1) Metaphysics

• from the Greek word metaphysika (beyond physics)

• deals with the true nature of reality.
• Focuses on the study of existence. It seeks to answer “What is?” encompasses that
everything that exists.
• Is the world real, or merely an illusion?
• Science of ultimate reality—seeks to present what is absolutely real in contrast to what is
perceived by the naked eyes.
• Aims to draw demarcation line between appearance and reality.
General Metaphysics

• deals with the study of being, also known as ontology.

Special Metaphysics

• focuses on the freedom of the will, immortality, and mind-body problem.

2) Epistemology
• From the Greek word episteme (knowledge)
• Investigates the acquisition of knowledge
• It deals with the process by which people are led to know that something is true.
Domains: rationalism and empiricism.
Rationalism— views reason as the chief source of knowledge and the most important element in
the acquisition of knowledge.
Proponent: Rene Descartes

• “Cogito, ergo sum”I think therefore I am.

• Contends that a person was born with innate a priori or theoretical knowledge and
could deduce truths through mental reasoning.
Empiricism—asserts that all of a person’s knowledge comes from his/her senses.
Proponent: John Locke

• Conceived the concept of mind being a tabula rasa (blank tablet/blank sheet)
upon which one could write and store his/her ideas based on experiences and
learnt out of those experiences.
 a. Sensation- kind of experience where the human mind grasps the world
outside through the five senses.
b. Reflection- a kind of experience where the human mind goes internal,
recognizing the ideas regarding its own essence—thinking, doubting, and
believing.
3) Ethics—from the Greek word ethos which means custom or habit.
• a discipline which aims to synthesize the concepts of right and wrong behavior.

3 Domains: Metaethics, Normative ethics, Applied ethics

a) Metaethics—focusing on the meaning of ethical terms such as “good and bad”

b) Normative—part of the moral philosophy concerned with the setting of certain
standards of what is morally right and wrong.
c) Applied—attempts to apply theories to situation in real life. Ex. Abortion,
infanticide, environmental concerns, and even animal rights. The solutions to
these problems are being used in the formulation of public policy.

4) Aesthetics—deals with the nature and appreciation of art, beauty, and good tastes.
• from the Greek word aisthetikos which means sense of perception.
• Human judgment of aesthetic value is not only anchored in one’s ability to criticize
and appreciate art using sense perception.
• One’s judgment on what is beautiful transcends beyond sensory level, and includes
both emotion and intellectual aspects.

Immanuel Kant—contended that beauty and art were both objective and subjective.
Aesthetic value: political, economic, or moral values.