O D O F P HI LO SO P H IZ I NG

METH
PART II
OF THE HUMA N P ERSO N
UC TION T O T HE P HILOSOPHY
INTROD
WHAT IS METHOD?

• IS A ESTABLISHED WAY OR ORDER DOING ANYTHING

• IS A WAY OF MANNER WHICH A THING IS DONE OR IN WHICH IT HAPPENS
• IT IS A SETTLED KIND OF PROCEDURE
• SYSTEMATIC PLAN
METHOD IN PHILOSOPHY
• IS TYPICALLY EMPLOYED BY PHILOSOPHERS WHEN THEY PRESENT THEIR IDEAS, CONCEPTS, AND
ARGUMENTS IN AN ORDERLY AND SYSTEMATICALLY MANNER NOT ONLY IN AIDING REFUTATION BUT ALSO
TO MAKE LESS PRONE TO MAKING FLAWED ARGUMENTS.
9 MET HO D S O R T O OL S I N
P H IL OS O P H Y
• CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS – SCIENCE ANALYZES FACTS THROUGH OBSERVATION,
EXPERIMENTATION, AND SENSE OF EXPERIENCE. FACTS ARE KNOWN BUT
CONCEPTS ARE UNDERSTOOD.

• LOGICAL ANALYSIS – IT IS A METHOD OF DETERMINING WHETHER THE

ASSERTION OFFERED AS REASON FOR ACCEPTING THE ASSERTION TO JUSTIFY
THAT ACCEPTANCE IN THE WAY SPEAKER INTENDED

• METHOD OF SYSTEMATIC DOUBT - THIS DOUBT IS NOT A CASUAL DOUBT, THE

“DOUBT” AS A METHOD OF PHILOSOPHY IS CALLED THE METHODOLOGICAL
DOUBT OR INDUBITABLE OR SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS CARTESIAN
PHILOSOPHY ADVOCATE BY RENE DESCARTES (1596-1650).
• PHENOMENOLOGICAL METHOD - WE DESCRIBE OURSELVES AND AROUND US ON
THE BASIS OF SUBJECTIVE EXPERIENCE, WHICH REFERRED TO AS “LIVE
EXPERIENCE”. PHENOMENOLOGY HELPS US TO UNDERSTAND THE MEANING OF
PEOPLE'S LIVED EXPERIENCE

• PHILOSOPHICAL DIALOGUE - THIS METHOD MUST EMPLOY THE OTHER METHODS

LISTED HERE IN ORDER TO CONDUCT THE CONVERSATION. IN OTHER WORDS PEOPLE
DISCUSS TO WORK OUT A PROBLEM TOGETHER, RATHER THAN IN ISOLATION.

• HISTORICAL METHOD - IN THIS METHOD, THERE IS VALUE IN EXPLAINING THE

IMPLICATIONS OF AN ARGUMENT IN A SOCIETY. HOWEVER, NEGATIVE IMPLICATIONS
DO NOT SIMPLY IMPLY AN ABSENCE OF TRUTH NOR DO POSITIVE ONES IMPLY ITS
PRESENCE.
• COMPARATIVE DESCRIPTIVE METHOD – THIS IS A VALUABLE LEARNING TOOL,
SINCE WE OFTEN TO COME UNDERSTAND CONCEPTS IN RELATIONS TO WHAT WE
ALREADY KNOW.

• COMPARATIVE CONSTRUCTIVE METHOD – THIS IS A VERY USEFUL METHOD FOR

CREATING NEW IDEAS, WHICH ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO THE PROCESS OF
TRUTH SEEKING

• DECONSTRUCTIVE METHOD – THIS METHOD IS USEFUL IN SPECIFIC SITUATIONS.

ITS VALUE IS THAT IT ALLOWS A THINKER TO CHALLENGE HIS OWN CULTURAL
PRECONCEPTIONS AND THUS GAIN A SOMEWHAT, MORE OBJECTIVE POINT OF
VIEW.
• “LOGIC DOES NOT NECESSARILY PROVE ANYTHING. MANY
PEOPLE CAN PLAY AT GAMES OF RHETORIC AND LOGIC AND
SUGGEST THAT AS PROOF. THIS IS NOT TRUE. TRUTH MUST BE
VERIFIABLE AND ABLE TO UNDERGO RIGOROUS TESTING. THE
METHOD OF PHILOSOPHY, THUS, CAN LEAD TO WISDOM AND
TRUTH.”
 O P H E R S B E H IN D A B O U T
PHILOS Y
E T H O D O F P H IL O SO P H
THE M
• SOCRATES– A GREEK PHILOSOPHER WHO SOUGHT TO GET THE FOUNDATION OF
HIS STUDENTS BY ASKING CONTINUAL QUESTIONS. SOCRATES IS FAMOUS FOR
HIS METHOD CALLED “ELANCHUS” (SOCRATIC METHOD)

• ARISTOTLE- A TOWERING FIGURE IN ANCIENT GREEK PHILOSOPHY, WHO MADE

AN IMPORTANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO LOGIC, CRITICISM, RHETORIC , PHYSICS,
BIOLOGY, PSYCHOLOGY, MATHEMATICS, METAPHYSICS ,AND POLITICS.

• RENE DESCARTES
– HIS ANSWER IS TO DOUBT EVERYTHING. FOR ONLY
DOUBTING CAN ONE FIND CERTAINTY, DOUBTING EVERYTHING WHAT IS LEFT IS
ALREADY BEYOND DOUBT. HENCE THE FAMOUS QUOTE “COGITO ERGO SUM” (I
THINK THEREFORE I AM)

• IMMANUEL KANT- BELIEVED THAT REASON IS THE SOURCE OF MORALITY, AND

THAT AESTHETICS ARISE FROM A FACULTY DISINTERESTED JUDGMENT.
THE STEPS I N D O IN G
P H IL O SO P H Y
• KNOW THE ISSUE OF THE PROBLEM – IT IS WAS THEIR WONDER, ASTONISHMENT
THAT FIRST LED MEN TO PHILOSOPHIZE AND STILL LEADS THEM.

• ARRANGING AND ASSESSING THE DATA – DECIDES NOT TO BE QUICK IN

FORMULATING QUESTIONS; THEY GATHER MORE INFORMATION OR DATA TO
SOLVE THE PROBLEM.

• SUGGESTING THE HYPOTHESIS - IT IS A GUESS STATEMENT AS A BASIS FOR

REASONING AND AS A STARTING POINT OR FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION OF THE
PROBLEM
• TESTING THE HYPOTHESIS – IT IS A WAY OF KNOWING THE TRUTH OR FALSITY
OF AN ARGUMENT AS ARTICULATED IN THE PROBLEM.

• FIND OUT THE TRUTHS (CONCLUSION) – AN ARGUMENT IS A SET OF

STATEMENTS, ONE WHICH (THE CONCLUSION; THE ONE THAT CLAIMS THE TRUTH
OF THE PREMISES,) FOLLOWS FROM THE OTHERS (THE PREMISES; THE EVIDENCES
TO BE CLAIMED)

• PHILOSOPHICAL CRITICISM AND REFLECTION – PHILOSOPHICAL CRITICISM AND

REFLECTION. THIS CAN BE FORM IN THE FORM OF “DIALECT”