TEACHER’S EDUCATION PROGRAM

BACHELOR OF ELEMENTRY EDUCATION

SECOND YEAR

SOCIAL SCIENCES AND PHILOSOPHY

SOCSCI 2

STUDENT LEARNING MODULE 1 PRELIM-WEEK 1

The Basic Philosophy

POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE OF BOTOLAN

Botolan, Zambales

NOTE:
Do not write anything on this module. You may write your answers on the separate sheet/s underneath of this
Student Learning Module.
 Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE OF BOTOLAN
(Formerly Botolan Community College)
BotolanZambales
Email: polytechniccollegeofbotolan@gmail.com
Website: pcbzambales.com
Contact Number: 0968-3075-040

Grade Level Summative Performance

Module at a Glance
Compelling Question 2nd yr. College Students Argumentative Essay

What’s more important: doing the right thing or doing things right?
Supporting Question 1 Formative Performance Task I Sources
What is Philosophy? Discuss its meaning Source A

——————————————————————————————————————————

Supporting Question 2 Formative Performance Task II Sources

Why is Philosophy important? Develop an awareness of the need Source B
for critical and reflective thinking.
____________________________________________________________________________

Supporting Question 3 Formative Performance Task III Sources

What is the purpose of philosophy? Explain the influence of western Source C
thoughts to the mind frame of Filipino.

Summative Performance Task: Argumentative Essay

What is more important: doing the right thing or doing things right? The answer is more complex than
one may imagine at first blush. When students have completed this lesson, they will have created,
explained, and defended coherent and evidence-based arguments for the multi-layered ways in which
students thought about the importance of doing the right thing and doing things right.

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 Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE OF BOTOLAN
(Formerly Botolan Community College)
BotolanZambales
Email: polytechniccollegeofbotolan@gmail.com
Website: pcbzambales.com
Contact Number: 0968-3075-040
Prelim Module1 in SocSci2
Social Sciences and Philosophy - The Basic Philosophy
BEED Second Year

Overview/Introduction

Although both philosophy and science spring from experience, from the inherent desire of the human person to
know reality, they differ in their approach and intent. Philosophy seeks to understand reality in its totality and ultimate value,
while science attempts to control and manipulate it. The philosophical approach is integrative of experience, whereas the
scientific approach cannot but be partial in the sense that it isolates a certain aspect of reality. Science makes reality into
an object, something apart from the inquirer or the scientist, because the objectivity of science demands that the person of
the scientist must not intrude into his inquiry. The objectivity of philosophy, on the other hand, requires that it be subjective,
not in the pejorative sense of subjectivistic, but in the sense that the philosopher is part of the reality that he is investigating.

Supporting Question and Formative Performance Task I

Please Answer: What is Philosophy?

Source A. Quite literally, the term “philosophy” means, “love of wisdom.” In a broad sense, philosophy is an activity people
undertake when they seek to understand fundamental truths about themselves, the world in which they live, and their
relationships to the world and to each other. As an academic discipline philosophy is much the same. Those who study
philosophy are perpetually engaged in asking, answering, and arguing for their answers to life’s most basic questions. To
make such a pursuit more systematic academic philosophy is traditionally divided into major areas of study.
a. Metaphysics - the study of the nature of reality. e.g. what is truth?

b. Epistemology - the study knowledge. e.g. what is knowledge?

c. Ethics - questions about what is good and right. e.g. what is good or right?

d. Logic - the study about arguments or reasons. e.g. what constitutes good or bad reasoning?

Supporting Question and Formative Performance Task II

Please Answer: Why is Philosophy important?

Source B. Wondering just how relevant this ancient study of the nature of reality and existence remains in the modern
world? Read on for a roundup of four reasons why philosophy is as important now as ever before.

1. Philosophy is the foundation of critical thinking.

While society is very different today from when the founding figures of Western philosophy were making their mark,
the questions we face today are just as challenging. Enter modern philosophy, which puts critical thinking and problem-
solving at the forefront in order to make sense of these weighty problems. Writer Alexander Leivesley explains in the
Huffington post, “Philosophy is not obsolete. Philosophy brings the important questions to the table and works towards an
answer. It encourages us to think critically about the world; it is the foundation of all knowledge and when utilized properly,
can provide us with huge benefits.”

