Introduction to the

Philosophy of the
Human Person
METHODS OF PHILOSOPHIZING
Truth in metaphysics and the philosophy of language is the property of sentences, assertions, beliefs,
thoughts, or propositions that are said, in ordinary discourse, to agree with the facts or to state what the case
is. It is most often used to mean being in accord with fact or reality, or fidelity to an original or standard. Truth is
also sometimes defined in modern contexts as an idea of "truth to self", or authenticity.

Propositions is a statement about the world or reality. Propositions may or may not carry truth.

Knowledge is the clear awareness and understanding of something. It is the product of questions that
allow for clear answers provided by facts.

Facts are propositions or statement which are observe to be real or truthful.

Claim is a statement that is not evidently or immediately known to be true. This means that any claim
can be proven by verification and experimentation.

Therefore, truthful statements can be considered as based on facts.

There are several views regarding truth. Philosophers emphasize the importance of belief as a basis for
determining truth. But as a philosopher, we do not assume that every statement is true. Remember the famous
French philosopher, Rene Descartes traced the need to philosophize to doubt.

In philosophy, systematic doubt is employed to help determine the truth. This means that every
statement, claim, evidence, and experience is scrutinized and analyzed.

Philosophers always engaged with the concept of truth. Philosophers consider truth as a kind of quality
or value. Knowledge is the clear awareness and understanding of something, since it is true knowing that we
are able to determine what is true.

Doubt has a very important purpose in philosophy as it drives our desire to discover the truth. In
philosophy, systematic doubt is employed to help determine the truth.

A belief is true if it can be justified or proven through the use of one’s senses. Another basis for
determining truth is a belief or statement is true if it is based on facts.

Getting consensus or having people agree on a common belief is another way of determining what is
true. Although this approach has certain limitations. Getting everyone to agree on something may not take that
belief true.

Philosophers also believe that claims and belief should also be subjected to test to determine truth. In
determining truth requires also that a person can prove a statement through an action.Let us take a look at the
following statements and determine which one states fact or opinion.

 1. It takes me 30 minutes to walk from my home to school.

 2. Living near the school is better because we do not have to spend much for
transportation.
 3. My sister ate the last piece of pizza pie.
 4. My sister is a selfish person because she ate the last piece of pizza pie and
did not share it with me.
 5. The policeman firmly pushed the suspect to his knees and placed him in
handcuffs.
 6. The aggressive manner by which the policeman arrested the suspect is an
example of the brutality that characterizes our police force.

Statements 1, 3, and 5 are more factual than statements 2, 4, and 6. Using the philosophical tools we
learned, they fit into the category of facts since they contain ideas or information that are easily verifiable.
 While statements 2, 4, and 6 could be considered as opinions. These statements go beyond providing
facts. It also provide conclusions or perspectives regarding certain situations. Opinions are also the bases for
making arguments and convincing people that a certain claim is a fact.

Fact is something concrete that can be proven. You can

find facts in legal records, scientific findings,
encyclopaedias, atlases, etc. In other words, facts are the
truth and are accepted as such.

Opinion is less concrete. In other words it is what

someone believes or thinks, and is not necessarily the
truth. Also, note in the examples below how facts are the
same for

everybody, but opinions can differ quite widely.

 Examples of an opinion:

 Ann can have the opinion that Italian food tastes best, while Joe has the opinion that French
food is ideal.
 Sue can have the opinion that reading is boring, while Mike can have the opinion that reading is
fun.
 Penny can have the opinion that cold weather is better, while Tim can prefer hot weather.


FACT OPINION

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  Opinions are statement that go beyond providing facts.
 A conclusion is a judgment based on certain facts.
 Beliefs are statements that expresses convictions that are not easily and clearly
explained by facts.
 Explanations are statements that assume the claim to be true and provide
reasons why the statement is true.
 Arguments are series of statements that provide reasons to convince the
reader or listener that a claim or opinion is truthful.
 Fallacies are arguments based on faulty reasoning.
 Bias is disproportionate weight in favor of or against an idea or thing, usually in
a way that is closed-minded, prejudicial, or unfair.
The facts that form the bases of a conclusion may not be disputed but the conclusion itself could still be
contested or questioned. To judge the truthfulness of belief, we must also consider things such a person’s
experiences and views.

Facts are statements that are observed to be real or truthful. Claims are statements that require further
examination to determine their truthfulness. Some arguments may contain fallacies. We must be aware of the
various kinds of fallacies as these affect the validity of arguments. Opinions are often influenced by bias. We
must be aware of bias so that we can objectively and critically examine points of view.

