Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
REGION I
SCHOOLS DIVISION OF CANDON CITY

12
Introduction to
Philosophy of the
Human Person

First Semester
Module 1
Prepared by:

MARC CHESTER N. DE LA ROSA

JAN MICHAEL TOLENTINO
(TEACHERS)

Module in Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person 1

 What is this? Foreword

This module is one of the learning modalities indicated in

the Learning Continuity Plan of DepEd to make learning happen

amidst the pandemic.

This module has cotents similar to the lessons delivered

by the teacher in an online platform. It is also congruent with the discussions of

the teacher via recorded lesson, and forms the same with the assessment

indicated the learning activity sheets.

For clarity, it makes use of icons that indicate the parts of the module.

These icons mark the stage where the student is when he makes use of this

module.

The students are advised to ask further questions from the teacher for

guidance and clearer understanding.

It is hoped that this module serves its purpose to ensure that learning still

takes place.

HAPPY Learning 

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What to see? Parts and Icons used

Objectives: The MELCs with codes are indicated here

Guide Questions (Formative Assessment): Questions

that will be answered after the student finishes the
module are written here. An activity can also be indicated
here to assess what students know.

Discussion: The topic is presented here in the simplest

manner possible. The discussion must be aligned to the MELCs
and must point out details on how the formative assessment
can be answered.

Examples: Illustrative examples are indicated here to further

explain what is being discussed. At most three examples are
written here.

Exercises: Exercises arranged in order of difficulty are indicated

here. The exercises have 1 item each for easy, average,
challenging and enrichment.

Answer Key: This provides the key answers to the exercises

given. The format of the words are inverted

References: The references in Chicago format are listed, as lifted

Module in Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person 3

 from DMOS.

Lesson 1 Understanding and Doing

Philosophy

Objectives
1.1. Distinguish a holistic perspective from a partial point of view.
(PPT 11/12-Ia-1.1)
1.2. Realize the value of doing philosophy in obtaining a broad
perspective in life. (PPT 11/12-Ib-1.2)
1.3. Do a philosophical reflection on a concrete situation from a
holistic perspective. (PPT 11/12-Ib-1.3)

Guide Questions (Formative Assessment)

1. What is Philosophy?
2. Is it a way of life? Why or why not?
3. How do you apply it in everyday life?
4. How do you distinguish holistic perspective from a partial point
of view?

Discussion
In a few years, you will gain new experiences in life that you have
never dreamed of. Such experiences may excite or challenge you, while
some can make you rethink your life and decisions.
At your age, you may have already asked yourself important
questions about your life that cannot be directly answered through research
or education, such as “What do I want?” or “What will make me happy?”
If you have already asked yourself those big questions, then you
have already engaged in philosophy.
Doing philosophy helps you think many things, including those that
leave you confused or without an acceptable answer.

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 ex. Why do people die?
Why do I need to struggle in my studies?
You can do a philosophy by yourself, with a partner, or with a group.
THE MEANING OF PHILOSOPHY
Etymologically, the word philosophy is derived from Greek words –
“Philos” and “Sophia”. Philos means love and Sophia means Wisdom.
Thus philosophy mean “love of wisdom”. In this way search of
wisdom or truth is called philosophy, and the man who engages himself in
this search is called a philosopher.
Philosophy at the same time is a science that by natural light of
reason, studies the first cause or highest principle of all things.

 SCIENCE
- systematic investigation
- follows and employs certain steps or procedures
- organized body of knowledge
 NATURAL LIGHT OF REASON
- uses natural capacity to think
- human reason or unaided reason
 STUDY OF ALL THINGS
- multidimensional or holistic
- not limited to a particular object of inquiry
 FIRST CAUSE OR HIGHEST PRINCIPLE
Principle of Identity – whatever is is; whatever is not is not
Ex. The De Jesus clan is a clan known for being religious, then
you must carry the values of a religious person.
Principle of Non-contradiction – impossibility of a thing to be
and not to be at the same time and at the same respect.
Ex. You cannot be inlove and not inlove to a person at the same
time.
Principle of Excluded Middle – a thing is either is or is not; no
middle ground possible.
Ex. It is either you believe your friend’s reason why she forgot to
great you on your birthday or not.
Principle of Sufficient Reason – nothing exists without a
sufficient reason for its being and existence

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 Ex. It is said everything happens for a reason, hence, you
having a broken family must have a great reason why did it
happen.

