What is Philosophy?
Divisions of Philosophy
 Etymological Definition
o Comes from the two Greek words “Philo” meaning “love” and
”Sophia” meaning “wisdom”.
o Love is an urge or a drive of a will towards a particular object. As a
drive, love always seeks unity with its object and desires to
possess its object. Thus, wisdom cannot be dissociated from
knowledge.
o Truth is the ultimate object of knowledge.
o Philosophy is absolutely committed to the truth, “the whole truth
and nothing but the truth.”
o Truth is being shown and practiced by a man of wisdom.
o Now, if philosophy means love of wisdom, to philosophize,
therefore, is to be in quest, or to have a desire towards loving and
living the truth (Babor, 2007)
 Technical definition
o Philosophy is defined as “the science of beings in their ultimate
reasons, causes, and principles acquired by the aid of human
reason alone (Bittle, 1984).”
 Philosophy as a science – Philosophy is a science because
the questioning is given more importance than the
answers to the questions, since answers can become
questions themselves. (Babor 2007)
 Philosophy is a science of beings – As a science of beings,
it covers all the things that can be reached by the human
mind. This includes man, the world, God, everything that
is, or becomes, or is known.
 Philosophy searches for the ultimate reasons, causes and
principles of beings – This means that philosophy studies
the ultimate “whys and wherefores” of beings.
 Philosophy uses the power or natural light of reason - The
study of philosophy helps us acquired by the aid of human
reason alone. Meaning, philosophy doesn’t base its
knowledge on authority, but solely on the reasoning
power of the human mind.
 Practical divisions of Philosophy - composed of philosophical fields, which
study not only to obtain knowledge and wisdom but also to use that
knowledge and wisdom for practical purposes.
o Logic (Questions related to Reasoning)
 Logic studies the laws of thought. It is the science of
correct reasoning. This covers the study of simple
apprehension and ideas, judgment and proposition,
reasoning and arguments.
o Ethics (Questions related to Morality)
 Ethics deals with development of a virtuous and moral
character. It is the science of the morality of human acts
as ordained to the end.
o Axiology (Questions related to Values)
 It is the science of value. It is the study of the origin,
nature, functions, types, and interrelations of values.
o Aesthetics (Questions related to Beauty and Taste)
 It is the science of beauty and art. Beauty means the
quality attributed to whatever pleases the beholder such
as form, color, and behavior. Art is creativeness and skill
in making or doing things that have form and beauty. It
includes the concept of creativity, expression,
representation, form, and style.
o Semantics (Questions related to Meaning)
 It is the science of meaning. It studies the natural and
artificial language scientifically. This includes the study of
the relations of words to the objects denoted by them,
the relations of words to the interpreters of them, and, in
symbolic logic, the formal relations of signs to one
another (syntax).
 Speculative Division of Philosophy - is made up of philosophical fields
whose main concern is the acquisition of knowledge without any thought
of applying it for any practical use.
o Epistemology (Questions related to Truth and Knowledge)
 Epistemology is the science of knowledge. This includes
the statement and solution to the critical problem,
nature, origin, objectivity, and validity of knowledge, truth
and certitude.
 o Theodicy (Questions related to God)
 Theodicy is the science of God - His nature, existence,
essence, attributes and operations.
o Cosmology (Questions related to Universe)
 Cosmology is the science of the universe – its origin and
development with its parts, elements, laws, especially its
characteristics with regard to space, time, causality and
freedom.
o Psychology (Questions related to Soul)
 Psychology is science of soul. The study deals man not
only as a sensing or thinking subject but also as a being
composed of body and soul.
o Metaphysics (Questions related to Being and Existence)
 It studies the nature of the mind, the self, and
consciousness. It is the science which deals with the
nature of being, its attributes, constituent principles, and
causes.
Why the study of Philosophy is important?
 According to Zunjic (2011) studying or doing philosophy could be
beneficial in many regards such as:
o Philosophy enlarges our understanding of the world. It
expands our intellectual horizons and freedom of thought.
o Philosophy raises public awareness and helps in forming
engaged and responsible citizens. Philosophy can increase our
sensitivity for universalistic moral values and stimulate our
readiness to stand up for the principles of justice and fairness.
o Philosophy can give one self-knowledge, foresight, and a
sense of direction in life.
Why is there a need to philosophize?
1. Men have the tendency to wonder (Plato).
2. Men also have the tendency to doubt (Rene Descartes).
3. Men do philosophize because of his/her experience (Karl Jaspers). Our
daily experience challenged our ideas and way of thinking.
4. Men’s love for wisdom (Socrates). Men’s desire for truth or seeking of
knowledge is not to claim ownership of it but to get the bottom of things.
Who are the most notable ancient Greek philosophers?
1. Pythagoras (570 BCE to 495 BCE) – He is a mathematician and a scientist,
and he was credited with formulating the Pythagorean theorem.
2. Heraclitus (535 BCE to 475 BCE)- He proposed that everything that exist is
based on a higher order or plan which he called logos.
3. Democritus (460 BCE to 370 BCE) – He primarily remembered today for
his formulation of an atomic theory of the universe. He was the first to
propose that matter is composed of tiny particles called atom.
4. Diogenes of Sinope (412 BCE to 323 BCE)- He was known as advocate of
living a simple and virtuous life. His teachings and views influenced the
development of several schools of philosophy such as Cynicism and
Stoicism.
5. Epicurus (341 BCE to 270 BCE) – He believed that philosophy could enable
man to live a life of happiness. His perspective gave rise to Epicureanism –
a school of philosophy which believes that wisdom and simple living will
result in a life free of fear and pain.
6. Socrates (470 BCE to 399 BCE) – He was considered the foremost
philosopher of ancient times. He contributed much to the field of ethics.
He was known of developing Socratic Method - a means of examining a
topic by devising a series of questions that let the learner examine and
analyze his knowledge and views regarding the topic
7. Plato (427 to 347 BCE) –A student of Socrates, he wrote some of his
mentor’s teachings and incorporated some of his own ideas.
a. Plato’s most significant ideas included his Theory of Forms, which
proposes that everything that exist is based on the idea that can
only be perceived in mind.
b. He is famous for his dialectic - a method of inquiry where two
opposing ideas are discussed in an attempt to arrive in a new
knowledge.
8. Aristotle (384 BCE to 322 BCE) – He attended the Academy and was a
prominent student of Plato. He goes against the idea of Plato’s theory of
forms and took a different stance in interpreting reality.
 For him, all ideas and views are based on perception and our
reality is based on what we can sense and perceive. Aristotle was
involved in a great variety of discipline such as zoology,
psychology, ethics, and politics.
 He formulated a formal process of analyzing reasoning –
deductive reasoning – the process by which specific statements
are analyzed to reach a conclusion or generalization.