METHODS OF PHILOSOPHIZING

In today’s society, we encounter a lot of information:

o Media and our interactions with our friends, family, and members of the community.
o Most of the information we receive is helpful, but some may mislead us or may even be utterly false.
o Every day we are confronted with news, claims and announcements from our peers, family members,
figures of authority, the government, and media.
Philosophers often wrestle with the concept of truth.
Knowledge must be truthful to gain validity and acceptance.
For example, when we answer a “True or False” test, we judge if the statements we read are true or false.
This means that statements may have truth or may not have truth.
Statements about the world or reality are called “propositions” and these propositions may or may not carry
truth.
Propositions- stated as short statements or sentences.

WHAT IS THE TRUTH?

Knowledge Facts
The clear awareness and understanding of Propositions or statements which are
something. observed to be real or truthful
Product of questions that allow for clear Claim
answers provided by facts.
Comprised of ideas and beliefs that we know Statements that are not evidently or
to be true. immediately known to be true
Based on reality They require further examination to establish
What we know is what is observable or whether it is true or false.
evident in the real world.

How to know if something is true?

Ancient Greek Philosophers approached the problem of truth by looking at the nature of knowledge and how
we know what we know.
We assume that everything we know about this world is true. But philosophers who pondered upon the origins
of knowledge doubted everything there is to know about themselves and the world.
Doubt is very important in philosophy
o Drives our desire to discover truth.
o In philosophy, systematic doubt is employed to determine truth. This means that every statement, claim,
evidence, and is scrutinized and analyzed.
o Nothing is taken as true unless there is sufficient reason and evidence to prove that is indeed true.

A belief is true if…

Can be justified or prove through the use of one’s senses.
It is based on facts.
You get a consensus and people agree on a common belief.
o But this approach has certain limitations. Getting everyone agree on something may not make that
belief true.
There are official documents/ supporting facts.
 o Evidence especially documents can be forged or falsified. A person may be issued with documents
but it may contain wrong information or typographical error.
A person can prove a statement through an action.
Philosophers argue that a belief is true if... it is subjected to tests to determine the truth

How can philosophy guide us in distinguishing truth from opinion?

Opinion
Comprised of statements which not only
give facts but also provide conclusions or
perspectives regarding certain situations.
They may advance a belief about certain
things or provide explanations.
The bases for making arguments and
convincing people that a certain claim is a
fact.
They are often influenced by bias.
Conclusion
Judgement based on certain facts.
Beliefs
Statements that express convictions that
are not easily and clearly explained by
facts.
To judge the truthfulness of a belief, we
must also consider things such as the
person’s experiences and views.
Argument
Series of statements that provide reasons
to convince the reader or listener that a
claim or opinion is truthful.
They often take the form of statements that
are either claims of facts and are phrased
in such a way that they seem reasonable.
Logic
Is the branch of philosophy that focuses on
the analysis of arguments.

Arguments and fallacy

Arguments
Series of statements that provide reasons to convince the reader or listener that a claim or opinion is
truthful.
However, a number of arguments may be based on faulty reasoning.

Fallacy (Kamalian)
An idea that a lot of people think is true but is in fact false
A misleading argument

Kinds of Fallacy

Fallacy Characteristics
Ad hominem ➢ Attacking the person instead of the argument itself

Ad baculum ➢ Using the threat of force or an undesirable event to advance an

(appeal to force) argument
Ad misericordiam ➢ Using emotions such as pity and sympathy
(appeal to pity)
Ad populum ➢ The idea is presented as acceptable because a lot of people accept it
(appeal to majority or
bandwagon)
 Ad antiquitatem ➢ The idea is acceptable because it has been true for a long time
(appeal to tradition)
Ad verecundiam ➢ ‘Misusing’ an authority
➢ Assuming that what is true of a part is true for the whole
Fallacy of Composition

➢ Assuming that what is true for the whole is true for its parts
Fallacy of Division

➢ The generalization is reached too hastily. There are too few instances
Hasty Generalization or evidences to support such a conclusion.
Post Hoc ➢ Assuming a ‘cause-and-effect’ relationship between unrelated events
(false cause)

Bias (Pagkiling)
The personal views of the person presenting it.
They are not necessarily errors in reasoning, but refer to tendencies or influences which affect the views of
people.
Bias Characteristics
Correspondence bias ➢ Tendency to judge a person’s personality by his/her actions without
(Fundamental attribution regard for external factors or situations
error)
➢ The tendency to look for and accept information in a way that
Confirmation bias confirms one's own beliefs and reject ideas that go against it
➢ A person or group is connected to or has a vested interest in the
Conflict of interest issue
➢ Analyzing an event or issue based on one’s cultural standards
Cultural bias

➢ Focusing on a certain aspect of a problem while ignoring other

Framing aspects
Hindsight ➢ Is when, after an event occurs, we feel we already knew what was
(knew-it-all-along going to happen
phenomenon)

HOW CAN AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE DIFFERNCE BETWEEN TRUTH AND OPINION LEAD US TO
WISDOM?
Understanding of opinions and facts and the means to distinguish one from the other can further improve our
understanding and appreciation of varied views and ideas. The ability to determine truth goes hand in hand
with the holistic perspective and enables us to make wiser decisions, especially in choosing the ideas and
views which we find acceptable.
An individual cannot live his or her life just agreeing with everybody he or she meets. A critical mind aided by
philosophy can help us form our own personal point of view that can guide us in making decisions and actions
when faced with a problem.
Philosophy can help us determine ideas that are truthful and acceptable which we can then use to form our
own views regarding certain matters.
Philosophy can help us examine various views on relevant issues and our lives. An objective evaluation of
opinions and an awareness of our own personal biases can help us make wise choices regarding the most
acceptable views to adopt and the right actions to undertake.