2. Science can’t answer every question.

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 We lean very heavily on science today. And with good reason: Thanks to advancements in science and technology,
we live in a very different way to how we would without them. From fridges for our food to airplanes for travel, there’s no
denying that scientific advancements are vital to our survival as a species. But just because science is important, that does
not negate the value of philosophy. In fact, the two go hand in hand. “Science, I am sorry to say, does not have all the
answers. Just like every other field, it has its limits. We cannot derive everything from experience, and philosophy is not
dead. for example, science cannot determine human values. Empiricism cannot determine why we ought to act morally, nor
why we ought to value human happiness over human misery. We cannot create an experiment that tests the nature of Truth
or the obtainability of knowledge,” contends Gabriel del Carmen for Odyssey. Blogger David Calhoun adds, “At its core,
philosophy is a striving towards figuring out what is true and worthwhile, and what it means to live a meaningful and
worthwhile life. That’s something off-limits for science, because science can tell us how things are empirically, but it can’t
prescribe how we should then live…in short: science helps us live longer, whereas philosophy helps us live better.”

3. Philosophy has particular meaning in the business world.

At first pass, a “soft” science like philosophy may not seem especially relevant to business. However, this couldn’t
be further from the truth. Frankfurt School of Finance & Management professor of philosophy Christine Tiefensee explains
that anyone who wants to succeed in a challenging, leading position in business, public administration, politics, or the wider
society needs a crucial set of skills. She adds, "You will need to see quickly through complex issues, put together convincing
arguments for or against given proposals, filter relevant from irrelevant information, check the consistency and soundness
of policy papers, decide which problems are crucial and identify the issues that are still badly understood. These skills of
rigorous analysis, sound argument and critical examination are the bread-and-butter of philosophy: no subject trains our
ability for consistent, systematic thought better than philosophy.” These skills aren’t limited to the business world, however.
They can be applied in virtually any context -- both professional and personal.

4. Ancient philosophers continue to influence humanity.

While Plato and Aristotle are often credited with shaping future civilizations, and their influence is still felt
today, Publishers Weekly insists, “The ancient Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle may seem like the quintessential
Dead White Males, but in fact they are very much alive. Twenty four centuries ago they laid the foundations of Western
culture, and their ideas and insights still dictate essential features of our world right now, from what we eat to what we see
on the internet.” And while you may think of Confucius purely in terms of sound bites, his work was extremely significant --
and remains so today. This is very useful to know, especially for students in fields such as political science,
diplomacy and international politics. For example, according to National Geographic, China’s modern government has
modeled much of its ethos on Confucius' rhetoric, such as “obedience to the emperor, hierarchy, and loyalty.” On the other
hand, recent superhero movies Man of Steel (about Superman) and The Dark Knight (Batman) feature major moral
dilemmas based on an age-old philosophical issue known as the 'trolley problem’. So, while to some people philosophy may
not be the sexiest of subjects on paper, it’s one with extraordinary staying power and potential. It does not just stand to
change the world; it just might change your life. One student, describing being strong-armed by his father into taking an intro
to philosophy college course altered his life’s trajectory, wrote, “While I once scorned philosophy, I am now majoring in it. I
have come to realize that philosophy provides the tools for us to become good thinkers, which is perhaps the most important
skill there is.”

Supporting Question and Formative Performance Task III

Please Answer: What is the purpose of philosophy?

Source C.
“Knowledge is knowing what to do. Wisdom is doing what you know.” – Proverb

How can we use philosophy and wisdom to “live better”?

How can we practice the art of living a good life?

Is there an approach to life that can help us to “flourish”?

Philosophy just might be the tool to help us find a path of sustainable happiness and to flourish with skill.

In the book, The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness, by Epictetus, with a new
interpretation by Sharon Lebell, we learn the real purpose of philosophy and how we can apply it t our lives so we can find
a more sustainable path of happiness and flourish with skill.

The Art of Living a Good Life

The real purpose of philosophy, beyond the love of wisdom, is the art of living a good life.
Sharon Lebell writes:
“True philosophy doesn’t involve exotic rituals, mysterious liturgy, or quaint beliefs. Nor is it just abstract theorizing and
analysis. It is of course, the love of wisdom. It is the art of living a good life.

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As such, it must be rescued from religious gurus and from professional philosophers lest it be exploited as an esoteric cult
or as a set of detached intellectual techniques or brain teasers to show how clever you are.
Philosophy is intended for everyone, and it is authentically practiced only by those who wed it with action in the world
toward a better life for all.”

