MODULE 1 LESSON 1

PHILOSOPHY IN GENERAL
 WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?

• There is no best definition of Philosophy as a discipline. Hence, for the sake of our
understanding, we will looked into its etymological and technical definition.
 A. ETYMOLOGICAL DEFINITION

Philosophy comes from the two Greek words philo meaning “love” or “friendship” and
sophia meaning “wisdom.” Thus, philosophy means “love of wisdom.” Love is an urge
or a drive of a will towards a particular object. As a drive, love always seeks unity with
its object and desires to possess its object. Thus, wisdom cannot be dissociated from
knowledge. Truth is the ultimate object of knowledge.
Philosophy is absolutely committed to the truth, “the whole truth and nothing but the
truth.” Hence, truth is being shown and practiced by a man of wisdom. Now, if
philosophy means love of wisdom, to philosophize, therefore, is to be in quest, or to
have a desire towards loving and living the truth (Babor, 2007)
 B. TECHNICAL DEFINITION

Philosophy is defined as “the science of beings in their ultimate reasons,

causes, and principles acquired by the aid of human reason alone (Bittle,1984).”
To better understand Philosophy, let us break down the statement into the
following:
1) Philosophy is a science.
- Science is about acquiring a certain kind of knowledge. Philosophy is a science because the
questioning is given more importance than the answers to the questions, since answers can
become questions themselves. (Babor,2007)
 B. TECHNICAL DEFINITION

2) Philosophy is a science of beings.

As a science of beings, it covers all the things that can be reached by the human mind.
This includes man, the world, God, everything that is, or becomes, or is known.
3) Philosophy searches for the ultimate reasons, causes and principles of beings.
This means that philosophy studies the ultimate “whys and wherefores” of beings.
To illustrate: Philosophy does not investigate plant life, but rather, it seeks an answer to
the question: “What does it mean to be a living thing as opposed to a non-living thing?”
 B. TECHNICAL DEFINITION

4) Philosophy uses the power or natural light of reason.

- The study of philosophy help us acquired by the aid of human reason
alone. Meaning, philosophy doesn’t base its knowledge on authority,
but solely on the reasoning power of the human mind. Hence, divine
revelation is formally excluded as a source of information although it
can and should assist the mind of man by pointing out the proper
direction for the philosophic solution of a problem along purely natural
line.
 WHAT ARE THE DIVISIONS OF PHILOSOPHY?

Philosophy is classified into practical and speculative. Man’s philosophical

questions tend to fall into any of the following fields:

1. Practical Divisions of Philosophy - is composed of philosophical fields,

which study not only to obtain knowledge and wisdom but also to use that
knowledge and wisdom for practical purposes. It includes logic, ethics,
axiology, aesthetics, and semantics.
 WHAT ARE THE DIVISIONS OF PHILOSOPHY?

a) Logic (Questions related to Reasoning).

Logic studies the laws of thought. It is the science of correct reasoning. This covers the study
of simple apprehension and ideas, judgment and proposition, reasoning and arguments.
Logic attempts to resolve the following questions: “What makes good arguments good and
bad arguments bad?”
b) Ethics (Questions related to Morality).
Ethics deals with development of a virtuous and moral character. It is the science of the
morality of human acts as ordained to the end. Ethics attempts to resolve questions like:
“What makes my action right or wrong, and how could I know it?”. “Is there a norm good
and evil?
 WHAT ARE THE DIVISIONS OF PHILOSOPHY?

c) Axiology (Questions related to Values).

It is the science of value. It is the study of the origin, nature, functions, types, and interrelations of values.
Axiology attempts to resolve questions like: “How are values experienced?” “What are the kinds of
value?”

d) Aesthetics (Questions related to Beauty and Taste).

It is the science of beauty and art. Beauty means the quality attributed to whatever pleases the beholder
such as form, color, and behavior. Art is creativeness and skill in making or doing things that have form
and beauty. It includes the concept of creativity, expression, representation, form, and style. Aesthetics
attempts to resolve questions like: “What are the essential characteristics of beauty?” “What is aesthetic
value?” “Do the arts provide knowledge?”
 WHAT ARE THE DIVISIONS OF PHILOSOPHY?

e) Semantics (Questions related to Meaning).

It is the science of meaning. It studies the natural and artificial
language scientifically. This includes the study of the relations of words
to the objects denoted by them, the relations of words to the interpreters
of them, and, in symbolic logic, the formal relations of signs to one
another (syntax).
Semantics attempts to resolve questions like: “What sorts of meanings do human
grammars yield, and by what rules are these meanings assembled?” “How does
grammatical knowledge develop in children?”
 WHAT ARE THE DIVISIONS OF PHILOSOPHY?

2. Speculative Division of Philosophy - is made up of philosophical fields whose main

concern is the acquisition of knowledge without any thought of applying it for any
practical use. It includes epistemology, theodicy, cosmology, philosophical psychology,
and metaphysics.

a) Epistemology (Questions related to Truth and Knowledge).

Epistemology is the science of knowledge. This includes the statement and solution to
the critical problem, nature, origin, objectivity, and validity of knowledge, truth and
certitude. Epistemology attempts to resolve questions like: “What is knowledge?” “What
is fact?” “What is truth?”
 WHAT ARE THE DIVISIONS OF PHILOSOPHY?

b) Theodicy (Questions related to God).

