PERIOD/ERA PHILOSOPHERS EMPHASIS FRAMEWORK APPROACHES

I. Ancient Frameworks
Ancient Pre-Socratics, basic stuff” of the A. PRE-SOCRATIC FRAMEWORKS Classical – Socratic
Philosophy Socrates, world, approach
Aristotle, Plato of the cosmos 1. Urstoff (basic stuff) Framework  questioning
* It is asking the core idea of a concept, theme or theory leading to the
(what is the world made of? Water, air, fire, land; is it one or student’s
many?) answering the
Purpose: To know the origin and its basic element problem
2. Milesian Framework (concrete-abstract-concrete)
* When the abstract idea is hard to understand, we go concrete!
* Concrete forms, pictures, diagrams, though imprecise in
capturing the concept, theme or theory, they can help in
starting the learning and understanding
* When the learner understands already, then we can go abstract
(Eco-centric/ again
Cosmo-centric) 3. Dialectic framework (preservation-critique)
* Best used in issues evolving concepts, themes or theories
(which will be preserved or critiqued?)
* Some theories are best preserved and some are best critiqued.
* Some critiqued can be critiqued because some are preserved.
* Some preserved are preserved because it was critiqued.
“The more you critique, the more you preserve, that the
only way to preserve it is to critique it” – Zizek

B. SOCRATIC FRAMEWORKS:

1. “two world” framework

There are concepts, themes or theories, that are better
understood in formal sense and there are those better
understood in material sense
a. world of ideas [form] – knowledge
b. world of matter – opinions
2. Legal framework – law must be fulfilled at all cost
There are concepts, themes and theories that are law based
* In understanding the concept, theme or theory, their proper
laws must be observed
*Concept “person” has an internal law of communality
*Interpret “person” as individual will destroy its essence
 3. Moral cosmos framework – everything is good and must
think positively
* There are concepts, themes and theories that has the
basic structure of goodness. We can say almost all terms
are like that.
*If we deconstruct them and put “evil” sense in them, then we
destroy the essence of the understanding of the concept,
theme, or theory

Medieval St. Thomas God II. Medieval Framework Scholastic – question

Philosophy Aquinas A. Scholastic Framework (thinking together) and answer, thesis
St. Augustine (Theocentric) sub-thesis

Modern Descartes, Hume, Thinking III. Modern Framework:

Philosophy Kant, Hegel and (what can we know Existential – existential
Marx and how can we A. Cartesian Framework (duality of body and soul, body as analysis, extreme
know) machine) contexts, point-of-
death
(Existentialism,
Anthropo-centric,
Humanistic)

Contemporary Heidegger, Study on Man IV. Contemporary Frameworks:

Husserl
(Phenomenological)
What/Who is man?
What is his destiny, his
end? What is his
mission, his calling?
What is life?
What is existing? Is
there something to
hope for man?
A. Embodiment framework  Phenomenological –
* The importance of the body in the constitution of man epoché, eidetic
*The body is the one that appears to others reduction,
- Man is manifested through to the body, without the body transcendental
there is “nobody” phenomenological
*Embodiment is the most basic element in man reduction,
B. Relational framework constitutional
*Man is man as related to other men analysis (static,
*Without any relation to others, man is unintelligible by genetic)
himself
*Any philosophy of man that does not include the other is  “Nosological”
biased and lacking Approach
*Responsibility for the other makes man truly man
*I am man as far as I am responsible for the other man
A. “Nothing”“
 C. Linguistic framework nothing-“something
* What makes us concretely know that we are not alone is ”
that we talk to the other who understands the way we talk B. “WE”
* There is no private language C. “AKitalibutan”
* Language develops in the context of community of men
* No one makes language alone, we make language together
* Language connects us with each other
* Linguistic basis of the constitution of man is essential to the
understanding of man
*The language of man reveals his consciousness and identity
*Your world is as wide as your language
D. Deconstructive framework
* Since man is describable in language, and the language
used to define man reveals who man is, then man is
linguistic (language-based)
* Language has constructs (structure of relation and
meaning)
* Since it has constructs, the structure can be destructed and
reconstructed
* Knowing the construct of the language used for describing
man, makes one capable of destroying and reconstructing
the construct
V. Phenomenological Framework
A. Reduction
B. body-Body (Körper-Leib)
C. Transcendental Intersubjectivity

Adapted from: Styles of Philosophical Thinking Through Frameworks and Approaches. Rev. Fr. Domingo Rafael A. Alimajen, MAT Phil. MPhil., St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary, Jaro, Iloilo City, 2016.