HOLISTIC PERSPECTIVE VERSUS PARTIAL POINTS OF VIEW

Holistic Perspective - It is a position that, when approaching a
system for study, the system should be studied as a whole, instead of
attempting to reduce it to respective parts.
- Looks at all aspects of the given problem
- All aspects are given importance when making conclusion
- All aspects are tied in together to form a general overview of the
problem or situation.

Example:
A teacher listens first to both stories of his two arguing students
before making any conclusion about the issue.

Partial point of view

- A point of view defined as a way or a method how one sees or
perceived the reality or a phenomenon.
- Promote limited knowledge on the situation. This leads to wrong
conclusion
- it looks only a limited number of aspects of the given problem or
situation.
-Conclusions are made based on the considering some, but not all,
sides of the problem or situation.

Example:
A teacher scolds Students A after Student B accused him of
stealing his money. However, the teacher only listened to the story
of Student B, and not to Student A, before deciding to scold the
student.
Learning philosophy requires learning to look into all available
perspectives and work on their relationship to come up with sound, logical, and
valid conclusions. In the process, doing philosophy helps one to develop the skill
of broadly looking at the situation first before concluding anything.

Looking at the characteristics of holistic and partial point of view, it can be

concluded that using a holistic perspective is more desirable in doing philosophy

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 than using a partial perspective. Partial points of view only promote limited
knowledge on the situation, this leads to wrong conclusions.

Philosophy of the Human person

Philosophy is a science where reason and logic are used to understand

reality in human person’s life and answer questions of knowledge, morality, and
human nature. It can be described as either a body of knowledge or an
intellectual activity.

Philosophy of man is an overview on the nature, activities and destiny of

man, It attempts to assess his place in and his relationship to the world. Through
such an overview, an understanding of man is and who he is will emerge.

 Philosophy as a body of knowledge provides methodologies and

insights on how societal questions, such as moral dilemmas of
euthanasia or same-sex marriage can be answered.

 On the other hand, philosophy as an intellectual activity is an analytic

procedure of addressing individual thought process such as resolving
conflict and confusion, testing positions, and analyzing beliefs. In all
instances, doing philosophy is prescribed by logic, reason, and ethics
leading to wisdom

Philosophy applied to human experience or everyday life denotes the use

of philosophy as an intellectual activity. Also known as philosophy in life, this
concept is important because it serves as the guiding principle on how one ought
to live life.

Importance of Philosophical Reflection

Philosophical reflection is the process by which a person undergoes a

reflective state or evaluates his or her experiences first before making any
related actions. The use of philosophical reflection is important as it enables
thought to be looked into using a deeper, holistic perspective. In effect, actions
are directed towards greater sources of wisdom and truth

Human activities emanated from deliberate reflection

In the process, one can learn more about himself or herself, including
personal beliefs, ideals, or values.

Previous experiences may be seen as important aspects of making

reflections because they facilitate deeper thinking and understanding of the self.
Aside from knowing the self, many other activities also emanate from reflection.

Examples:

 Learning from your previous mistakes and not repeating them again

 Evaluating and knowing the best choice from a set of options

Module in Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person 7
  Gaining a holistic point of view first before making any conclusion.

Process of Doing philosophy

 Doing philosophy means engaging oneself in “matters of utility” and

methodologies to eliminate any practical problem or abstract idea.

 In the process of doing philosophy it is critical to have a holistic point of view –

the perception of looking at all aspects of a situations first before making a
conclusion. Some other skills involved in doing philosophy are critical, logical,
and analytical thinking, observation, and communicative skills.

Importance of doing philosophy

Doing philosophy can be applied in day-to-day activities and life

perspectives. Because it involves an evaluative process, doing philosophy allows
a person to make better decisions and act accordingly to situations with the help
of various philosophical skills.

