Reviewer in Philosophy

WEEK 1

What is philosophy?
- Etymological definition: comes from two Greek words: philos or philo (love) and sophia (wisdom). The
ancient Greeks used this term to refer to “love of wisdom’.

- It is a DISCIPLINED and CRITICAL reflection on human EXPERIENCE.

- Philosophy is a human activity trying to HELP US MAKE SENSE from our daily living.

Evolution of Philosophical Inquiry

- What does it mean to be a good person? (Aristotle)

- What does it mean to be? (Rene Descartes)

- What does it mean? (Nietzsche)

- What does ‘it’ mean? (Bertrand Russell)

- What does it? (C.S. Lewis)

Different philosophical inquiries throughout the ages

-Ancient Era: The Search for ORIGIN of THINGS

- Medieval Era: Proving that One-True-God Exists

- Renaissance Era: Greatness of humankind

- Modern Era: In search for TRUTH

- Post-Modern Era: Meaning & Purpose

2 Perspectives in Philosophy

Partial Perspective

- focuses on specific aspects of a situation

- an important component of analytical thinking

Holistic Perspective

- looking at the “big picture” when describing and analyzing a situation or problem

- open mindset and an ability to get the general sense or impression regarding a situation
- enables a person to look back and consider general aspects of certain problems

- gives rise to a more appreciative perspective about life, as we are able to look at life in its totality.

Week 2

Review of the 1st week

Classical branches of Philosophy

• Philosophy of Man- branch of philosophy that investigates about how man could become more
humane and enhance his/her humanity

• Aesthetics- branch of philosophy that investigates the nature of value art and beauty

• Political Philosophy- branch of philosophy that inquires about the nature of laws governing the
state and the role of citizens

• Ethics or moral philosophy-branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of human acts.
Investigating the nature being good and bad.

• Philosophy of religion- branch of philosophy that inquires about the nature of man’s act of
believing to Supreme Being.

• Epistemology- branch of philosophy that deals with the origin, sources and nature of knowledge
in understanding truth.

• Logic- the art and science of correct and valid reasoning

• Metaphysics- branch of philosophy that deals with realities that go beyond the physical world.

Baby Step in Doing Philosophy

“One should develop a Holistic Perspective.”

Main Lesson

Philosophy as an activity:

1. As an activity, it begins with HUMAN EXPERIENCES.

2. HUMAN EXPERIENCES- daily and ordinary encounters.

Philosophy as an activity:

1. As an activity, it is DIRECTED towards gaining:

A. knowledge

B. Insight
C. Wisdom

D. Truth

E. Meaning

On Methods of Philosophizing:

One of the concerns of Philosophy is determining the truth since it lies at the heart of any inquiry.

The discussion on truth is part of philosophical studies on knowledge and the ways of knowing:
EPISTEMOLOGY

One of the concerns of Philosophy is determining the truth since it lies at the heart of any inquiry.

The discussion on truth is part of philosophical studies on knowledge and the ways of knowing:
EPISTEMOLOGY

Truth

In Philosophy, there is no generally acceptable definition of “truth.’ There are, however, various theories
of truth.

“Truth must be justified”

(passed the procedure of justification)
- Richard Rorty

Domains of Truth and their Justification

1. Objective domain: Objective (Experiment/empirical evidences)

2. Social Domain: Conventional/Agreement (Acceptability)

3. Personal Domain: Subjective (Consistency and authenticity of the person)

Knowledge

KNOWLEDGE is the awareness and understanding of ideas, things or objects or the world.

EMPIRICISM:

a school of thought that believes in the primacy of Sense perception in terms of origin of knowledge and
bases for validating truth

Examples of Empiricism

John Locke’s Tabula Rasa

David Hume’s Association theory
RATIONALISM

-A school of thought that believes in the primacy of reason as source of knowledge and validating truth.
It states that we all have INNATE knowledge of things recorded in our minds.

Examples of Rationalism theories:

Plato: Form and Matter

Rene Descartes: Systematic Doubt

Systematic Doubt a systematic process of being skeptical about (or doubting) the truth of one's beliefs,
which has become a characteristic method in philosophy.

SCIENTIFIC BASIS - Philosophy tirelessly draws from scientific discoveries fresh strength, material for
broad generalization, while to the sciences, it imparts the world-view and methodological impulses of its
universal principles.

Justification of truth

1. Must be justified in 3 domains: Objective, Social and Subjective domains

2. Validated through Sense perception: Experience
3.Validated through reasoning: Logic and Science

Facts vs Claims

Facts - are in consonance with the measures of Truth

Claim - is a statement, and a further examination is required to establish whether it is true or false.