

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EPICURUS (341 BCE -271 BCE) - “Do not ask too much from nature. In this way you suffer a little and
enjoy as much as possible.”

EPICUREANISM vs HEDONISM

● Epicureanism- modest pleasure, tranquility and freedom from fear (ataraxia)

Absence of bodily pain.
● Hedonism – sensual pleasure, eat now, drink now, be merry for tomorrow you will die.

SKEPTICISM - Doubt of the ancient Greek skeptics.

● Members of the Plato’s academy = academic

● Follower of Phyrro =PYRRHONIAN

“Humans have the inability to gain knowledge of the world and so the need to suspend judgment.”

PYRRHO (c. 365 to 270 BCE ) – Doubt is the key to attaining peace of mind (ataraxia)

● Doubt is the key to free oneself from the wicked world.

FREEDOM FROM THE WORLD

Stoics – virtue

Epicureans – happiness

Skeptics – doubt

THE PROBLEM OF RELIGION

● The desire of salvation

● with HIM , I am happy! – through God salvation is possible.
● Introduce by Ascetics (monks) – spiritual and religious goals are impeded by indulgence in
pleasure of the flesh.
● Ascetic practices are means toward mind-body transformation.
● Aims to achieve freedom from compulsions and temptations bringing about peacefulness of
mind and an increase in clarity and power of thought.

NEO – PLATONISTS

Ammonius Saccas and Plotinus (204 CE- 270 CE) – The doctrine of the order of the world is thoughts of
God

PLOTINUS believes:

- The rational soul originates from the divine essence.

- Salvation is possible only if the rational soul is connected to the one (or God).
 Reviewer in Philosophy (3rd LT)

JEWISH PHILOSOPHY – Salvation of the world.

Logos – world saving principle.

Messiah – mediator and savior of the world.

- Man who can overcome the world, through faith in Jesus Christ.

PHILOSOPHIZING

Doing philosophy – To asks question, to reflect and to formulate and evaluate arguments.

Philosophical reflection – Active giving time to think about the meaning and purpose of life – Gabriel
Marcel.

2 TYPES OF PHILOSOPHICAL REEFLECTION –

Primary reflection – fragmented and compartmentalized thinking

= instrumental thinking : “means –end” kind of thinking.

Secondary reflection – Integrated the fragmented end compartmentalized experience into a coherent
whole.

NECESSARY SKILLS NEEDED IN DOING PHILOSOPHY

Philosophical reflection - Enables us to look deeper into our experiences and see the bigger picture of
reality.

Construction and evaluation of argument – allows us to express an ideas in a systematic and logical
way: allows us to examine the ideas of other people.