Furthermore, on life perspectives, philosophy enables reflective thinking

which greatly influences a person’s view of life, challenges, and relationships.
Doing philosophy directs how a person will perceive these factors in life and how
they be faced.

In any setting, wisdom is always gained when philosophy is applied to

formulate a conclusion about a certain concern.

You may already know that philosophy as a discipline has been present in
society for centuries. Different perspectives on various issues rose and were given
defense by various philosophers. As a student, think of a relevant issue faced by our
society nowadays. Look for at least two philosophical theories that can explain your
chosen topic. After reading on these views, make your decision on which theory to side
with based on the philosophical concepts you have learned from your readings.

The process of doing philosophy should not be mistaken for the Filipino activity of
pamimilosopo or pedantry where a person displays useless knowledge or minute
observances of small details.

In the process of doing philosophy, it is critical to have a holistic perspective – the

perception of looking at all aspects of a situation first before making a conclusion. This
point of view is different from holistic thinking which is a mental activity of recognizing the
interconnectedness of systems and procedures to form a general picture of an issue.

In doing philosophy, a holistic perspective on the subject is always required.

Failure to do so or only using a partial point of view may lead to illogical or incorrect
conclusions.

Philosophical reflection

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Socratic Legacy

Here are three claims of Socrates from Plato’s dialogues in Apology and
Protagoras:

1. “Know thyself”;

2. “The unexamined life is not worth living.”

3. “Virtue is knowledge of good and bad.”

These three claims will be related to one another in an attempt to persuade you of the
value of philosophical reflection.

Socrates philosophized in places where people usually gathered (agora in

Greek) and compelled those he conversed with to think, to defend their views, to
account for what they know and do not know. He did this by asking individual series of
questions.

The series of questioning and answering that Socrates employed in engaging

in philosophical reflection came to be known as the Socratic Method.

A life worth living is a life that examines what one thinks. An examination of
beliefs or thoughts provides us with opportunity to know ourselves better. We need to
know ourselves because we make choices daily. The choices we make, in turn, create
who we are. Philosophical reflection is indispensable because we do not realize what we
truly believe in until we are challenged to defend them.

Every person must confront the question “who am I?” because knowledge of
oneself is crucial in life where we make choices daily. If we do not know ourselves, we
are bound to make wrong life decisions.

Virtue is knowledge because to truly know what is good necessarily leads to the
actual doing of what is good. Furthermore, when what we say and what we do are not in
sync with each other, what we claim to know is doubtful. In other words, a person who
truly understands what is good chooses to do what is good. Philosophical reflection
enlightens us and make us better persons.

 The quote from the Dalai Lama at the start of this lesson warns us of the dangers
of ignorance. He taught that all sufferings stems from ignorance.

 When we hold on to views that are narrow and selfish, we cause suffering to
others and we will not find peace.

Philosophical activity is the only cure to ignorance. It is only when we free

ourselves from ignorance that our life becomes meaningful.

Human activities emanated from deliberate reflection

In the process, one can learn more about himself or herself, including personal
beliefs, ideals, or values.

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 Previous experiences may be seen as important aspects of making reflections
because they facilitate deeper thinking and understanding of the self. Aside from
knowing the self, many other activities also emanate from reflection

Examples:

 Learning from your previous mistakes and not repeating them again

 Evaluating and knowing the best choice from a set of options

 Gaining a holistic point of view first before making any conclusion.

Philosophical thoughts in three views

Three views on man’s search for answers to philosophical questions.

- Cosmocentric

- Theocentric

- Anthropocentric

Periods in the history of philosophy may be distinguished from one another by

these views.

Ancient philosophy (600 B.C. – 600 A.D.)

 characterized as a period that held cosmocentric view. Ancient philosophers

wondered about the world (kosmos in Greek).
 The question that concerned them was the origin of the universe – the arche
(Greek for ‘starting point’)
 They wanted to understand the world for they found
 This branch is the branch of philosophy now known as cosmology.

