Nature of

Philosophy
 Why am I in this world?

Am I Real?

What do I really want in this world?

What would make me happy?

OBJECTIVES:
 Understand the meaning of Philosophy.

 Analyze holistic perspective from partial point

of view.

 Realize the importance of holistic perspective in

doing Philosophy.
 PHILO SOPHIA
(GREEK WORD MEANING (GREEK WORD MEANING
“LOVE”) “WISDOM”)

PHILOSOPHIA
(GREEK WORD)

PHILOSOPHY
 PHILOSOPHY
“LOVE OF WISDOM”

“A philosopher is a lover of
wisdom.”
 Pythagoras
- the first to use the term
“philosophia” in reference
to the way of seeking
wisdom.
 Wisdom
“Scientific knowledge, combined with
intuitive reason, of the things that are
highest by nature ”
Approaches or
Common Meaning of Philosophy

*Scientific
*Natural Light of Reason
*Study of All Things
*First Cause or Highest Principle
Philosophy as Scientific Approach
 Because the investigation is systematic, and it follows
certain steps, or it employs certain procedure.

 Isa science that studies beings in their ultimate cause,

reasons, through the aid reason alone. Beings, in
philosophy means that all things that exists material
or immaterial. Example of material are stones, tress,
cars, plants and immaterial is the notion of soul, spirit
and God.
Material
Immaterial
Philosophy as Natural Light of Reason

 Usesnatural capacity to think, observe or

simply human reason alone or so-called
unaided reason.
Philosophy as Study of All Things

 Itsets the distinction between philosophy

and other sciences concern themselves with
a particular object of investigation, but
philosophy is multidimensional or holistic. A
thinker is not bounded to a specific object
of inquiry. He or she probes almost
everything.
Philosophy as the First Cause or the
Highest Principle

 Everything in the world and every situation has

an origin.
v Principle of Identity
v Principle of Non-contradiction
v Principle of Excluded Middle
v Principle of Sufficient Reason
Principle of Identity
A thing, idea, or person always has name, a
concept, and a characteristic for that thing to
exist.
 Whatever is is; and whatever is not is not;
everything is what it is. Everything is its own
being, and not being is not being.
 As “a=a”.
 A uniqueness in its own.
Principle of Non-contradiction

 Itdenies that a thing can be and not be at

the same time.

 If it is “True” then it cannot be “False”. If

it is “False” then it cannot be “True”. An
idea cannot be “True and False” altogether.
Principle of Excluded Middle

A thing is either is or is not. Everything

must either be or nor be; being and not
being. There is no middle ground possible.

 Ifit is “True” then it is “True”. If it is

“False” then it is “False”. An idea can only
be taken as either “True” or “False”.
Principle of Sufficient Reason

 Nothing happens without sufficient reason

for its being and existence.

 Allthings has cause for being around.

Nothing happens for no reason.
 Famous
Philosophers
Thales of Melitus (624 BCE – 547 BCE)

- Known as the “First Greek Philosopher”

- His philosophies are based from
natural observation of natural matters
and phenomena.
- “The most difficult thing in life
is to know your self.”
Anaximander ( 611 BCE – 546 BCE)

Anaximander of Miletus was a pre-Socratic Greek

philosopher who is credited with being the first to write
a book of philosophy, titled On Nature. His work was
highly influential on later philosophers, including
Pythagoras, Democritus, and Aristotle.

Anaximander was a natural philosopher, meaning that he

was interested in understanding the natural world. He is
perhaps best known for his theory that the universe
originated from an infinite and boundless substance
called the apeiron. The apeiron is neither hot nor cold,
wet nor dry, but is instead the source of all opposites.
Socrates (469 BCE – 369 BCE)

- Philosophy should achieve results for the

greater well-being of society.
- Credited with formulating the
“Socratic Method”.
- “An unexamined life is not worth
living.”
Plato (428 BCE – 348 BCE)

- Philosophy should achieve results for the

greater well-being of society.
- Considered as the founding figure of
the Western Philosophy.
- Virtue is the key to human person’s
happiness.
Aristotle (384 BCE – 322 BCE)
- Approached philosophy in scientific and
factual approach (empirical) that differs
from the approach of Socrates and
Plato.
- Involved in great variety of disciplines
such as zoology, psychology, ethics
and politics.
- His studies led to the formulation of the
formal process of analyzing reasoning.
Thomas Hobbes (1588CE – 1679CE)

- English philosopher, scientist and

historian, best known for his political
philosophy.
- He viewed government primarily as a
device for ensuring collective security.
Thomas Aquinas (1225CE – 1274CE)

- Italian-Dominican theologian, the foremost

medieval scholastic. He developed his own
conclusions from Aristotelian premises,
notably in the metaphysics of personality,
creation and Providence.

- Wrote “Summa Theologia” where he

expounded his philosophy on what is
happiness.
Buddha (500 BCE)

- Siddharta Gautama or Gotama Buddha is

one of the most important Asian thinkers
and spiritual masters of all time. He
contributed to many areas of philosophy
including epistemology, metaphysics and
ethics.
- He proposed means of achieving life
away from suffering through self-
discipline.
Confucius (551-479 BCE)

- called to be the first philosopher of

China.

- said to discover natural laws through

reason. His philosophical approach is
more inclined to rationalism and
humanism.
Branches of Philosophy

 Metaphysics
 Logic
 Epistemology
 Ethics
 Aesthetics
Methaphysics
• Reality, existence

• Came from the Greek words meta and

physika, where meta is “beyond” off and
physika means “physical nature”.

• Whether reality consist of physical objects

only, of nonphysical objects, or both
physical and non-physical.
Logic

• Reasoning

• Came from the Greek words “logike” –

means a treatise on matters pertaining to
human thought.

• Sets distinction between correct and

incorrect forms of reasoning.
Epistemology

• Knowledge

• Came from the Greek words “episteme”

and “logos” meaning knowledge and study.

• The kinds, sources and conditions of

knowledge.
Epistemology answers the
questions:

• How we know what we claim to know?

• How can we find out what we wish to know?

• How can we differentiate truth from

falsehood?
Ethics

• Morality

• Came from Greek word “ethos” means

custom or habit. It is the morality of human
actions.

• The appropriate moral principles, meaning

of moral judgments.
Aesthetics

• Beauty

• Criteria for judgments about beauty.

Importance of Aesthetics:

• It vitalizes knowledge; makes our

knowledge of the world alive and useful.

• It helps us to live more deeply and richly.

• It brings us in touch with our culture.