SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

INTRODUCTION TO THE
PHILOSOPHY OF THE
HUMAN PERSON
Quarter 1 – Module 1:
DOING PHILOSOPHY
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Philosophy – Grade 11/12
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 1 – Module 1: Doing Philosophy
First Edition, 2020

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 11/12

INTRODUCTION
TO THE
PHILOSOPHY OF
THE HUMAN
PERSON
Quarter 1 – Module 1:
DOING PHILOSOPHY

3
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:

Welcome to the Introduction To The Philosophy of The Human Person (Grade

11/12) Alternative Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on Doing Philosophy.

This module was collaboratively designed, developed and reviewed by educators both
from public and private institutions to assist you, the teacher or facilitator in helping
the learners meet the standards set by the K to 12 Curriculum while overcoming
their personal, social, and economic constraints in schooling.

This learning resource hopes to engage the learners into guided and independent
learning activities at their own pace and time. Furthermore, this also aims to help
learners acquire the needed 21st century skills while taking into consideration their
needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the body of
the module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies
that will help you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this module.
You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to manage
their own learning. Furthermore, you are expected to encourage and assist the
learners as they do the tasks included in the module.
For the learner:

Welcome to the Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person Alternative

Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on Doing Philosophy.

The hand is one of the most symbolized part of the human body. It is often used to
depict skill, action and purpose. Through our hands we may learn, create and
accomplish. Hence, the hand in this learning resource signifies that you as a learner
is capable and empowered to successfully achieve the relevant competencies and
skills at your own pace and time. Your academic success lies in your own hands!

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful opportunities for
guided and independent learning at your own pace and time. You will be enabled to
process the contents of the learning resource while being an active learner.

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

What I Need to Know This will give you an idea of the skills or
competencies you are expected to learn in the module.

What I Know This part includes an activity that aims to check what
you already know about the lesson to take. If you get all the answers
correct (100%), you may decide to skip this module.

What’s In This is a brief drill or review to help you link the current
lesson with the previous one.
What’s New In this portion, the new lesson will be introduced to you in
various ways such as a
story, a song, a poem, a problem opener, an
activity or a situation.

What is It This section provides a brief discussion of the lesson. This

aims to help you discover and understand new concepts and skills.

What’s More This comprises activities for independent practice to

solidify your understanding and skills of the topic. You may check the
answers to the exercises using the Answer Key at the end of the module.

What I Have Learned This includes questions or

blank sentence/paragraph to be filled in to process what you
learned from the lesson.

What I Can Do This section provides an activity which will help you
transfer your new knowledge or
skill into real life situations or concerns.

Assessment This is a task which aims to evaluate your level of mastery

in achieving the learning competency.

Additional Activities In this portion, another activity will be given to

you to enrich your knowledge or skill of

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 the lesson learned. This also tends retention of
learned concepts.

Answer Key This contains answers to all activities in the

module.

At the end of this module you will also find:

References This is a list of all sources used in

developing this module.

The following are some reminders in using this module:

1. Use the module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on any part of the
module. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises.
2. Don’t forget to answer What I Know before moving on to the other activities
included in the module.
3. Read the instruction carefully before doing each task.
4. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking your answers.
5. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
6. Return this module to your teacher/facilitator once you are through with it.
If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do not
hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator. Always bear in mind that you are
not alone.

We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful learning and
gain deep understanding of the relevant competencies. You can do it!

What I Need to Know

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help you master
the nature of Philosophy. The scope of this module permits it to be used in many
different learning situations. The language used recognizes the diverse vocabulary
level of students. The lessons are arranged to follow the standard sequence of the
course. But the order in which you read them can be changed to correspond with the
textbook you are now using.

