METHODS OF PHILOSOPHIZING

M A B E L L E A . B A G T A S O S - L E Y S A
 • Among the needs that
drive man to
Review
philosophize, which is
question:
the most relevant to you
as a learner?
 Which of the following statements are
TRUE ?
Activity 1: • The sun is the center of the solar system.

“Lets Ponder”
• Asia is the largest continent in the world.
• God made the world in seven days.
Answer the • Man has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness.
following • China’s continued presence in the Spratlys is a

statement if it
violation of international law.
• A person must always consider the interest of his
is True. •
or her family before his or her own happiness.
Citizens has the right to take up arms and
overthrow an oppressive government.
• The president has done very little to uphold
democracy and look after the interest of the
Filipino people.
Process Question in connection to activity 1:

• Were you able to easily judge the truthfulness of the

statement? Why?

• Which of the statements are obviously true? Which

ones required more thought to determine their truthfulness?
 KNOWLEDGE:

• Is the clear awareness and

understanding of something.

• It is the product of questions that

allow for clear answers provided
by facts.

• Our knowledge is comprised of

ideas and beliefs that we know to
be true.
Activity 2: Lets
explore. The
I know that…
learners will
share I know why…
knowledge by
completing the
statements. I know how…
What is truth and why is it important?

Truth is the property of being in • For example, we say that

accord with fact or reality

“I know the fish live in the

This simply means that what we
know is what observable or
water” because fish do
evident in the real world.
live in water.
Propositions or statements
which are observed to be real
or truthful are considered facts.
There are statements however that are not
evidently or immediately known to be true .
• For example we can say that “I • This statement is a claim, and

know that my school it's the further examination is required to

best school in the city” .This establish whether it is true or

false . you may know why reading
statement however , cannot
is the better activity than play
be taken as true since it is
basketball ,but that truth of your
simply not immediately
statement will be contested by
evident.
other people.
Truthful statements,
therefore can be
considered as based on
facts.

• Science considers truth as something

observable and empirical . This means that
any claim can be proven by verification and
experimentation.

• Philosophy has various views which can help

us tackle the concepts of knowing the truth,
and arrive at a reasonable assessment if a
statement, idea, or event is believable.
 Ancient Greek philosophers approached
the problem of truth by looking at the
nature of knowledge and how we know
How do we what we know.
know if Philosophers who pondered upon the
something is origins of knowledge doubted
everything that there is to know about
true? themselves and the world.

In doing so, they were able to better

understand the means by which humans
gain knowledge and determine the truth
about everything.
 Analyze the statements.

I am alive. Am I alive? I am alive!

I have a body. Do I have a body? I have a body!

I can breath. Can I breathe? I can breathe!

➢ This is one perspective on truth-that a belief is true if it can be justified or
proven through the use of one’s senses.
This is another basis for determining truth: a belief or statements is true if it
is based on facts.

Statements Doubt and revise Facts to guide (Dictionary)

I am a Filipino. Am I a Filipino? 1. A native of the Philippine Islands

2. A citizen of the Republic of the

Philippines.

3. The Tagalog-based official

language of the Republic of the
Philippines.
 Are you now convinced that you are a Filipino? If
not you can try doing the following:

❑Ask your parents and other relatives.

❑Look for officials documents that prove you are a Filipino.

❑Getting a consensus or having people agree on a common belief is another way

of determining what is true.

❑Determining the truth in this case requires a person to prove a statement

through an action.

❑Philosophers also believes that claims and beliefs should also be subjected to
tests to determine the truth.
 How can philosophy guide us in distinguishing
truth from opinion?
• Opinions are statements that go beyond providing facts. Opinions are
also bases for making arguments and convincing people that a certain
claim is a fact.

• Conclusion is a judgement based on certain facts. The facts that form bases
of a conclusion may not be disputed but the conclusion itself could still be
contested or questioned.

• Beliefs are statements that express convictions that are not easily and
clearly explained by facts.

• Explanations are statements that assume the claim to be true and provide
reason why the statement is true.

• Arguments are series of statements that provide reasons to convince the

reader or listener that a claim or opinion is truthful.
 • Arguments often take the form of
statements that are either claims of facts
and are phrased in such a way that they
What should we seem reasonable.

consider when • Fallacies are number of arguments that

looking at may be based on faulty reasoning.

arguments or
• Biased or the personal views of the
person presenting it. Biases are not

opinions? necessarily errors in reasoning, but refer

to tendencies or influences which affect
the views of people.
The following are example of fallacies:
The following are example of biases:
 Generalizations:

Philosophy is concerned with determining truth since it lies at the heart of

any inquiry.

The discussion of truth is part of philosophical studies on knowledge

where philosophers explore the nature of knowledge and the ways of
knowing.
 Quiz: identify the
following and choose
the best answer.
• 1. It is the clear awareness and
understanding of something.
a. Facts

b. Knowledge

c. Arguments

d. Claim
 Quiz: identify the
following and choose
the best answer.
• 2. These are statements which are
observed to real or truthful

• a. Facts
b. Knowledge

c. Arguments

d. Claim
 Quiz: identify the
following and choose
the best answer.
• 3. These are statements which need
to be examined to determine
whether they are true or false.

a. Facts
b. Knowledge

c. Arguments

d. Claim
 Quiz: identify the
following and choose
the best answer.
• 4. These are comprised of
statements that provide views on a
certain matter.

• a. Facts
b. Knowledge

c. Arguments

d. Claim
 Quiz: identify the
following and choose
the best answer.
• 5. This is judgement based on
certain facts.

• a. Facts
b. Knowledge

c. Arguments

d. Conclusion
 ESSAY:6-10

• What are the things that you

consider real, true, and
unchanging in your life?
 • Copy an article from the
Internet, a newspaper, or
magazine. Identify the facts and

Additional
opinions presented in the
article. Determine how you will
Activity: verify the facts and opinions
stated. Present your work in
class.
-END-