Opinion is something intermediary between knowledge and ignorance. While Public opinion is the
intermediate faculty which seizes the things that float between the two extremes (Plato)

Opinion applies to what, being true or false, may be other than it is: in fact, opinion is the apprehension
of an immediate and unnecessary premise (Aristotle)

Opinion, founded in the probable, perhaps also the name of knowledge (Leibniz)

Opinion is a belief that is conscious of being insufficient both subjectively and

objectively (Kant)

An opinion gives for truth something that has been said, although sometimes they are absurd words,
which mean nothing, impossible to understand (Hobbes)

Public opinion is the convergence of the opinions of the greatest number of people in a community, so
that they form a common and dominant feeling, exerting diffuse pressure
(Freund)
The following are the examples of fallacies.
Fallacy Characteristics
Ad hominem attacking the person presenting the argument instead of the
argument itself.
Appeal to force using the threat of force or an undesirable event to advance an
argument.
Appeal to emotion using emotions such as pity or sympathy.
Appeal to the popular the idea is presented as acceptable because a lot of people
accept it.
Appeal to tradition the idea is acceptable because it has been true for a long time.
Begging the question assuming the thing or idea to be proven is true; also known as
circular argument.
Cause-and-effect assuming “cause-and-effect” relationship between unrelated
events
Fallacy of composition assuming that what is true of a part is true for the whole
Fallacy of division assuming that what is true for the whole is true for its parts.

The following are the examples of biases.

Bias Characteristics
Correspondence bias tendency to judge a person’s personality by his or her actions,
or attribution effect without regard for the external factors or influence.
Confirmation bias tendency to look for and readily accept information which fits
one’s own beliefs or views and to reject ideas or views that go
against it.
Framing focusing on a certain aspect of a problem while ignoring other
aspects.
Hindsight - the tendency to see past events as predictable, or to ascribe a
pattern to historical events.
Conflict of interest a person or group is connected to or has a vested interest in the
issue being discussed.
Cultural bias analyzing an event or issue based on one’s cultural standards.

Methods of Philosophy
Lead to Wisdom and Truth

The methods of philosophy will help to learn the process of doing philosophy in a systematic way. On
the other hand, philosophizing is to think or express oneself in a philosophical manner.

Although philosophy is an organized body of knowledge, the subject matter of philosophy is questions,
which have three major characteristics;

1. Philosophical questions have answers but the answers remain in dispute.

2. Philosophical questions cannot be settled by science, common sense, or faith.
3. Philosophical questions are of perennial intellectual interest to human beings.

The methodology or method that philosophers use to address philosophical question is critical thinking.

Critical Thinking is the careful, reflective, rational and systematic approach to questions of very general
interest.

Critical thinking means understanding if philosophy and refraining from merely giving claims but through
careful thought, one reasons through to argumentation.

The scientific method also leads to wisdom and truth because it uses an evidencebased approach to
come up with its conclusion. In this method, all truths are supported by facts that can easily be tested or proven
again through experiments, logical reasoning, or observation

An understanding of opinions and facts and the mean to distinguish one from the other can further
improve our understanding and appreciation of varied views and ideas.

The ability to determine truth goes hand in hand with the holistic perspective and enables us to make
wiser decisions, especially in choosing then ideas and views which we find acceptable.

A critical mind aided by philosophy can help us from our own personal point of view that can guide us in
making decisions and actions when we faced with a problem.

Philosophy can help us determine ideas that are truthful and acceptable, which we can use to form our
own views regarding certain matters

Evaluate Truth from Opinions in Different Situations Using the

Methods of Philosophizing

A method of philosophizing is a process of determining the truth or drawing conclusions from a

statement using various philosophical methods, such asSocratic, dialectic, scientific, and historical.

When you evaluate information, it is very important to distinguish between fact and opinion. How do we
know if something is true?

Philosophers emphasize the importance of belief as a basis for determining truth. It is said that there
are instances when we have to unlearn something so that we may learn anew. Philosophers questioned what
they knew and even analyzed their methods of knowing in order to understand themselves and the world much
better.
The discussion on truth is part of philosophical studies on knowledge where philosophers explore the nature
of knowledge and the ways of knowing.
Both the Socratic and dialectic method are based on a discussion between two or more people who
may carry differing views but wish to pursue the truth by seeking an agreement with one another. Meanwhile,
the scientific method is a process of determining truth or knowledge through experimentation, inductive and
deductive reasoning, and hypothesis or theory testing.

The scientific method, also called empirical method, is a process of determining truth or knowledge
through experimentation, inductive and deductive reasoning, and hypothesis or theory testing

Logic is the truth based on reasoning and critical thinking. It includes analysis and construction of
arguments. It serves as path to freedom from half-truths and deception.

TYPES OF REASONING

DEDUCTIVE REASONING INDUCTIVE REASONING

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Deductive Reasoning
In this type of reasoning, conclusion comes first, followed by main points, and the last will be the
supporting data, facts, examples, and evidences. General idea comes first before the specific or particular
idea.

Inductive Reasoning
In this type of reasoning, supporting data, facts, examples, and evidences come first followed by the main
points and conclusion will be the last part. This is the vice versa of the deductive reasoning because particular
idea comes first before the general idea