Theodicy is the science of God - His nature, existence, essence, attributes and operations.
Theodicy attempts to resolve questions like : “Does God exist?” “Why God allows evil?”

c) Cosmology (Questions related to Universe).

Cosmology is the science of the universe – its origin and development with its parts,
elements, laws, especially its characteristics with regard to space, time, causality and
freedom. Cosmology attempts to resolve question like: “How did the world begin and
where will it end?”
 WHAT ARE THE DIVISIONS OF PHILOSOPHY?

d) Psychology (Questions related to Soul).

Psychology is science of soul. The study deals man not only as a sensing or thinking
subject but also as a being composed of body and soul. Psychology attempts to resolve
question like: “Is there really a soul?”

e) Metaphysics (Questions related to Being and Existence).

It studies the nature of the mind, the self, and consciousness. It is the science which deals
with the nature of being, its attributes, constituent principles, and causes. Metaphysics
attempts to resolve the following questions: “What is being?” “Why is there being rather
than non-being?” “What is existence?” “What is essence?”
 WHY THE STUDY OF PHILOSOPHY IS
IMPORTANT?
According to Zunjic (2011) studying or doing philosophy could be beneficial in many regards such as:
1. Philosophy enlarges our understanding of the world. It expands our
intellectual horizons and freedom of thought.
2. Philosophy raises public awareness and helps in forming engaged and
responsible citizens.
3. Philosophy can increase our sensitivity for universalistic moral values and
stimulate our readiness to stand up for the principles of justice and fairness.
4. Philosophy can give one self-knowledge, foresight, and a sense of direction
in life.
 WHY IS THERE A NEED TO PHILOSOPHIZE?

1. Men have the tendency to wonder (Plato).

For example: we asked questions about our existence
2. Men also have the tendency to doubt ( Rene de Cartes).
For example: Men have to test and verify information before accepting it.
3. Men do philosophize because of his/her experience ( Karl Jaspers). Our
daily experience challenged our ideas and way of thinking.
For example: Giving money to a beggar, and found out that he uses it for
gambling.
4. Men’s love for wisdom (Socrates). Men’s desire for truth or seeking of
knowledge is not to claim ownership of it but to get the bottom of things.
 WHO ARE THE MOST NOTABLE ANCIENT
GREEK PHILOSOPHERS?
• Pythagoras (570 BCE to 495 BCE) –
He is a mathematician and a scientist,
and he was credited with formulating
the Pythagorean theorem.
 WHO ARE THE MOST NOTABLE ANCIENT
GREEK PHILOSOPHERS?
• Heraclitus (535 BCE to 475 BCE)- He proposed
that everything that exist is based on a higher
order or plan which he called logos.
 WHO ARE THE MOST NOTABLE ANCIENT
GREEK PHILOSOPHERS?
• Democritus (460 BCE to 370 BCE) – He
primarily remembered today for his formulation
of an atomic theory of the universe. He was the
first to propose that matter is composed of tiny
particles called atom.
 WHO ARE THE MOST NOTABLE ANCIENT
GREEK PHILOSOPHERS?
• Diogenes of Sinope (412 BCE to 323
BCE)- He was known as advocate of
living a simple and virtuous life. His
teachings and views influenced the
development of several schools of
philosophy such as Cynicism and
Stoicism.
 WHO ARE THE MOST NOTABLE ANCIENT
GREEK PHILOSOPHERS?
• Epicurus ( 341 BCE to 270 BCE) – He believed
that philosophy could enable man to live a life of
happiness. His perspective gave rise to
Epicureanism – a school of philosophy which
believes that wisdom and simple living will
result in a life free of fear and pain.
 WHO ARE THE MOST NOTABLE ANCIENT
GREEK PHILOSOPHERS?
• Socrates (470 BCE to 399 BCE) – He was
considered the foremost philosopher of ancient
times. He contributed much to the field of ethics.
He was known of developing
• Socratic Method - a means of examining a topic
by devising a series of questions that let the
learner examine and analyze his knowledge and
views regarding the topic
 WHO ARE THE MOST NOTABLE ANCIENT
GREEK PHILOSOPHERS?
• Plato (427 to 347 BCE) –A student of Socrates, he
wrote some of his mentor’s teachings and
incorporated some of his own ideas.
a) Plato’s most significant ideas included his Theory of
Forms, which proposes that everything that exist is
based on the idea that can only be perceived in mind.
b) He is famous for his dialectic - a method of inquiry
where two opposing ideas are discussed in an attempt
to arrive in a new knowledge.
 WHO ARE THE MOST NOTABLE ANCIENT
GREEK PHILOSOPHERS?
• ARISTOTLE
Aristotle (384 BCE to 322 BCE) – He attended the Academy and
was a prominent student of Plato. He go against the idea of
Plato’s theory of forms and took a different stance in interpreting
reality.
-For him, all ideas and views are based on perception and our
reality is based on what we can sense and perceive. Aristotle was
involved in a great variety of discipline such as zoology,
psychology, ethics, and politics.
-He formulated a formal process of analyzing reasoning –
deductive reasoning – the process by which specific statements
are analyzed to reach a conclusion or generalization.