Science - comes from the Latin verb, "scire" , which means "to know"; possessing a

certain kind of knowledge.

Philosophy - the science of beings in their ultimate reasons, causes, and principles
acquired by the aid of human reason alone.

Wisdom - application of knowledge

Reason - sufficient ground or explanation of something

Philosophy is coined from the Greek word "philein" which means love, and
"Sophia", which means to love. It is mainly defined as the science of beings in their
ultimate reasons, causes, and principles, acquired by the aid of human reason alone.

Holistic thinking refers to a perspective that considers large-scale patterns in

systems. This is often described as looking at the "big picture" when describing and
analyzing a situation or problem. A holistic perspective requires an individual to have
an open mindset and the ability to get a general sense or impression regarding a
situation. A holistic view also means that one does not confine one's understanding
of the world to one's perspective, but also includes the perspective of others. The
view also enables a person to better appreciate his or her experiences as vital
components that give meaning to life.

Partial thinking, on the other hand, focuses on specific aspects of a situation. The
partial view is an important component of analytical thinking, as an individual
focuses on certain areas or aspects of a problem to understand it. Though partial
thinking is useful, philosophy utilizes holistic thinking in making sense of problems
and issues related to the human experience.

Reflection requires a person to be willing to examine one's thoughts, feelings; and

actions and to learn more about one's life and experiences. One can reflect on
almost any subject. It allows you an opportunity to think more deeply about your
action, your motivation for doing such an action, and even its possible consequences.
Reflection also helps us understand ourselves and our actions better. When we
reflect, we can judge whether our actions or decisions are reasonable or not.

Philosophical method (or philosophical methodology) is the study of how to do

Philosophy. A common view among philosophers is that Philosophy is distinguished
by the ways that philosophers follow in addressing philosophical questions. There is
not just one method that philosophers use to answer philosophical questions.
Philosophy is concerned with determining the concept of truth. The truth lies at the
heart of any inquiry.
Truth, in metaphysics and the philosophy of language, is the property of sentences,
assertions, beliefs, thoughts, and 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.

Knowledge is the clear awareness and understanding of something. It is the product

of questions that allow for clear answers provided by facts. It is through knowing that
we can determine what is true. These statements correspond to what is based on
reality. This simply means that we know what is observable or evident in the real
world. For example, “I know that fishes live in water” because fishes do live in water.
Propositions or statements which are observed to be real or truthful are considered
facts.

There are statements, however, that are not evidently or immediately known to be
true. For example, “I know that my school is the best school in the city”. This
statement cannot be taken as true since it is simply not immediately evident. This
statement is a claim, and further examination is required to establish whether it is
true or false. Therefore, truthful statements can be considered as based on facts.

There are several views regarding truth. Philosophers emphasize the importance of
belief as the basis for determining truth. However, philosophers who pondered upon
the origins of knowledge doubted everything that there is to know about themselves
and the world.

For example, stating the very obvious things we know about ourselves.
I am alive. I have a body. I can breathe.

In philosophy, systematic doubt is employed to help determine the truth. This means
that every statement, claim, evidence, and experience is scrutinized and analyzed.
Doubt has a very important purpose in philosophy as it drives our desire to discover
the truth.

A belief is true if it can be justified or proven through the use of one’s senses and 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.

Philosophers also believe that claims and beliefs should be tested in order to
determine the truth. Determining the truth also requires that a person can prove a
statement through action.
Fact is true and can be verified as such. You can find facts in legal records, scientific
findings, encyclopedias, atlases, etc. In other words, facts are the truth and are
accepted as such.

Opinion is a statement that holds the element of belief; it tells how someone feels.
In other words, it is what someone believes or thinks, and is not necessarily the truth

- Opinions are statements that go beyond providing facts.

- Conclusion is a judgment based on certain facts.
- Beliefs are statements that express 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 a 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 a disproportionate weight in favor of or against an idea or thing,
usually in a way that is close-minded, prejudicial, or unfair.

Key Differences Between Fact and Opinion

The difference between fact and opinion on the following grounds:

1. The fact is described as a statement that can be verified or proven to be true.

Opinion is an expression of judgment or belief about something.

2. Fact relies on observation or research while opinion is based on assumption.

3. The fact is an objective reality whereas opinion is a subjective statement.

4. Facts can be verified with the help of evidence or statistics. On the contrary, an
opinion is not supported by any evidence.

5. Facts explain what happened. Unlike an opinion, which represents a perception

about something.

6. One important feature of a fact is that it is universal and does not differ from
person to person. As against this, every human being has a different opinion on a
particular subject and so, it varies from one person to another.

Arguments often take the form of statements that are either claims of facts or are
phrased in such a way that they seem reasonable. However, several arguments may
be based on faulty reasoning. These kinds of arguments are called fallacies. Some of
the fallacies may be intentional. As the person making is desperate to convince you
to accept his or her argument.