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The module is divided into three parts, namely:

• Part 1 – The Nature and Functions of Philosophy

• Part 2 – Philosophical Tools and Processes
• Part 3 – Philosophical Reflection

After going through this module, you are expected to accomplish the following Most
Essential Learning Competencies:
1. Distinguish a holistic perspective from a partial point of view.
2. Realize the value of doing philosophy in obtaining a broad perspective on life.
3. Do a philosophical reflection on a concrete situation from a
holistic perspective.
What I Know

Direction: Choose the letter that corresponds to your answer from the
statements below. Write your answers on other sheet of paper.
______1.It is an activity that requires a person to examine his or her thoughts, feelings
and actions and learn from experience.
A. reflection C. wondering
B. questioning D. reasoning
______2. What is the science and art of correct thinking?
A. Ethics C. Metaphysics
B. Aesthetics D. Logic
______3. The type of philosophical reflection which trains the mind to think logically.
It is also the ability of the mind to construct and evaluate arguments
A. Secondary reflection C. Primary reflection
B. Tertiary reflection D. all of the above
______4. One of the triumvirate Greek philosophers who pioneered a method of
argument called dialectic.
A. Plato C. Pythagoras
B Socrates D. Aristotle
______5. This is the process of thinking about something in a logical way in order to
form a conclusion or judgement.
A. reasoning C. intuition
B. proposition D. reflection
______6. It is a term used to describe a method of philosophical argument that
involves some sort of contradictory process between opposing sides.
A. deductive C. Inductive
B. dialectic D. reflective
______7. It is the idea that various systems (e.g. physical, biological, social) should
be viewed as wholes, not merely as a collection of parts.
A. holism C. existentialism
B. idealism D. rationalism
______8. According to Gabriel Marcel this type of reflection enables us to look deeper
into our experiences and see the bigger picture of reality.
A. Secondary reflection C. Primary reflection
B. Tertiary reflection D. all of the above

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______9. The western philosophical tradition originated in______.
A. Greece C. India
B. China D. Egypt
_____10. What is the branch of Philosophy that studies the nature and means of
human knowledge?
A. Metaphysics C. Politics
B. Ethics D. Epistemology

Lesson

1 What is Philosophy?
More than 2500 years ago a sage in South Asia named Gautama Buddha
declared that “Life is suffering.” This is the first of his Four Noble Truths. And indeed
if you look at your life you will see that it is a series of challenges that you have to
overcome if you want to survive. It feels like you are competing in a race in which you
are required to successfully jump hurdles in order to win. And each challenge in life
is really a question or a bunch of questions that you have to answer. If you are not
feeling well for example you might ask, Why am I feeling this way (cause)? How can I
overcome it (process)? How it will affect my life and the people around me
(consequence)?

Philosophy, our subject matter for this course, is really all about questions
and answers. And since by now you already asked and answered hundreds of
questions your life experienced already prepared you to take our philosophical
journey starting now.

What’s In

Picture Analysis
Direction: Look at the picture below and answer the following questions.

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 Source: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/driventoabstraction/2018/07/blind-men-elephant-folklore-knowledge/
retrieved May 2020

1. What do you notice from the picture?

______________________________________________________________________________
2. Did anyone get the correct answer? Why or why not?

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

3. What does this picture imply about our effort to understand the realities
of life or answer our perennial problems?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

Notes to the Teacher

The chosen texts are meant to facilitate the learner’s
acquisition of insight on the topic. The role of the teacher is to
stimulate the minds of the learners, guide, equip them with the
needed skills, provide scafoldings and hope that eventually apply
the learned skills in their daily life.

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 What’s New
Imagine that a vaccine for Covid -19 is already available and therefore
the community quarantine was lifted throughout the
Philippines. Freedom at last! You decided to travel the country.
However during one of your travel adventures you come upon
an unfamiliar area and therefore as much as you hate to admit
it you have to accept the truth: you are lost.

Obviously the very first question you want to answer is the

question Where am I? However to answer this question another
question needs answering: How can I discover it? or How do I
know it? Should you ask a stranger for directions?

Should you consult Google Map? Should you look for clues on
road signs and street names? Answering these questions are important because
knowledge is not automatic. There is a method in knowing something including
knowing your present location.

When you answer the first two

questions successfully you will
discover your location. You are
no longer lost. Still you need to
Where am I? answer one remaining question:
How do I know it? What should I do? Should you
What should I do? walk, take a bus, wait for
someone to fetch you? You need
to take one of these actions to
arrive successfully at
your
destination.

