PHILOSOPHY

III. Philosophical Reflection

INTRODUCTION
BY
WHAT IS REFLECTION
 Reflection is an activity that requires a
person to examine his or her thoughts,
feelings and actions and learn from
experience.
 Its trajectory is to see the bigger picture
about everything. This process is called
philosophical reflection.
 According to Gabriel Marcel, philosophical
reflection is the act of giving time to think
about the meaning and purpose of life
 IT requires a person to be willing to examines
one’s thoughts, feelings, and actions and to learn
more about one’s life and experiences
 One can reflect on almost any subject .For
instance the moment you wake up you can
already reflect upon things that you plan to do
forda day . This will enable you to set your daily
goals and set you on the path of thinking of ways
to achived them
 Philosophical reflection helps us understand
ourselves and our action or decisions
TWO TYPES OF
REFLECTION
PRIMARY REFLECTION

 The ability to think logically

 The ability of the mind to construct and
evaluate arguments.
 It examines its object by abstraction, by
analytically breaking it down into its
constituent parts
 It is concerned with definitions,
essences and technical solutions to
problems.
SECONDARY REFLECTION
 This type of reflection enables us to look
deeper into our experiences and see the
bigger picture of reality
 It integrates the fragmented and
compartmentalized experience into a
whole
 It is the idea that various systems (e.g.
physical, biological, social) should be
viewed as wholes, not merely as a
collection of parts
PRIMARY VS SECONDARY
REFLECTION

PRIMARY
LIFE SECONDARY
HOUSE
 Reflection is not exclusive for philosophy in
fact it is employed in any endeavor ,
research or discipline
 In research it is called methodological
approach.
Moral theology employs the STOP sign
as guidepost of moral decision making.
 S= Search out the facts.
 T=Think,
 O= How it affects Others.
 P= stands for Pray
 S= Search out the
facts. It is necessary
that all means should
be exhausted to better
understand the issue.
 T=Think, reflect and analyse the
facts, its negative or positive effects,
advantages or disadvantages.
 O= How it affects Others. We should
always consider others in every
decision that we make. Every action
that we take has always a social
dimension. It affects ourselves,
others and community where we
belong.
 Lastly P= stands for Pray. We are
human beings with limitations. If our
best effort are not enough, then there
is no way but look up for divine or
God for enlightenment and guidance.
 SYNTHESIS
REFLECTION

MORAL THEOLOGY

 S= Search out the facts.

 T=Think,
PRIMARY AND  O= How it affects Others.
SECONDARY REFLECTION  P= stands for Pray