Department of Education

Division of Iloilo
Pavia National High School
Pavia Iloilo

“QUALITY EDUCATION OUR PRIDE”

Learner’s Competency:
DOING PHILOSOPHY
1.2 Realize the value of doing
philosophy in obtaining a
Meaning and Relevance of Philosophy broad perspective in life

PPT11/12-Ib-1.2

WE ARE MAN!

The more we study man, the more we know about ourselves, our world, our life,
our relationship with each other, our meaning, our destiny and end.

There are many subjects in Philosophy. But, the most important subject of all is the Philosophy of the Human Person.
Why? Because without man there would be no philosophy. There would be no one to philosophize. Philosophy is man’s
perennial questionings about man, about himself in the various situations they are in, day in and out.

“Anyone who seriously intends to become a philosopher must ‘once in his life’ withdraw into himself and attempt,
within himself, to overthrow and build anew all the sciences that, up to then, he has been accepting” (Edmund Husserl,
CM, 2).

Although, “Philosophy is the philosopher’s quite personal affair” (CM, 2), philosophy is our communal journey. No one
thinks alone, if ever alone it is only the beginning (for language is communal). The end of philosophy is community.
Communal philosophizing is a lot better than individual philosophizing.

In this lesson, we will philosophize! The mind will be trained to really think, reflect, ask questions, find solutions and
make conclusions. WE can make Philosophy of the Human Person happen because WE ARE PHILOSOPHY!

I. ACTIVITY: A story to think for your own self

Duke Hwan of Khi, first in his dynasty, sat under a canopy, reading his philosophy; and Phien
the wheelwright was out in the yard making a wheel. Phien laid aside hammer and chisel,
climbed the steps, and said to Duke Hwan: “May I ask you Lord, what is this you are reading?”
The Duke said, ”the experts, the authorities.” And Phien asked: “alive or dead?” “Dead a long
time.” “Then,” said the wheelwright, “You are only reading the dirt they left behind.” Then
the Duke replied: “What do you know about it?” You are only a wheelwright, you had better
give me a good explanation or else you must die.” The wheelwright said” “Let us look at the
affair from my point of view. When I make wheels, if I go easy they fall apart, if I am too
rough, they do not fit. If I am neither too easy nor too violent they come out right. The work
is what I want it to be. You cannot put this into words: you just have to know how it is. I
cannot even tell my own son exactly how it is done, and my own son cannot learn it from me.
So here I am seventy years old, still making wheels! The men of old took all they really knew
with them to the grave. And so Lord, what you are reading there is only a dirt they left
behind.

Thomas Merton, The Way of Chuang Tzu (New Directions, 1965), pp. 82-82

Guide Questions:
1. In your point of view, who is more of a philosopher between the Duke and Phien as presented in the story?
2. Why?

With your answers to the given question, you have given your perspective. While you comply to the task, you
are already entering into the process of thinking, organizing your ideas, and putting it into words. What does the story is
telling us about philosophizing? Any man can do it. It knows no distinction. Intuition is the highest form of knowledge. It
is a knowledge that needs no further explanation; you just know it and know how it is, as claimed by Phien.
This knowing capacity is born out of experience. Phien is 70 years old but he continues doing his craft the way he wants
it to be. He knows how wheels will come out right. He is certain. However, that certainty could not be expressed in
words or taught nor can be learned from him, not even by his son.

Doing philosophy is the same thing, it has to be experienced, least like the Duke, you will only be reading the dirt left
behind by the experts and the authorities. In studying philosophy, MAKE IT YOUR OWN!

I. What is Philosophy?

Etymologically, it comes from the Greek word “philos” which means love and “sophia” which means wisdom. The
ancient Greeks used this term to refer to “love of wisdom” and the philosophers who are engaged in philosophy are
called “lovers of wisdom”.

Among the ancient Greeks, the philosophers became pioneers in various fields of knowledge such as history, biology,
medicine, mathematics, astronomy, and even physics. It was quite common to hear of ancient philosophers who were
“experts” in various fields of learning.

A. The Beginning of Philosophy

We can assume that when man existed, there philosophy began. The earliest philosophical writings that recorded
the thoughts of earliest thinkers are in ARISTOTLE.

Ancient Greek Philosophy – (Pre-Socratic, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle) started the trend of thoughts in the West.
Christian Thinkers – St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine
Modern Period – Descartes, Hume, Kant, Hegel and Marx
Postmodern – Heidegger

ALL PHILOSOPHY is based on Plato, Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas. The rest are footnotes!