You might not realize this but you are already doing philosophy when you are
answering these three questions:

-Where am I?

-How do I know it?

-What should I do?

The reason is that these three questions are the primary questions of philosophy.
Let us now turn our attention to philosophy.

What is It

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I. The Nature and Functions of Philosophy

DEFINITION OF PHILOSOPHY
Traditionally philosophy is defined as love of wisdom because it came from two
Greek words philos (love) and Sophia (wisdom). You might find it strange to connect
love to philosophy. You might think of philosophy as a purely intellectual discipline
which has nothing to do with love. You might believe love is romance, poetry, intense
passion in which you are willing to lay down your life. But you will see that
philosophy can also be pursued passionately. In fact some people like Socrates died
for truth. It is this centrality of love to philosophy that we call people who engages in
philosophy as philosophers (lovers of wisdom).

ORIGIN OF PHILOSOPHY
Greece is the birthplace of philosophy in the West. To be more
precise it is the ancient Greek city of Miletus in the Western coast
of what is now Turkey that gave birth to philosophy. It is in this city
that the first philosopher in the West, Thales, lived. Thales is the
Father of Philosophy in the Western civilization. He lived between
624 and 546 BCE a contemporary of the Lydian king Croesus and
the statesman Solon (Stumpf and Fieser,2008).
What made Thales a philosopher is his desire to know the
ultimate stuff that makes up the different things we perceived. You
THALES see when we look at the world we encounter different things: people, trees,

clouds, mountains, rivers, etc. Now Thales believed that despite the different things
we encounter there is one underlying stuff or substance in which everything is
composed. He believes that there is One in the Many. Thales was the first individual
who tried to reduce the multiplicity in to a unity (Jones,1969).

But his explanation of natural phenomena is devoid of gods and goddesses of the
old religion of Greece. It is completely rational. It represents a departure from the
mythological religion of Greece. Thales approach highlights the difference between
religion and philosophy. Religion rests on faith while philosophy rests on reason.

PHILOSOPHICAL ACTIVITY
Thales greatest contribution to philosophy is not his identification of water as
the ultimate stuff of the universe. His greatest contribution is the problem he posed
“What is the ultimate stuff of the universe?” and his approach in solving that
problem. Studying Thales makes us realize that philosophical activity is
characterized by three things:
First in terms of scope philosophy involves the widest generalizations (Rand,
1982). While people concern themselves with shoes and clothes, the latest gossip
about their favorite celebrities, their crushes, philosophers concern themselves with
big issues pertaining to the truth, , the good, the just, the beautiful, and the
existence of practically all things. While scientists concern themselves with scientific
knowledge, historians with knowledge of the past, economists with knowledge of

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supply and demand, philosophers concern themselves with the nature of knowledge
as such (which embraces all types of knowledge previously mentioned and more).

Second philosophy is all about fundamentals. A fundamental is the root cause

that explains almost everything in a given context. To understand this imagine that
knowledge is like a building with levels. Now the higher level depends on the lower
levels (Peikoff, 1991). If somehow the lower level crumbles then all the higher levels
that rest upon it will collapse. A fundamental is like the lower floor that supports
everything above it. That kind of support is exactly what philosophy provides. If
somehow philosophical ideas like consciousness and existence disappear then
knowledge of any kind will not make any sense because there will be nothing to know
(existence) and no one to know (consciousness).

Third philosophy is driven by the desire to integrate things in to a one coherent

whole. As the celebrated philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel said “The true
is the Whole (Peikoff, 1991).” If you notice Thales wants to reduce the multiplicity of
things into a single stuff. He desires to find the One in the many.

BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY
Since philosophy’s concern is vast, we have to divide it into different branches.
Each branch will focus on a specific area of philosophy. To understand the branches
of philosophy let us return to the three central philosophical questions we explored
earlier.

