INTRODUCTION TO

THE PHILOSOPHY OF
THE HUMAN PERSON
MODULE 1: WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?
The module is divided into three parts, namely:
Part 1 – The Nature and Functions of Philosophy
Part 2 – Philosophical Tools and Processes
Part 3 – Philosophical Reflection
After going through this module, you are expected to accomplish the
following Most Essential Learning Competencies:
1. Distinguish a holistic perspective from a partial point of view.
2. Realize the value of doing philosophy in obtaining a broad
perspective on life.
3. Do a philosophical reflection on a concrete situation from a
holistic perspective.
 PICTURE ANALYSIS

Direction: Look at the picture below and answer the following

questions.
 QUESTIONS

1. What do you notice from the picture?

2. Did anyone get the correct answer? Why or why not?
3. What does this picture imply about our effort to understand the
realities of life or answer our perennial problems?
 PHILOSOPHY
- is derived from philosophia which is a combination of the Greek
terms philos (love) and sophia ( wisdom)
- LOVE OF WISDOM
 ORIGIN OF PHILOSOPHY
• Greece- is the birthplace of philosophy in the west
• Thales
- is the father of Philosophy in the western civilization.
- He lived between 624 and 546 BCE a contemporary of the Lydian
king Croesus and the statesman Solon (Stumpf and Fieser,2008)
 WHAT MADE THALES A
PHILOSOPHER ?
• his desire to know the ultimate stuff that makes up the different
things we perceived.
• He believed that despite the different things we encounter there is
one underlying stuff or substance in which everything is
composed.
• He believes that there is One in the Many
• He was the first individual who tried to reduce the multiplicity in
to a unity.
 WHAT MADE THALES A
PHILOSOPHER ?
• Thales approach highlights the difference between religion and
philosophy. Religion rests on faith while philosophy rests on
reason.
• His greatest contribution is the problem he posed “What is the
ultimate stuff of the universe?” and his approach in solving that
problem.
BRANCHES OF
PHILOSOPHY
 METAPHYSICS
- Literally means “ after physics”
-is further subdivided into:
1. ontology which studies existence
2. philosophical anthropology which deals with the fundamental
and essential characteristics of human nature .
- is the study of the nature of reality
 METAPHYSICS
Some example of specific question that metaphysicians reflect upon
are the following:
• What is the meaning of life?
• What is the purpose of life?
• Does God exist?
 EPISTEMOLOGY
• Defined as the branch of philosophy that studies the nature and
means of human KNOWLEDGE.”
 COGNITIVE BRANCHES
OF PHILOSOPHY
• METAPHYSICS
• EPISTEMOLOGY
 NORMATIVE BRANCHES
OF PHILOSOPHY
• ETHICS (MORALITY)
• POLITICS
• AESTHETICS
 ETHICS
• It is a branch of philosophy that provides a human being with a
“code of values to guide man’s choices and actions - the choices
and actions that determine the course of his life (Rand, 1964).
• It is concerned with the values man ought to pursue, the
interrelationships of those values and the means to obtain them
(virtue).
 POLITICS
• is a branch of philosophy “which defines the principles of a
proper social system.”
 AESTHETICS
• studies the nature of art.
• It is concerned with the nature and the objective judgement of
beauty.
PHILOSOPHICAL TOOLS
AND PROCESSES
 1. PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTIONS

Philosophy was born because of ignorance. If one is ignorant, he

asks questions and if he keeps on questioning the more knowledge
he acquires. Once a person stops questioning, he cease to become a
philosopher. In our daily struggles, one needs to ask questions
simple, serious and deep questions that we have to grapple with. A
philosopher is like a child who has an inquisitive mind who
never stops asking questions and finding answers.
Aristotle said that it was the preSocratic philosopher Zeno of Elea
who invented dialectic.
Dialectics is a term used to describe a method of philosophical
argument that involves some sort of contradictory process between
opposing sides. As a dialectical method, it is a discourse between
two or more people holding different points of view about a
subject but wishing to establish the truth through reasoned
arguments.
 2. LOGICAL REASONING
• is the process of thinking about something in a logical way in order
to form a conclusion or judgment.
 TWO TYPES OF LOGICAL
REASONING
• DEDUCTIVE REASONING
• INDUCTIVE REASONING
 DEDUCTIVE REASONING
• is a logical process in which a conclusion is based on the
concordance of multiple premises that are generally assumed to
be true.
• referred to as top-down logic.
• Example:
Premise 1: All human beings are mortal
Premise 2: But the President of the Philippines is a human being
Conclusion: Therefore, the President of the Philippines is mortal
 INDUCTIVE REASONING
• begins with a particular to universal argument.
• is a bottom-up approach
• Example:
Premise: Student A, B, C, D, E, F….. are wearing School ID.
Conclusion: Therefore, All students are wearing ID
PHILOSOPHICAL
REFLECTION
• Reflection is an activity that requires a person to examine his or
her thoughts, feelings and actions and learn from experience.
• Philosophical reflection is the act of giving time to think about
the meaning and purpose of life.
 TWO TYPES OF
PHILOSOPHICAL
REFLECTION
 1. PRIMARY REFLECTION-
-which is 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.
 2. SECONDARY
REFLECTION
- enables us to look deeper into our experiences and see the bigger
picture of reality.
 AQAL FRAMEWORK
• It is an acronym that stands for All Quadrants All Levels first
formulated by an American philosopher/psychologist Ken Wilber.
Wilber first introduced AQAL to the world in his book Sex,
Ecology, Spirituality.
TARA LARO TAYO
 INQUIRE AND DISCOVER
1. Read the following passages for ten (10) minutes.
a) Quotation from Plato’s Apology (38a): “The unexamined life is
not worth living.”
b) Excerpt from Sapagkat ang Pilosopiya ay Ginagawa ni Roque
Ferriols, S.J.

