PHILOSOPHY
values and pursue them.
Definition of Philosophy
The word philosophy comes from the two
Greek words philos (love) and the sophia
(wisdom)
“Philosophy” - Love and Wisdom
Philosophy is the study that uses that human
reason to investigate the ultimate courses,
reasons, and principles, which governs all
things.
Logic
-A branch of philosophy that deals with the
nature of thinking and reasoning using
empirical support and information which are
reliable, valid, and objective.
Two Types of Reasoning
- Deductive Reasoning- from a general truth
to specific truth from universal truth to
particular.
- Inductive Reasoning- from a specific truth
to general truth, particular to universal.
Branches of Philosophy
METAPHYSICS- Study of existence.
➢ Q- “What is out there?’ or “what is
real?’
➢ Encompasses everything that exists,
as well as the nature of existence
itself.
➢ Determines whether the world is real,
merely an illusion.
EPISTEMOLOGY- Study of knowledge
➢ Q- “How do we know?”
➢ Encompasses the nature of concepts,
validity of senses, logical reasoning,
thoughts, and all things mental.
➢ Concerned with how our minds are
related to reality, (rs is valid or invalid)
ETHICS- Study of Action
➢ Q- “What should I do?”
➢ Deals with proper course of action for
man.
➢ Method by which people categorize
POLITICS- Study of Force
➢ Q- “What acts are permissible?”
➢ Applied to a group of people.
AESTHETICS- Study of Art
➢ Q- “What life can be like?”
➢ Evaluates art by using the standards
of human life, and whether it
accomplishes the job of satisfying
man’s intellectual needs, or whether it
tends to hurt or make worse of those
needs.
LOGIC- Study of Reason
➢ Q- “What is correct reasoning?”
➢ Attempts to distinguish a fact from
fallacy.
Brief History of Philosophy
PRE-SOCRATIC PHILOSOPHY - Characterized
by the rejection of mythological explanation
on the nature and phenomena in the Universe.
Philosophers:
➢ Thales - Solar Eclipse
➢ Anaximander - Universe is boundless
but consists of primary substance.
CLASSICAL PHILOSOPHY- Characterized by the
rise of the "Great Greek Triumvirate”
Philosophers:
➢ Socrates - Life full of trials aid us to
true wisdom
➢ Plato - Established
Academy/Dialectics
➢ Aristotle- Established
Lyceum/Empiricism
SOCRATIC PHILOSOPHY
Philosophers:
➢ Epicurus- Wisdom and simple living
will result in a life free of fear and pain
➢ Democritus- Everything is consisting
of particles called atom
MEDIEVAL PHILOSOPHY- Concerned with
proving the existence of God and reconciling
Christianity/Islam with the classical
philosophy of Greece
Philosophers:
➢ Avicenna- Islamic polymath
➢ St. Thomas Aquinas- Five Ways
EARLY MODERN OF PHILOSOPHY- It happened
between the age of reason (17th Century) and
the age of enlightenment (18th Century).
Includes historical and cultural; changes such
as the advancement in science, the growth of
religious tolerance and the rise of liberalism
Philosophers:
➢ Rene Descartes- Algebraic Expression
➢ Baruch Spinoza- God is eternal and an
infinite being
➢ Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz-
Mathematician, Integral Calculus
➢ Immanuel Kant- Deontology
MODERN PHILOSOPHY- (19th-20th Century) It
became the venue of major development in
Philosophy. Characterized by the rise of new
philosophical movements.
Philosophers:
➢ Jeremy Bentham- Utilitarianist
➢ John Stuart Mill- Utilitarianism
➢ Friedrich Whilhem Nietzsche
Eastern and Western Philosophies: An
Overview
WESTERN PHILOSOPHY- Philosophical
thinking in the occidental world; emphasizes
on individualism, science, math, and politics;
seen as the triumph of reason and epicism
over faith/religion. A search involving many
questions.
EASTERN PHILOSOPHY- Philosophies in the
oriental world, particularly Asia, and some
Arab countries, emphasizes independence,
harmony, unity, and faith.
Why is there a need to philosophize?
➢ Plato- Sense of Wonder
➢ Rene Descartes- Doubt
➢ Karl Jasper- Experience and Limit
Situations
Priori
A priori knowledge, in Western philosophy
since the time of Imannuel Kent, knowledge
that is acquired independently of any
particular experience, as opposed to a
posteriori knowledge, which is derived from
experience.
Posteriori
A posteriori knowledge is empirical
experience-based knowledge whereas a priori
knowledge is non-empirical knowledge.
Standard examples of a posteriori truths are
of ordinary perceptual experience and the
natural sciences; standard examples of a
priori truths are truths of logic and
mathematics.
Holistic and Partial Thinking
Holistic Thinking
➢ Large-scale patterns in system
➢ Looking at the “big picture”
➢ Open mindset and general scene
regarding situation
Partial Thinking
➢ Specific aspects of a situation
➢ Important component of analytical
thinking
➢ Focuses in a specific aspect of a