First the question, Where am I? By the time we reached adulthood we believe we

know the answer to this question. In fact we believed that the answer is obvious that
we don’t bother to look closely at the question itself. Where am I? Well let’s say I’m in
Manila. You don’t need philosophy to answer that one. But if you ask a series of
where questions (Where is Manila? Where is the Philippines? etc.) which at first
seems childish you eventually end up with the universe. And here we have to stop
asking the where question (Where is the universe is an absurd question. The universe
does not exist in a place). What kind of place is the universe? Is it governed by laws?
If so what laws? The study of the universe as a whole is the province of metaphysics.
Metaphysics is further subdivided into ontology which studies existence as such
and philosophical anthropology which deals with the fundamental and essential
characteristics of human nature (Gotthelf and Salmieri, 2015).
The second question, How do I know it? concerns the nature of human knowledge
and the way to obtain it. How do we obtain knowledge? Do we obtain knowledge by
revelation, intuition, instinct or reason? Can we achieve certainty or are we doomed
to suffer perpetual doubt? Is knowledge based on the things we perceive or from
something else? This is the concern of epistemology which can be defined as the
“branch of philosophy that studies the nature and means of human knowledge.” We
need epistemology to guide us in knowing since we make mistakes from time to
time.
The first two branches of philosophy, metaphysics and epistemology, are called
cognitive branches. These branches provide a description of being (existence) and
knowing. They are the foundations of understanding any philosophical system.

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 The next three branches of philosophy (ethics, politics and aesthetics) can be
classified as the normative branches of philosophy because they are concerned with
the standard of the good. If the cognitive branches are concerned with what “is” the
normative branches are concerned with what “ought” to be.
The most basic normative branch of philosophy is ethics or morality (I used this
two concepts interchangeably). It is concerned with the last of the three questions
central to philosophy: What should I do? Ethics can be regarded as the technology of
philosophy (I owe this analogy to the philosopher Ayn Rand) because it tells us how
human beings ought to function as a human being. But in order to describe how
human beings ought to act we must first know what a human being is. These last is
provided by metaphysics and epistemology. (This is especially true of philosophical
anthropology a sub-branch of metaphysics which studies the metaphysical nature
of man (see discussion above). Metaphysics and epistemology are the foundations of
ethics.
What then is ethics or morality? According to Ayn Rand ethics or morality is a
branch of philosophy that provides a human being with a “code of values to guide
man’s choices and actions - the choices and actions that determine the course of his
life (Rand, 1964).” It is concerned with the values man ought to pursue, the
interrelationships of those values and the means to obtain them (virtue).
The last two normative branches of philosophy, politics and aesthetics, are
derived from ethics. Ethics is concerned with the good for human being as a human
being. If we apply ethics in a social context then it becomes politics. The concern
therefore of ethics is broader than politics. It studies the “good” for human beings in
any setting (whether society is present or not). An individual who is alone in an island
still has to follow ethical principles if he wishes to survive (Peikoff, 1991).

So what then is politics? Again following Rand’s definition politics is a branch of

philosophy “which defines the principles of a proper social system.” According to
Rand “proper” means proper for human beings which presupposes that one knows
what a human being is. Since knowledge about human being is provided by the
cognitive branches of philosophy, the foundation of politics ultimately rests on
metaphysics and epistemology.

The last of the normative branch, aesthetics studies the nature of art. It is
concerned with the nature and the objective judgement of beauty.
II. Philosophical Tools and Processes

Philosophy as a science is also a systematized body of knowledge but unlike other

sciences which employs observation and experimentation to prove their theories,
philosophy uses reason to arrive at a certain knowledge or truth. At the onset

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Greek philosophers gave us a hint on how to use our
intellect to understand realities around us. The tools that
they frequently utilized are the following:
1. Philosophical Questions. Philosophy was born because
of ignorance. If one is ignorant, he asks questions and
if he keeps on questioning the more knowledge he
acquires. Once a person stops questioning, he cease to
become a philosopher. In our daily struggles, one needs
to ask questions simple, serious and deep questions
that we have to grapple with. A philosopher is like a
child who has an inquisitive mind who never stops
asking questions and finding answers.
SOCRATES