Self-Scrutiny Applied with Kindness

The life of wisdom is meant to stir us in an energetic and cheerful way.
Sharon Lebell writes:
“Philosophy’s purpose is to illuminate the ways our soul has been infected by unsound beliefs, untrained tumultuous
desires, and dubious life choices and preferences that are unworthy of us.
Self-scrutiny applied with kindness is the main antidote. Besides rooting out the soul’s corruptions, the life of wisdom is
also meant to stir us from our lassitude and move us in the direction of an energetic, cheerful life.”

A Flourishing Life
The object of our efforts is a flourishing life.
Sharon Lebell writes:
“Skilled use of logic, disputation, and the developed ability to name things correctly are some of the instruments
philosophy gives us to achieve abiding clear-sightedness.
Happiness is commonly mistaken for passively experienced pleasure or leisure. The conception of happiness is good only
as far as it goes. The only worthy object of all our efforts is a flourishing life.”

The Foundation of a Flourishing Life is Virtuous Intention

Life’s not static. Neither is our happiness. Happiness is a verb and we create it through our actions, grounded in our
intentions.
Sharon Lebell writes:
“True happiness is a verb. It’s the ongoing dynamic performance of worthy deeds. The flourishing life, whose foundation
is virtuous intention, is something we continually improvise, and in doing so our souls mature. Our life has usefulness to
ourselves and to the people we touch.”

To Discover What is Really True

Philosophers are truth seekers.
Sharon Lebell writes:
“We become philosophers to discover what is really true and what is merely the accidental results of flawed reasoning,
recklessly acquired erroneous judgments, well-intentioned but misguided teachings of parents and teachers, and
unexamined acculturation.”

Disciplined Introspection and Thought Experiments

We learn how to build better habits and think better thoughts through introspection and reflection.
Sharon Lebell writes:
“To ease our soul’s suffering, we engage in disciplined introspection in which we conduct thought-experiments to
strengthen our ability to distinguish between wholesome and lazy, hurtful beliefs and habits.”
If life is a game, then change your game with skill through the power of philosophy. Stand on the shoulders of giants and
put the wisdom of the ages and modern sages on your side.
In the words of Epictetus:
"First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do."

Summative Performance Task: Argumentative Essay

Please Answer: What’s more important: doing the right thing or doing things right?

Scoring Rubric for Argumentative Essay:

FEATURES 4 3 2 1
Proficient Advanced Developing Under
Developed

Clear Argument focuses Argument includes attention Argument is limited Argument lacks
clearly and to the task, purpose, and regarding task, purpose, task, purpose
completely on the audience. and audience. and audience.
task, purpose and
audience.

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 Coherent Argument regularly Argument includes precise Argument has limited Argument lacks
uses precise and and knowledgeable claims. precise and precise and
knowledgeable knowledgeable claims. knowledgeable
claims. claims.

Convincing Argument regularly Argument is supported by Argument has limited Argument

uses facts and facts and concrete details support by facts and misuse or does
concrete details from the the source. concrete details from the not include
from the sources. source. facts and
concrete
details from the
source.

Craft Argument regularly Argument offers some Argument put forward Argument does
utilizes inferences, inferences, claims, and limited inferences, claims, not include
claims, and evidence. and evidence. inferences,
evidence. claims, and
evidence.

References:

1. Ph. D. COLOMA,Teresita M, Ph. D. Meer, Teresita C., Essential of Sociology and Anthropology an Interactive
Study.,(1993) C & E Publishing Inc., 839 EDSA, South Triangle, Quezon City.
2. Ph.D. DY, Manuel B. Contemporary Social Philosophy., JMC PRESS, INC., 388 Quezon Avenue, Queszon City.
3. PALISPIS, Epitacio S. Sampa, Elias M., Introduction to Sociology and Anthropology., (2015), Rex Book Store,
Inc., 856 Nicanor Reyes Sr. St., Sampaloc, Manila.

Prepared by: Reviewed by:

IANNE JOY Y. MANIQUIZ NILO BALANGON, EdD

TEP Instructor TEP Program Coordinator

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 Republic of the Philippines
POLYTECHNIC COLLEGE OF BOTOLAN
(Formerly Botolan Community College)
BotolanZambales
Email: polytechniccollegeofbotolan@gmail.com
Website: pcbzambales.com

Name: Date Submitted:

Course/YR&Section Score:

ANSWER SHEET:

Answer the following:

1. What is Philosophy?

2. Why is Philosophy important?

3. What is the purpose of philosophy?

4. What’s more important: doing the right thing or doing things right?

FEEDBACK/RECOMMENDATION:

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