REVIEWER IN PHILOSOPHY

MODULE 1
• Philosophy comes from the Greek roots philo─ meaning ‘love’ and ─sophos,
or ‘wisdom’ which therefore translates to ‘love of wisdom’.
• Philosophy is coined by Greek philosopher “Pythagoras”
• Philosophy- study of ideas about knowledge, truth, the nature and meaning
of life, or a way of thinking about certain subjects
• Philosophy- study of fundamental and general problems related to matters
of knowledge.
• Philosophy- associated with activities that people engage in to have a
deeper understanding.
• Philosophy is considered as universal science and the sum-total of human
knowledge
• Filipinos have a word ‘pilosopo’, which is commonly used to refer to
someone who may be a smart aleck especially in answering questions.
• Pilosopo connotes the image of a comical, and sometimes annoying character
• Pilosopo often used to describe someone who plays with words, or twist
commonsensical reasonings
• Pilosopo as Philosopher- refers to someone who asks a lot of questions,
many of which are judged as nonsense.
• Having a philosophy involves having a reason for existing, a method of
obtaining goals which are all parts of having guidelines and points of view
for something.
• Thales- first noted philosopher in western history
- A thinker who loved to gaze at the star
- Everything is related to each other because everything that exist
contains water
• Socrates- known through the writings of his student, Plato
- wisest man during his time according to a priestess (an
oracle)
- Anyone can be as wise as Socrates so long as he lives the truth
that he does not know anything.
• “Being philosophical can be defined as our continuing quest to refine and
reevaluate assumptions”
• Philosophical reflection is the process by which an individual undergoes a
reflective state or evaluate his or her experiences first before making any
related action.
• Holistic- Greek word “holos” meaning all, entire, totality
• Holism- maintains the interdependence of factors to other agencies of
causalities
• Holistic Point of View- looks at all aspects of the given problem or situation.
All aspects are tied in together to form a general overview of the problem or
situation.
• Partial Point of View- looks at only a limited number of aspects of the given
problem or situation. It is also based on a single factor only.

MODULE 2
• Main branches of philosophy are also called ‘sub-disciplines’
• Six Branches of Philosophy- Ethics, Metaphysics, epistemology, aesthetics,
logic and politics
• Ethics- moral philosophy, is the discipline concerned with what is morally
good and bad and morally right and wrong. Study of Action
• Metaphysics- Study of Existence. A branch of philosophy concerned with the
nature of existence, being, and the world.
• Epistemology- Study of Knowledge. The branch of philosophy concerned
with the nature, origin, and limits of human knowledge.
• Aesthetics- Study of Art. The branch of philosophy concerned with the nature
and appreciation of art, beauty, and good taste.
• Logic- Study of Reasoning. The study from a philosophical perspective, of the
nature and types of logic
• Politics- Study of Power. The branch of philosophy that is concerned, at the
most abstract level, with the concepts and arguments
• Sub-disciplines: Ancient Philosophy, Medieval Philosophy, Contemporary
Philosophical.
• Ancient Philosophy which is dominant in the sixth century B.C.E. until
roughly the fourth century C.E.,
• Medieval Philosophy which has become dominant with its philosophical or
theological
• Contemporary philosophy is the period referring to the present mode and
systems of philosophizing, referred to by some as postmodern philosophy.
• Brown (2008) stated on his article that philosophical method involves a
commitment to reason and argument as a source of knowledge.
• Rationalism then took evidence that only reason was a source of knowledge.
• Parmenides argued that though reality appeared as a plurality that was in
constant change, in actuality was a static unity that never changed.
• The scientific method presupposes the philosophical method with the
restriction that good arguments come from empirical testing of theory.
• By empirical, it means that based on, concerned with, or verifiable by
observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic.
• Philosophical method is defined also as the study of how to do philosophy.
• Dogmatism- Arrogant assertion of opinions as truth.
• A dogmatist is a person who asserts his or her opinions in an
'arrogant. Blind believers
• Empiricism- It is a theory that all knowledge is sense experience.
• The term empiricism has a dual etymology, Greek word
'experience' and roman usage of empiric
• Empiricism- this concept originated in observation and experiment which is
used in natural sciences. It is the fundamental requirement of the
scientific method that all hypotheses and theories must be tested
against observation of the natural world.
• Skepticism- attitude of doubting knowledge claims set forth in various areas.
The original Greek meaning ' skeptikos ' was an 'inquirer', someone who
was unsatisfied and still looking for truth.
• Criticism- it applies to any philosophical doctrine that adopts a critical
attitude, that systematically questions whatever appears to be true yet is
capable of being doubted.
• Rationalism- the view that regards reason as the chief source and test of
knowledge.
• Dialectic Method- The art or practice of arriving at the truth by the exchange
of logical arguments.
• 'Dialectics' is a term used to describe a method of philosophical argument that
involves some sort of contradictory process between opposing sides.
• Facts are not properly contrasted with opinions.
• Opinion is a belief which has not been sufficiently well-supported or
substantiated to count as a considered judgment.
• An opinion may or may not express a fact.
• Matters of taste are not opinions.
• The term ‘fact’ refers to a state of affairs or an aspect of reality, not to a class
of beliefs.
• Opinions’ and ‘Considered judgments’ are types of beliefs, and those labels
are most usefully used to distinguished sufficiently well-supported from
insufficiently well-supported beliefs.