Socrates went further not just asking questions for himself but poses questions
to people which is the beginning of series of questions and responses from
participants. This philosophical questioning can be best described from an excerpt
from Plato’s apology of Socrates below:
“…But let us examine each one of the parts of this charge. Now he asserts that
I do injustice by corrupting the young. But I, men of Athens, assert that Meletus does
injustice, in that he jest in a serious matter, easily bringing human beings into trial,
pretending to be serious and concerned about things for which he never cared at all.
That this is so, I will try to display to you as well. Now come here, Meletus, tell; do
you not regard it as most important how the youth will be the best possible?” (Plato’s
apology of Socrates, 24C)

His method is called dialectics. The Socratic Method, also known as method of
elenchus, elenctic method, or Socratic debate, is a form of cooperative argumentative
dialogue between individuals, based on asking and answering questions to stimulate
critical thinking and to draw out ideas and underlying presuppositions.
(Google.com/search) Aristotle said that it was the preSocratic philosopher Zeno of
Elea who invented dialectic, of which the dialogues of Plato are the examples of the
Socratic dialectical method. According to Kant, however, the ancient Greeks used
the word "dialectic" to signify the logic of false appearance or semblance. Dialectics
is a term used to describe a method of philosophical argument that involves some
sort of contradictory process between opposing sides. As a dialectical method, it is
a discourse between two or more people holding different points of view about a
subject but wishing to establish the truth through reasoned arguments.
18th century philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel expounded dialectics
which later influenced Karl Marx, the father of communism.

2. Logical Reasoning. In philosophy reasoning is the process of thinking

about something in a logical way in order to form a conclusion or judgement. It has
been the method institutionalized by the triumvirate Greek philosophers specially
Aristotle. Philosophy is about answering questions. Reasoning is the method we use
in doing philosophy. However, although it is necessary for any competent
engagement with philosophy, it is not the end all and be all of philosophy. All
branches of philosophy employ reasoning in explaining their arguments. For example

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 the concept of right or wrong which is the domain of Ethics based their arguments
in human reason alone in contrast with theology which is dependent from the Bible
as the source of its moral teachings. Reasoning however is the domain of one branch
of philosophy which is Epistemology. One type of logical reasoning is the deductive
reasoning:

Example: Premise 1: All human beings are mortal

Premise 2: But the President of the Philippines is a human being

Conclusion: Therefore, the President of the Philippines is mortal.

Here we are taught to arrive at a certain truth or knowledge in a logical process. In

contrast, Inductive reasoning begins with a particular to universal argument.

Example: Premise: Student A, B, C, D, E, F….. are wearing School ID.

Conclusion: Therefore, All students are wearing ID

The above examples show the logical process wherein by reasoning one arrives at a
certain truth or knowledge. Logic starts with the origin of ideas, terms, propositions
or premises, syllogism, etc. These terms are the basic structure of argument.
Unfortunately, this branch of philosophy is equivalent to one-subject requirement in
any course in the tertiary level.

III. Philosophical Reflection

In the midst of our present crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, consistently, the
government kept on reminding us the ‘essentials’ of things and concerns that are
necessary during the quarantine period whether under ECQ, GCQ, or MECQ. In our
case, we changed our competencies and emphasized the most essential ones. This
is the essence of philosophy. It tries to separate the essences of things versus
accidentals and necessary versus contingent. It is concern of what is the substance
and ultimate causes of things.
When we venture into philosophizing we see the greater perspective of all things
and see the ultimate purpose or reasons for our existence. Most of us are so engross
with individual trees and we miss the whole forest as the saying goes. We are always
predispose to attend to the details of the problem rather than look at the situation
as a whole. This is true in our understanding of the objects, events, realities and
situations around us. Reflection is the process that would aide in understanding the
holistic point of view of what is going on around us.

