I n t r o d u c t i o n t o t h e

P H I L O S O P H Y
o f t h e

H U M A N P E R S O N
W e e k 2
Knowing t h e Truth
Week 2
Learning Objectives
 Distinguish opinion from truth.
 Realize that methods of philosophy lead to wisdom and
truth.
 Evaluate truth from opinions in different situations using the
methods of philosophizing.
T R U T H
Ignorance is a bliss.

A popular proverb
Ang kamangmangan ay
pagkaalipin.

Jose Rizal
Filipino OG
Being wise is knowing when we know
the truth and when we do not know it.

He/she knows when

he/she knows and when
he/she does not know.
John Snow
Knows nothing
Truth
 truth
Is a proposition
believed to be
the absolute
reality.

fact
A piece of
information having
objective reality
which is
acknowledged by
the greater whole.
 The student is absences in
experiencing class
challenges. missing projects
constant failures
in exams

The
student is
a slack.
 Kinds of

T R U T H
“Basa ang tubig.”

Empirical Truth
Established by means of
sense experience.

Ed Caluag
Paranormal Expert
 posteriori

It can only be known after some relevant experience.

“One plus one equals two
Two plus two equals four
Four plus four equals eight
Doblehin ang eight!”

Rational Truth
Established by means of
reason.
Bayani Agbayani
Comedian
 priori

It can be known before some relevant experience.

 Synthetic Truth
Extends our knowledge
(the information provided
by the predicate is not
contained in the
The chair is forged out of information provided by
swords. the subject)
 Tricycle is a vehicle with
three wheels.

Analytic Truth
The information provided
by the predicate is
contained in the
information provided by
the subject
 Contingent Truth
Not true in all possible
situations.

The chair is forged out of

Not all chairs are forged
swords.
out of swords and not all
that is forged out of
swords are chair.
Public Truth
Can, in principle, be
known directly by
everyone.

Labador whacked Matos’

temple.
 “Erey.”

Private Truth
Can only be known
directly by the person
who has the belief or
makes the statement
considered to be true.
Pinoy rock is the best
kind of music.
Subjective Truth
Dependent on attitudes,
preferences, or interests
of a person or a group of
persons.

Joey “Pepe” Smith

Pinoy Rock Icon
Objective Truth
Statement is entirely a
matter of how things are
with its object, and has
nothing to do with the
state of its subject

Pinoy rock is one of the

major genre of music in
the Philippines.

Mike Hanopol
Pinoy Rock Icon
 Universal Truth
The truth is acknowledged by
everyone.

Relative Truth
The truth is acknowledged
only by few people.
“How often have I said to you that
when you have eliminated the
impossible, whatever remains,
however improbable, must be the
truth?”

Deductive Truth
the process of reasoning from
one or more statements
(premises) to reach a logical
conclusion. Sherlock Holmes
Fictional Character
 certain truth

Deductive Truth
All Humans are mortal.
Perdo is human.
Pedro is mortal.
Inductive Truth
If the arguer believes that
the truth of the premises
provides only good
reasons to believe the
conclusion is probably
true, then the argument
is inductive.

Detective Inspector G. Lestrade

Fictional Character
 probable truth

Inductive Truth
Most Filipinos are hospitable.
Juan is a Filipino.
Juan is hospitable.
Disciplinal Kinds of Truth
Religious Truth
Scientific Truth
Psychological Truth
Biological Truth
Economic Truth
 Ways of

K N O W I N G
General Method of Correspondence
We can know whether a
statement/belief is true by examining
whether the statement/belief
corresponds to, or represents, a fact
in the world. The sky is blue.

Water is not wet.

General Method of Coherence
We can know whether a
statement/belief is true by examining
whether the statement/belief coheres
with the rules of the relevant system

Three and three are six

Squares has four sides

Two and four is ten

Bachelors are married males
General Method of Pragmatism
We can know whether a
statement/belief is true by examining
the consequences of holding or
accepting the statement/belief to be
true.

Holding such beliefs to

explain unusual
phenomena and
dealing with their fears.
 observation

The method used to check if an empirical statement, a statement about an

observable fact in the world, correctly represents a fact in the world.

Internal observation (introspection) – is observation of our own thoughts and feelings.

External observation – is observation of things outside our mind or conciousness, the

physical objects, using our five senses.
 reasoning
The process of knowing or establishing truth by means of our reason, can be done in
a variety of ways.

Testing for coherence – whether two statements are contradictory or cannot be held
to be true at the same time.

Inference – proving the truth of a statement or belief on the basis of the truth of
another statement or belief.
 intuition
By direct grasping of the truth, we mean that we immediately know that something is
true without going through the processes of observation and reasoning.

This means that we have some kind of direct access to the truth that bypasses the
processes of observation and reasoning.
 mystical
experience
Provides the person having the experience some means of knowing something which
cannot be known using the usual methods of observation by our sense and organs
and reasoning.

The assumption is that there are some aspects of reality or some form of truths that
cannot be accessed or known using our normal ways of knowing.
 appeal to
authority
May take the form of a testimony of a reliable eyewitness, information provided by an
appropriate expert, and reliabledocuments, among others.

The required observation or reasoning to know a truth may have already been done
and documented by someone else.
C O N D I T I O N S
O F

K N O W L E D G E
 Knowledge by
Acquaintance
We use the word “know”
to mean acquaintance or
familiarity with a place or
person.
Practical Knowledge
We use the word “know”
to mean knowledge of
skills.
Propositional Knowledge
We use the word “know”
to mean knowledge of a
fact.
Justified True Knowledge
We can only correctly say that we
know X if and only if:
 We believe X to be true
 X is indeed true
 We are justified in believing X to be
true
Jose claims that he knows that Manila is the
capital of the Philippines
For Jose to really know Manila is the capital of the
Philippines, the following conditions should occur:
 Jose believes that Manila is the capital of the
Philippines.
 It is true that Manila is the capital of the Philippines.
 Jose is justified in believing that Manila is the capital
of the Philippines.
Conditions for Knowledge
 Belief
 Truth
 Knowledge
Types of
Disagreements
 “Facts don’t care about
your feelings.”

Disagreements in Belief
Disagreements about facts which are
properly resolved by verifying facts at
issue. Ben Shapiro
American Commentator
“I’m gonna make him an
offer he can’t refuse.”

Disagreements in Attitude
Disagreements over preferences
which are usually resolved by
persuasion, if not by compromise.

Don Vito Corleone “The Godfather”

Fictional Character
Verbal Disagreements
Disagreements that arise out of the
misunderstanding of the meanings of
our linguistic expressions; and they
are properly resolved by clarifying the
meanings of misunderstood linguistic
expressions.
 Next Topic

THE NATURE OF
HUMAN PERSONHOOD
Presentation by: Tristan Russell T. Arcangel