problem in order to understand
Practical Use of Philosophy
➢ Engages a person in critical analysis
and interpretation of concept,
definition, arguments, and problem
➢ Improves person’s problem solving
and decision making
➢ Enhances communication skills in
presenting ideas
➢ Produce wisdom and contributes
self-development
Three Levels of Inquiry
Common Sense- A basic ability to perceive,
understand, and judge things that are shared
by (common to) nearly all people without need
for debate.
Scientific- Based on or characterized by the
methods and principles of science
Philosophical- Relating or devoted to the
study of the fundamental nature of
knowledge, reality and existence.
The Philosophical Enterprise
World of Philosophizing
Three Disciplines of Philosophy
(1)Discipline of Questioning,
(2)Discipline of Liberation, and
(3)Discipline of Personhood.
Discipline of Questioning • The act of
questioning, of wanting to know, is the
initiation to philosophy.
• Asking a question like
❑ “I want to know who and what I am”
• Wanting to know and understanding our
identity is what we might call the beginnings
of a philosophy of man.
Discipline of Liberation
• We are liberated from the chains of
unquestioning acceptance of whatever is at
hand and you begin to resist the currents
which pull you toward thoughtless conformity.
Discipline of Personhood
• If I am to be a philosopher, then it is I who
must philosophize.
• If we look at ourselves or listen to the
testimony of other men, we can see that the
human person is driven by his very
personhood, to know and to do something
about himself.
Disciplines of Philosophy
"To philosophize means to view life in
diversity rather than conformity. It is through
the ability of questioning that students are
liberated from ignorance and conformity,
thereby encouraging them to live a more
meaningful life"
Questions are part and parcel of human
existence. Its inevitability is acknowledged
especially in times when a person searches
for the meaning of life. This very act leads him
to progress rather than stagnation and
arresting growth.
The Value of Philosophical Reflection
“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the
majority, it is time to pause and reflect ” -
Mark Twain
A. Socratic Legacy
Three claims of Socrates from Plato’s
dialogues in Apology and Protagoras are worth
noting:
1. “know thyself”
2. “the unexamined life is not worth living”
3. “virtue is knowledge of good and bad”
“Know thyself”
❑People should defend their views
❑People must account for what they know
and do not know
❑Examine oneself to assess your strengths
and weaknesses
“The unexamined life is not worth living”
❑Reflection can be done in series of
questioning and answering
❑What we believe to be true becomes the
basis for our actions and thoughts which we
are responsible
❑If we know something, share it with others
but if we are ignorant, we need to learn from
others who know.
“Virtue is knowledge of good and bad”
❑We need to ask philosophical questions to
provide us insights to what is truly good and
bad for us.
❑Virtue is knowledge because it leads us to
the actual doing of what is good.
❑The one who pretends to know what is good
does not choose what is good.
B. Philosophy in the Philippine Context
❑“Pilosopo”
➢One who reasons poorly and found
entertaining
➢Can be compared to Sophists or taught
fallacy – an erroneous kind of reasoning
➢Can evade the argument by pretending
❑“Pilosopo Tasyo”
➢A character in Noli Me Tangere who is a
Social Critic
➢He observes, thinks, sees clearly and speaks
the truth
Knowledge and Opinion
Knowledge
• Knowledge is an attainment concept =
UNDERSTANDING
• Knowledge = Properly Justified True Belief =
REASON
Truth and Wisdom
“Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun,
the moon, and the truth” - Buddha
Theories
• Correspondence Theory of Truth: a statement
is true if it corresponds to a common sense
fact.
Ex. Live grass is green.
• Coherence Theory: it’s true if it fits into our
understanding of the world.
Ex. There are sharks in the pacific ocean.
• Pragmatic Theory: true if it is useful and/or
works in practice. Scissors cut paper.
Ex. Therefore, when I needed to cut paper, I
found a pair of scissors.

Opinions
An opinion is a statement that cannot be
proved or checked. It tells what someone
thinks, feels, or believes Clue words for
opinion statements are: think, feel, believe,
seem always, never, all, none, most, least,
best, greatest, worst

Beliefs
• Beliefs are your map of reality - they are the
lenses through which you perceive the world.
• Beliefs + Desires = Actions

Illusions
• We all see things differently - especially
morality
• Senses can deceive us and lead us astray
• Conscience is formed and developed based
on our beliefs.