Reflection is an activity that requires a person to examine his or her thoughts,

feelings and actions and learn from experience. (Abella, 2016). . Philosophers always
search for the essence of things and the ultimate reasons for our existence.
Its trajectory is to see the bigger picture about everything. This process is called
philosophical reflection. According to Gabriel Marcel, philosophical reflection is the
act of giving time to think about the meaning and purpose of life. He mentioned two
types, namely: Primary Reflection- which is the ability to think logically. The ability

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of the mind to construct and evaluate arguments. It examines its object by
abstraction, by analytically breaking it down into its constituent parts. It is
concerned with definitions, essences and technical solutions to problems. The second
type is Secondary reflection. According to Marcel this type of reflection enables us
to look deeper into our experiences and see the bigger picture of reality. It integrates
the fragmented and compartmentalized experience into a whole. It is the idea that
various systems (e.g. physical, biological, social) should be viewed as wholes, not
merely as a collection of parts. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holism In effect we see
the broader perspective of life.

Reflection is not exclusive for philosophy in fact it is employed in any endeavour,

research or disciplines. In research it is called methodological approach. Moral
theology employs the STOP sign as guidepost of moral decision making. S= Search
out the facts. It is necessary that all means should be exhausted to better understand
the issue. T=Think, reflect and analyse the facts, its negative or positive effects,
advantages or disadvantages. O= How it affects Others. We should always consider
others in every decision that we make. Every action that we take has always a social
dimension. It affects ourselves, others and community where we belong. Lastly P=
stands for Pray. We are human beings with limitations. If our best effort are not
enough, then there is no way but look up for divine or God for enlightenment and
guidance. Praying is a unique tool of theology which is in the realm of faith but
philosophy’s reasoning helps in undergoing a theological reflection as St. Anselm
said, “its faith seeking understanding.” St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the great
theologian of the church quoted in latin the relationship between philosophy and
theology; ‘philosophia ancilla theologiae’ or philosophy is the handmaid of theology
the former is there to serve theology. Reason is also important in theology not just
faith. Whether in philosophy, sociology or other sciences, reflection is very useful in
understanding our daily experiences to broaden our perspective of life.

In order to reflect philosophically we need to use a framework. A framework is a

conceptual map consisting of our views and beliefs which affects the way we view the
world (Abella 2016). The framework were going to used is called AQAL. It is an
acronym that stands for All Quadrants All Levels first formulated by an American
philosopher/psychologist Ken Wilber. Wilber first introduced AQAL to the world in
his book Sex, Ecology, Spirituality.

According to Wilber everything can be analysed using a vertical line.

The line above divides space into two sides: left and right. The left side represents
the interior, subjective, aspect of everything. The right side represents the exterior,
objective, aspect of everything. The interior (or “loob” in Filipino) if applied to human
beings, includes one’s values, dreams, ideas, emotions, beliefs. It basically consists

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of one’s inner life. It cannot be seen or measured but can be experienced directly.
The exterior side of everything are the things that we can see, measure and touch.
They include the physical objects around us including our own bodies.
A simple example of this inside/outside distinction is when a person smiles at
you. You see the big smile so it is the exterior aspect of an event. But at the same
time there is a subjective meaning behind that smile: let’s say the person is happy.
This is the interior, subjective, aspect of the event. So you see two strands are
interwoven behind any human event: the objective and the subjective, the interior
and the exterior.
Another basic distinction was introduced by Ken Wilber using a horizontal line
that divides space into above and below:

Above the line represents what is singular, individual, one. The space below
represents what is plural, collective, many. For example you are an individual but
you belong in a family, community, class (all instances of the collective).
An interesting thing happen when we combine the two lines.

We created what Wilber calls the quadrants. According to Wilber quadrants are
“the inside and outside of the individual and collective (Wilber 2006).”

There are many ways to describe the quadrants. We can use the simple location
of each of the quadrant. So the interior of the individual is the upper left quadrant
(UL), the exterior of the individual is the upper right quadrant (UR), the interior of

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the collective is the lower left quadrant (LL) and the exterior of the collective is the
lower right quadrant (LR).