“May mga taong gusto raw matutong lumangoy. Nakasuot-

panlangoy na sila at sama-sama silang nakatayo sa tabi ng
swimingpul. May notbuk at bolpen ang bawat isa.
Nagsalita ang guro. “Una sa lahat,” aniya, “magsanay ka munang
magtampisaw sa tubig, Tapos huwag huminga pero idilat ang mga
mata at magpasailalaim sa tubig. Tapos basta’t dumapa. Huwag
matakot. Lulutang ka. Tapos, matutong gumalaw ng paa, matutong
gumalaw ng kamay. Matutong huminga. At paulit-ulit na
pagsikapan at pagtiyagaan ang praksis.” Habang siyaý nagsasalita,
masipag nilang sinusulat ang lahat ng sinabi niya.
. “At ngayon,” patuloy niya, “eto ang swimingpul. Oras nang
magsimula. Lundagin mo beybe!” Walang lumundag, pero sulat
nang sulat pa rin sila. “Hoy, sa tubig na kayo! Walang kabuluhan
ang sulat-sulat niyo kung hindi ninyo ginagawa.” Wala pa rin
lumulundag. Sulat pa rin sila nang sulat.”
2. Did you enjoy reading the quotations? If so, you might consider
answering the following questions:
a. What does Plato mean when he says “unexamined life”?
b. Based on the Ferriols’ text, what do you think the students are
thinking when they are diligently copying the instructions
given by the teacher instead of diving into the pool?
c. Why is the teacher so keen on making the learners jump in the
swimming pool instead of just taking down notes on how to
swim?
3. Write the following terms on your paper: a) day-to-day life, b)
reflection, and c) application
4. In reference to question #3, do the following: a. Define what each
term refers to. b. Share a belief narrative where they encountered
the three moments in their own life. c. Give insights as to the
importance of reflection and application in one’s day-to-day life
 IMPORTANT POINTS TO
PONDER
Direction: Complete the statements below:

I learned that Philosophy is ______________.

I feel that Philosophy is important because _________.
I commit to apply Philosophy in ___________________.
DIRECTION: DO A QUADRATIC
ANALYSIS ON COVID-19
PANDEMIC USING THE
DIAGRAM BELOW:
 ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES
Direction: Choose a topic below and formulate up to 9 questions.
Classify these questions using the table below:
a. “Covid-19 pandemic”
b. “New Normal” culture
 ASSESSMENT
Direction: identify the following statement.
1. It is an activity that requires a person to examine his or her
thoughts, feelings and actions and learn from experience.
2. This is the science and art of correct thinking.
3. The type of philosophical reflection which trains the mind to
think logically. Also it is the ability of the mind to construct
and evaluate arguments
4. One of the triumvirate Greek philosophers who pioneered a
method of argument called dialectic.
5. It is considered as the process of thinking about something in a
logical way in order to form a conclusion or judgement.
6. In our daily lives we encounter events, situations or issues that we
need to ponder and think deeply. This activity which requires a
person to examine his or her thoughts, feelings and actions and
learn from experience is related to the concept of ____________.
7. According to Gabriel Marcel this type of reflection enables us to
look deeper into our experiences and see the bigger picture of
reality.
 DIRECTION: CHOOSE THE
LETTER THAT CORRESPONDS
TO YOUR ANSWER FROM THE
STATEMENTS BELOW.
8. Imagine that you are in Boracay walking with Thales. He is
convincing you that the only reality is water. Would you believe in
him?
A. No, because I had my own belief.
B. Yes, because Thales belongs to the school of monists which
believes that only one kind of stuff exists.
C. Either yes or no, I will have my own investigation that is based
on the data and reason presented.
9. Identify which statement describes the difference between holism
and partial thinking.
A. Holism is a perspective that looks at the “big picture” while
partial thinking focuses on the specific aspect of the situation.
B. Holism is a perspective that looks at the specific aspects of the
situation while partial thinking looks at the big picture.
C. Holism requires us to focus on a certain aspect of the problem
while partial thinking requires us to have an open mindset.
D. All of the above
10. According to the importance of studying philosophy, what can it
offer us?
A. Know the different philosophers and their philosophies in life?
B. See the downs and lows in the development and history of
philosophy.
C. Survey the achievements of the different philosophers in
various periods of history.
D. Enhances our minds, understand what we encounter every day,
and value our judgement.