B. Most Notable Ancient Greek Philosophers:

 Pythagoras (570 BCE to 495 BCE) – A mathematician and scientist, he was credited with formulating the
Pythagorean theorem.
 Heraclitus (535 BCE to 475 BCE) – He proposed that everything that exists is based on a higher order or plan
which he called logos. He was credited with the saying, “No man ever steps in the same river twice.”
 Democritus (460 BCE to 370 BCE) – He devoted himself to the study of the causes of natural phenomena. He
was among the first to propose that matter is composed of tiny particles called atoms.
 Diogenes of Sinope (412 BCE to 323 BCE) – He was a known advocate of living a simple and virtuous life. His
teachings and views were later developed by his followers and influenced the development of several schools of
philosophy such as Cynicism and Stoicism.
 Epicurus (341 BCE to 270 BCE) – He believed that philosophy could enable man to live a life of happiness. His
views gave rise to Epicureanism – a school of philosophy which believes that wisdom and simple living will result
in a life free of fear and pain.
 Socrates (470 BCE to 399 BCE) – He was credited with formulating the Socratic Method – a means of examining
a topic by devising a series of questions that let the learner examine and analyze his knowledge and views
regarding the topic.
 Plato (427 BCE to 347 BCE) – A student of Socrates, he wrote down his mentor’s teachings and incorporated
some of his own ideas into them. His teachings and writings were considered the foundation of Western
Philosophy. He was credited with the Theory of Forms, which proposes that everything that exists is based on an
idea or template that can only be perceived in the mind; these nonphysical ideas are eternal and unchanging.
 Aristotle (382 BCE to 322 BCE) – He was a prominent student of Plato. His studies in logic led to the formulation
of a formal process of analyzing reasoning which gave rise to deductive reasoning – the process by which
specific statements are analyzed to reach a conclusion or generalization.

C. Basic Questions on Man

Period Emphasis
Ancient Philosophy basic stuff” of the world, of the cosmos
Medieval Philosophy God
 Modern Philosophy Thinking
(what can we know and how can we know)
Contemporary Study on Man
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?

II. Why is there a need to philosophize?

Philosophers have often wondered and argued about the role of philosophy in man’s life. One view is that each of us is a
philosopher, whether or not we have studied philosophy. We all have the potential to philosophize since we have the
tendency to wonder and doubt. We possess the capacity to reflect on our experiences, and we have a never-ending
need to learn and discover.

In summary, Philosophy:

 makes man a full man – cultured, refined and well-rounded.

 provides students the ability to synthesize, criticize, systematize, assimilate and evaluate a variety of
knowledge.
 helps man to think of who he is and what is the meaning of living.
 fulfills man’s basic calling to reflect and make himself a full person
 guides man to make right decision from a broader perspective.

With philosophy man cannot be intimidated by dogmatic statements and is prepared to strive and challenge those who
would attempt to control his thoughts (brainwashing). Thus, philosophy becomes the bulwark against mental servitude.
Philosophy widens intellectual horizon and deepens understanding and sympathies.

By setting thoughts free, philosophy:

 permits the full functioning of life of the spirit

 makes man think about basic foundations of his outlook in life, his knowledge, his beliefs.
 makes an individual inquire into the reasons for what he accepts and does and into the importance of his ideas
and ideals. For Socrates said that “the unexamined life is not worth living!”

A. Branches of Philosophy

1. METAPHYSICS (study of Being), must take man into consideration because IT IS in man that Being manifest itself
more fully. It is man who is the place of the revelation of Being.

2. EPISTEMOLOGY (study on Knowing), considers man because it is man who knows and who apprehends the
truth.

3. COSMOLOGY (study of the World), takes in man because it is man who can contemplate the world. It is the
world for man and of man.

4. ETHICS (study Of Man’s Action/Doing), takes account of man because it is man who acts rationally for the good.

5. AESTHETICS (Beauty), considers man because man is a maker of beauty and is himself the most beautiful of all
creatures.

6. PHILOSOPHY of language, religion, science, society and politics takes into account of man because it is man
who speaks, man who relates to God, man who manipulates nature to serve his needs, man who relates to other
men to live together for the common good.

“WITHOUT MAN THERE WOULD BE NO PHILOSOPHY

PHILOSOPHY IS MAN’S PERENNIAL QUESTIONINGS ABOUT MAN
THE MORE YOU KNOW YOURSELF, THE MORE YOU KNOW EVERYTHING.”

B. Application of Philosophy in Life

 Philosophy and life cannot be separated.

 Philosophy is life itself lived deeply and meaningfully.
 Philosophy is about life.
  It is a living and lived thought.
 Philosophy is as alive as man, living even beyond its author.
 Philosophy and life are inseparable “co-principles”.
 No life, no thoughts.
 Philosophy is more of living what we thought about, than thinking what we lived.

References:

 Abella, Roberto D. Introuduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person. DepEd. Republic of the Philippines
 Alimajen, Domingo Rafael. Notes on K-12 Introduction to Philosophy of Man, St. Vincent Ferrer Seminary ©Jaro,
Iloilo City