We can also use pronouns to label the quadrants as shown below:

Quadrants expressed in language

But what we are interested is when we apply this to human beings. The inside
of the individual becomes the mind, the outside of the individual becomes the body,
the inside of the collective becomes culture and the outside of the collective becomes
society.

Quadrants as applied to human beings

Now when we reflect on the nature of any concrete issue like poverty, corruption,
prostitution, global warming we can just put the issue at the center of the quadrant

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and analyzed its mental, physical, cultural and social components. This is looking at
an issue from an all quadrant, multiple and holistic perspective.

Multiple Perspectives

Let’s take for example the issue of poverty. How do we reflect on the issue using
the AQAL framework? Well we know that poverty has a psychological aspect (UL
quadrant) to it. It affects the way we think, feel and even what we value. But it does
not stop there. Poverty also affects bodies (UR quadrant). It affects our nutrition, our
medication and immune system. Some children have stunted growth due to poverty.
And who could deny that poverty also affects the culture such as arts, religion and
even the way we dress. Religious feast such as the procession of the Black Nazarene
is in part motivated by poverty. And of course it is obvious that poverty has an
economic, political and even technological components (all parts of the social LR
quadrant).
Self- pity
Malnutrition

POVERTY

Inflation
Collective aspiration for

a better life

What’s More
Inquire and Discover
1. Read the following passages for ten (10) minutes.

a) Quotation from Plato’s Apology (38a): “The unexamined life is not worth
living.”

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 b) Excerpt from Sapagkat ang Pilosopiya ay Ginagawa ni Roque Ferriols, S.J.

“May mga taong gusto raw matutong lumangoy. Nakasuot-panlangoy na sila at

sama-sama silang nakatayo sa tabi ng swimingpul. May notbuk at bolpen ang
bawat isa.

Nagsalita ang guro. “Una sa lahat,” aniya, “magsanay ka munang

magtampisaw sa tubig, Tapos huwag huminga pero idilat ang mga mata at
magpasailalaim sa tubig. Tapos basta’t dumapa. Huwag matakot. Lulutang ka.
Tapos, matutong gumalaw ng paa, matutong gumalaw ng kamay. Matutong
huminga. At paulit-ulit na pagsikapan at pagtiyagaan ang praksis.” Habang
siyaý nagsasalita, masipag nilang sinusulat ang lahat ng sinabi niya.

“At ngayon,” patuloy niya, “eto ang swimingpul. Oras nang magsimula.
Lundagin mo beybe!” Walang lumundag, pero sulat nang sulat pa rin sila. “Hoy,
sa tubig na kayo! Walang kabuluhan ang sulat-sulat niyo kung hindi ninyo
ginagawa.” Wala pa rin lumulundag. Sulat pa rin sila nang sulat.”

2. Did you enjoy reading the quotations? If so, you might consider answering the
following questions:
a) What does Plato mean when he says “unexamined life”?
b) Based on the Ferriols’ text, what do you think the students are thinking
when they are diligently copying the instructions given by the teacher
instead of diving into the pool?
c) Why is the teacher so keen on making the learners jump in the swimming
pool instead of just taking down notes on how to swim?

3. Write the following terms on your paper: a) day-to-day life, b) reflection, and
c) application

4. In reference to question #3, do the following:

a) Define what each term refers to.
b) Share a belief narrative where they encountered the three moments in their
own life.
c) Give insights as to the importance of reflection and application in one’s
day-to-day life.

What I Have Learned

IMPORTANT POINTS TO PONDER

Direction: Complete the statements below:

I learned that Philosophy is_______________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

I feel that Philosophy is important because________________________________________

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__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

I commit to apply Philosophy in __________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________

What I Can Do
Direction: Do a quadratic analysis on COVID-19 pandemic using the
diagram below:

Covid-19

pandemic

Assessment

Direction: Choose the letter that corresponds to your answer from the
statements below. Write your answers on the sheet of paper.
_____1.It is an activity that requires a person to examine his or her thoughts, feelings
and actions and learn from experience.
A. reflection C. wondering
B. questioning D. reasoning
______2.What is the science and art of correct thinking?
A. Ethics C. Metaphysics
B. Aesthetics D. Logic
______3. The type of philosophical reflection which trains the mind to think
logically. Also it is the ability of the mind to construct and evaluate
arguments
A. Secondary reflection C. Primary reflection