Ancient philosophers

• Thales of Miletus (c. 620-546 B.C.) is usually considered the first proper
philosopher,
• Water is the underlying principle of all things, the whole universe was
composed of different forms of water
• Anaximander (c. 612-545 B.C.) thought that water could not simply explain the
hot, the cold, and the dry so he claimed that the answers must be the
“boundless” (apeiron in Greek)
• Anaximenes (c. 585-528 B.C.) said that the fundamental principle must be air
because it can better account for change and for life.
• Heraclitus thought it was fire.
• One issue the Ancient/Pre-Socratics wrestled with was the problem of change,
how things appear to change from one form to another.
• Heraclitus believed in an on-going process of perpetual change, a constant
interplay of opposites;
• Parmenides, on the other hand, denied that there was any such thing as
change at all, everything that exists is permanent, indestructible and unchanging.

Module in Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person 10

 • A group of philosophers known as Pythagoreans identified “numbers” as the
first principle.
• The Atomists speculated that there must be tiny invisible entities called atoms
make up everything.

Medieval Period

• During which the church sustained man’s intellect, the world became secondary
to God (theos in Greek) and Christianity greatly influenced philosophy
• There were a number of medieval philosophers who philosophized using the
theocentric view.
• Among them are Avicenna, St. Augustine, and St. Thomas Aquinas
• Avicenna (980-1037) - the first Muslim Philosopher.
- He argued that in this world, the existence of beings can be traced to another
being responsible for its existence.
• St. Thomas Aquinas’ Summa Theologica is most remarkable for its exhaustive
explanation of the Christian faith.

Modern Period

 Is characterized by subjectivity and individualism, hence centered on man

(Anthropos in Greek)
 The anthropocentric view was a result both of the rise of modern science and the
diminished authority of the Church in the 17th century.
 Bertrand Russell explained that progress in the scientific field made man realize
the practical utility of science as a technique rather than a doctrine that explained
the nature of the world.
 Rationalism is committed to the view that knowledge is acquired through reason
independent of sense experience.
 Rene Descartes clear and distinct ideas cannot be doubted unlike the data of the
senses.
 Benedict Spinoza & Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz were also rationalists.
 Knowledge for all rationalists is based on ideas.
 Empiricism holds that all knowledge is ultimately derived from sense experience.
 John Locke, George Berkeley, and David Hume, all held view on empiricism.
 John Locke for instance, claimed that the human mind at birth is like a blank
sheet of paper (tabula rasa) that is later filled through sense experience.

BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY

I. METAPHYSICS
• deals with the first principles of things, including abstract concepts such
as being, knowing, substance, cause, identity, time, and space
• Abstract theory or talk with no basis in reality (e.g. movie Lucy)

II. ETHICS
• study of the nature of moral judgments
• explores the nature of moral virtue and evaluates human actions
• “To be happy, a person has to live a virtuous life.” – Socrates
• Virtue – awakening of the seeds of good deeds that lay dormant in the
mind and heart of a person
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 • Courage – it is knowledge as a virtue, and virtue is wisdom

III. EPISTEMOLOGY
• deals with the nature, sources, limitation, and validity of knowledge
• it explains the following:
• How we know what we claim to know
• How can we find out what we wish to know
• How can we differentiate truth from falsehood
• it addresses the reliability, extent, and kinds of knowledge; truth;
language; and science and scientific knowledge

How do we acquire reliable knowledge?

INDUCTION
• General ideas are formed from the examination of particular facts
• Empiricism – views knowledge as something that can only be attained
through the sense experience and NOT what people make up in their
heads

DEDUCTION
• It is more important to find a general law according to which particular
facts can be understood or judged
• Real knowledge is based on logic, the laws, and methods that develop
reason
• Advocated by rationalists (Rene Descartes)
• e.g. Mathematics – realm of knowledge obtained entirely by reason that
we use to understand the universe

PRAGMATISM
• William James and John Dewey believed that the value in use is the real
test of truth and meaning
• The meaning and truth of an idea are tested by its practical consequence

IV. LOGIC
• Came from the Greek word, “logike” meaning, treatise on matters
pertaining to human thought
• Concerned about the truth or the validity of our arguments regarding such
objects
• based on claims about propositional structure and the body of
argumentative techniques
• It means: word, thought, idea, argument, account, reason or principle
• the study of reasoning, or the study of the principles and criteria of valid
inference and demonstration.