When looking at an opinion, be aware of bias or the personal views of the person
presenting it. Biases are not necessarily errors in reasoning but refer to tendencies or
influences that affect the views of people.
Methods of Philosophy Lead to Wisdom and Truth
The methods of philosophy will help in learning the process of doing philosophy
systematically. On the other hand, philosophizing is to think or express oneself
philosophically

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

questions is critical thinking.

Critical Thinking is the careful, reflective, rational, and systematic approach to

questions of very general interest. Critical thinking means understanding philosophy
and refraining from merely giving claims but through careful thought, one reason
through to argumentation.

The scientific method also leads to wisdom and truth because it uses an evidence-
based 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.

How will you determine the truth from opinion?

An understanding of opinions and facts and the means 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 the ideas and views that
we find acceptable.

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

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

For Maboloc and Pascua (2008) critical thinking is a lifelong process of self-
assessment that further consists of:
- Defining, analyzing, and devising solutions,
- Arriving at reasonable and informed conclusions
- Applying understanding and knowledge to new and different problems
 - Willingness to say, “I don’t know.”

The attributes of a critical thinker include;

- Look for evidence to support assumption and belief
- Adjusts opinion
- Looks for proof
- Examines the problem
- Rejects irrelevant and innocent information

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 as: Socratic,
dialectic, scientific, and historical.

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 to have a better understanding of themselves and the world.
The discussion on truth is a part of Philosophical studies on knowledge where
philosophers explore the nature of knowledge and the ways of knowing.
Both the Socratic and dialectic methods 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 the 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 a path to freedom from half-truths and
deception.

TYPES OF REASONING
Deductive Reasoning
In this type of reasoning, the conclusion comes first, followed by the main points,
and the last will be the supporting data, facts, examples, and pieces of evidence. The
general idea comes first before the specific idea.

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

MAN - the general term commonly used to refer to the entire human race.

HUMAN - refers to man as a species, Homo sapiens or modern human beings.

St. Thomas, the Philosopher who believed that the human person’s nature as an
embodied spirit enables us to engage in meaningful experiences and makes
transcendence possible. He was also regarded of Christianizing the philosophy of
Aristotle.

TRANSCENDENCE - a state of being or existence that is above and beyond physical

needs and realities. It comes from the Latin prefix trans-, which means “beyond”,
and scandare, which means “to climb.”

Limitations of Transcendence may not occur to everyone, does not come at a

specified period, varies across all people, and may coincide with physical limitations
of the body.
Factors that impose limits include the body, environment, demographics, and
society and hinder a person from reaching transcendence.

Possibilities for Transcendence include: developing a positive outlook in life, working

towards reaching a goal, and learning from experience.

An environment may be any external setting that people live in. Because of this,
humanity has a very unique relationship with the environment and with nature,
wherein we all live and benefit from each other.

Environmental Philosophy is a branch of Philosophy that is concerned with the

natural environment and humanity’s place in it. Without the environment around us,
we will not be able to meet our needs to survive, and eventually, we may cease to
exist. That is why, it is also our responsibility to take care of the environment so that
the future generation will also enjoy the beauty of nature, and the fruits and other
essential needs that we are enjoying today.

Environmental Aesthetics, on the other hand, refers to the philosophical view of

maintaining order in the environment, which contributes to the natural beauty of the
surroundings, and the well-being of the people.

For us to do this, we have to be mindful of these two important concepts:

Prudence - which is the ability to have good judgment that allows avoidance
of dangers and risks and,

Frugality - which is the act of using money or other resources wisely and
practically.
As stewards of nature, it is also important for us to take good care of the
environment, since it promotes health and well-being, and sustainable
development.

Health and Well-Being - the environment is a good source for maintaining our
health and wellness. Examples of which are: Some medicinal plants have properties
that help remove pathogens in our body; fruits and vegetables are good sources of
vitamins and minerals; and lastly, aesthetic properties make an excellent venue for
exercises and activities.

• Sustainable Development- for the next generation to enjoy the beauty,

and benefits of the environment, we need to be able to seek ways to sustain it. Since
we know that the environment is the primary source of raw resources, which are
used to make all types of food and materials, we should be able to take good care of
the resources that are at our disposal, and not abuse them. Moreover, with
appropriate techniques, the environment can reproduce and regenerate resources
that have been harvested or lost. That is why, it is important that we not abuse the
resources that we are enjoying so that we can give enough time for the environment
to regenerate and reproduce. How can we do this? Through conservation, and by
following the 4Rs--- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Recover.

By doing this, we can prevent disorder in the environment, which may be evidenced
by a lack of resources or displacement of things. Furthermore, we can also live up to
our role of being stewards and caretakers of nature and the environment.