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B. Tertiary reflection D. all of the above
______4. One of the triumvirate Greek philosophers who pioneered a method of
argument called dialectic.
A. Plato C. Pythagoras
B. Socrates D. Aristotle
______5. It is considered as the process of thinking about something in a logical way
in order to form a conclusion or judgement.
A. reasoning C. argument
B. Proposition D. Reflection
_____6. In our daily lives we encounter events, situations or issues that we need to
ponder and think deeply. This activity which requires a person to examine his
or her thoughts, feelings and actions and learn from experience is related to
the concept of:
A. philosophical reflection C. philosophical wondering
B. philosophical questioning D. philosophical reasoning
_____7. Imagine that you are in Boracay walking with Thales. He is convincing you
that the only reality is water. Would you believe in him? A. No, because I had
my own belief.
B. Yes, because Thales belongs to the school of monists which believes that
only one kind of stuff exists.
C. Either yes or no, I will have my own investigation that is based on the data
and reason presented.
D. Neither yes nor no until it is proven true.
______8. According to Gabriel Marcel this type of reflection enables us to look deeper
into our experiences and see the bigger picture of reality.
A. Secondary reflection C. Primary reflection
B. Tertiary reflection D. all of the above _____9.
Identify which statement describes the difference
between holism and partial thinking.
A. Holism is a perspective that looks at the “big picture” while partial
thinking focuses on the specific aspect of the situation.
B. Holism is a perspective that looks at the specific aspects of the
situation while partial thinking looks at the big picture.
C. Holism requires us to focus on a certain aspect of the problem
while partial thinking requires us to have an open mindset.
D. All of the above
_____10. According to the importance of studying philosophy, what can it offer us?
A. Know the different philosophers and their philosophies in life?
B. See the downs and lows in the development and history of philosophy.
C. Survey the achievements of the different philosophers in various periods
of history.
D. Enhances our minds, understand what we encounter every day, and
value our judgement.

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 Additional Activities

Direction: Choose a topic below and formulate up to 9 questions.

Classify these questions using the table below:

a. “Covid-19 pandemic”
b. “New Normal” culture
Simple/silly
Serious Questions Deep Questions
Questions
1. 1. 1.

2. 2. 2.

3. 3. 3.

References
Books

Abella, Roberto M.Div., D. Min. Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human

Person. C& E Publishing, Inc., Quezon City, 2016.

Binswanger, H. (2014). How We Know. New York: TOF Publication

Cornejo et al. Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person. Mindshapers

Publishing, Inc.

Gotthelf, A. and Salmieri, G (2016). A Companion To Ayn Rand. MA: John Willey
and Sons

Gracia, Jorge J E Noone: A Companion of Philosophy in the Middle Ages. Oxford

Blackwell.2003. ISBN 9780631216728

Jones, W. T. (1969). The Classical Mind. New York: Hartcourt Brace Jovanovich
Inc.

Peikoff, L. (1991). Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand. New York Dutton.

Rand, A. (1982). Philosophy: Who Needs It. New York. Bobbs-Merrill.

Stumpf, S.E. and Fieser J. (2008). Socrates To Sartre And Beyond. New York,
N.Y.: Mc Graw Hill

Wilber, K. (2001). Sex, Ecology, Spirituality (Revised Edition). Boston, MA:

Shambhala.

Wilber, K. (2006). Integral Spirituality. Boston, MA: Shambhala

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Websites
Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (May 2020) Gabriel Marcel (1889—1973).
Retrieved from https://www.iep.utm.edu/marcel/
PHILO notes WHITEBOARD (2 years ago). Doing Philosophy: Introduction to
the Philosophy of the Human Person. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=reflection+as+a+tool+in+phil
osophy

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (May 2020) Socrates. Retrieved from

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/socrates/

Wikipedia (May2 020 Holism. Retrieved from

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holism

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