V. AESTHETICS
• science of the beautiful in its various manifestation – including the
sublime, comic, tragic, pathetic and ugly
• whatever experience has relevance to art

Importance of Aesthetics

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 1. It vitalizes knowledge
• makes our knowledge of the world alive and useful
• It helps one to realize a part of a play, a poem, or a story to give one a
new insight, to help one see new relationship between the separated
items in one’s memory

2. It helps us to live more deeply and richly

• helps us to rise from a purely physical existence into the realm of intellect
and the spirit
• “You must treat a work of art like a great man. Stand before it and wait
patiently until it deigns to speak.” – Schopenhauer

3. It brings us in touch with our culture

• Hans-Georg Gadamer, a German philosopher, argues that our tastes and
judgments regarding beauty, work in connection with one’s own personal
experience and culture
• He believes that our culture consists of the values and beliefs of our time
and society. This shows the importance of “dialogue’ or conversation in
interpreting works of art

Exercises:
A. Identify which of the choices is the best answer to the given
question. Write the letter of your answer beside the number.
_________1.) What does the term philosophy mean?
a.) “love of goodwill”
b.) “love of critical thinking”
c.) “love of wisdom”
d.) “love of logic”

_________2.) What point of view looks at all aspects of a situation?

a.) holistic
b.) partial
c.) holism
d.) partition

_________3.) Which of the following scenarios demonstrates a partial point of view?

a.) referring to only one source of information for your position paper.
b.) participating in a class discussion.
c.) listening to both your teachers’ and parent’ advise on how to
improve your grades.
d.) watching videos over the internet

_________4.) Who among the following students may have already developed
a broader philosophical perspective?
a.) Mara, who regularly monitors the emotional well-being of
her classmates.

Module in Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person 13

 b.) Julie, who always listens to all sides of the argument before giving
any advice.
c.) Kristia, who consistently chats with her classmates about
their interests and beliefs.
d.) Trish, who rarely talks with her classmates, but is always observant
of them.

_________5.) What makes doing philosophy different from doing other disciplines
of science?
a.) It always requires logical and critical thinking.
b.) It always asks questions about life.
c.) It always ends with a conclusion.
d.) It always requires empirical proof.

B. Case Analogy: Identify if the statement presents Holistic Point of View

or Partial Point of View. Put the symbol “” if the statement presents Holistic
Point of View, and “” if the statement presents Partial Point of View.

Situation Holistic = Partial = 

1. Jude can see the correlation

between ecological situation and
social organization of a community
when he saw in the news people
rallying for the stoppage of illegal
logging.

2. Someone tries to insist his believe

about pursuing only the online mode
of education without seeing the effect
of which to others.

3. One researcher conducts an inquiry

on the reason why Filipinos celebrate
fiesta based on the religious aspect of
it.

4. A kid was scolded by his mother

because a teacher reported that he
wasn’t attending classes for a week
already.

5. Billy choose BS Civil Engineering

as his course in college after doing
some researches about all the things
he needs to prepare for the education
and by seeking his parent’s advice

Module in Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person 14

 about entering the course.

C. Semantic Webbing: Associate some words related to philosophy and

give a brief details about the associated words.

4 Philosophy
2

3
D. Philosophical Paper: Get one whole sheet of paper and copy the
question and answer as specific as possible. If you are entertaining a tourist or
balikbayan relative or friend, how will you introduce the Philippines? (Answer the
question in not less than 5 sentences)
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

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________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
______________________________

Answer Key:

References:

 Final-K-to-12-MELCS-with-CG-Codes-From-CO.pdf
 Intro. To the Philosophy of a Human Person slide 4 – 13
 “Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person" by Christine Carmela R.
Ramos
 “Philosophy of the Human Person" by Loreto R. Camiloza et. al.
 “Reflections on Man” by Jesse Mann et. al p.13
 https://www.slideshare.net/KafkleBharat/31-etymological-meaning-of-
philosophy
 https://www.slideshare.net/arielgilbuena7/intro-to-the-philosophy-of-the-
human-person-chapter-1-the-process-of-doing-philosophy

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