Aclc college tacloban

Philosophy
of the human person

Ian kim campo alumro, lpt

“Do not confuse the
forest for the trees”
Philosophy is not only for
philosophers
 Every person has the
capacity to find the value
of philosophy in his or/
her own life.
 However, without formal
introduction to the discipline,
you may not be aware that you
have been engaging in
philosophy
 Let us find out if you have
some idea about philosophy.
Your mother asked you to go
to the market and you asked
her what items you need to
buy.
Your mother asked you to go
to the market and you asked
how much is the budget to
take with you.
Your mother asked you to go to
the market and you asked
yourself, “ Why do people have
to buy things when God created
nature where these goods came
from for free?”.
At some point in your life, you
may have asked difficult
questions though perhaps you
never discussed it to anyone.
The last question is an example
of a Philosophical
Reflection.
 Philosophical
Reflection -are questions
that doesn’t have any specific
or conclusive answer.
-A question that leads to a series
of questions.
To think about it compels us to
look at a particular experience
from a wider perspective
 not
It is an ordinary question
but a truly difficult one.
To reflect philosophically is to
think about an important
question that does not have a
definite or ready answer
 We are puzzled mostly about
things we cannot fully know or
understand because we can ask.
Some of the things human
beings ask are:
“Why am I here?”
“Why was I ever
born?”
“What is the purpose
of my existence?”
“Why love when you
get hurt?”
“What if there is no
life after-death?”
Such questions usually come
when we are going through a
really difficult time in our
life.
“Walang Forever”
 In social media, we are
made to believe or defend
the opposite that nothing last
forever.
When you begin to agree, or
disagree, it calls for a
Philosophical thinking
whether in jest or in a
serious mode.
The thing is, no amount of
research would be able to
provide a definite and
conclusive answer to some
questions that puzzles us.
 Sometimes, we think we
have found the answers,
only to find out ourselves
asking the question again.
 At other times, we get
distracted and evade the
question until some
situations bring us back to
asking it again.
 Unless we deal with such
kind of questions by
engaging in reflection, the
problem such questions raise
will not go away.
 Difficult questions are
questions that matter to us
for they reflect our desire to
understand or at least make
sense of our experiences
The answers we find directly
affect the way we go
through life.
The answers we find directly
affect the way we go
through life.
 When we ponder on a
philosophical question, we
are engaged in philosophy.
 Philosophy allows us the
freedom to ask even those
questions that others believe
to already have a definite
answer.
Do heaven and hell
exist?
Why do we have to
die?
Movies, songs, and literature
are examples of creative
ways of asking a
philosophical questions.
 For instance, “What is
love?” is often asked
implicitly or explicitly in
various art forms
 When we ask a
philosophical question, we
do not simply inquire about
a specific question.
A philosophical question
always contains a bigger
problem.
 For example:

“Why am I here?”
 The answer one finds will
determine his/ her choices in
life.
 Not to ask a philosophical
question is to go through life
confused and lost.
 There are things we
encounter in this world that
are simply puzzling and
settling.
 The only solution to such
philosophical questions is to
ask them. The search for
answers only begins the
moment we ask a
philosophical question.
 Metaphysics
- one of the main branches
of philosophy and it deals
with the so-called “Being of
beings”.
•THE EXISTENCE
OF EVERYTHING
 BEING is the
material or
immaterial
existence of a
thing.
•BEING is a concept
encompassing
objective and
subjective
features of
existence.
The word has its etymology
in Aristotle’s book in Greek,
ta meta physika, meaning
beyond (meta) the physical
(physika) things.
The Universal and
the Particular
 A distinction between the
universal and the particular
will further clarify the nature
of philosophical questions.
What is the difference of
Universal from
Particular?
Universal or Particular

1. Car
2. Cellphone
3. 2 pcs. Chicken thigh
4. Red HBW Ballpen
5. 2 umbrella
 In dealing with
questions of the kind
cited earlier, the
universal and the
particular is dealth with
in a different way.
Universal or Particular

“Why am I
here?”
Philosophical questions
cannot be taken up in
isolation, that is, from
the very experiences
from which they arise.
 Although part of the
reason why we ask
“why am I here?” is due
to some challenges or
struggles we encounter
daily
 It will be impossible to
proceed to answering it
while avoiding other
aspects of human
experience that are
relevant to the question.
Thus, to philosophize is
to look at life from a
holistic perspective,
which include who and
what questions.
 Martin Heidegger
- he is responsible for the
term “Hermeneutics of
Facticity” which simply
means that people interpret
things as they encounter
them in different ways.
Such is precisely what makes
philosophy different from
science according to
Heidegger. For Heidegger, a
scientific question is always
confined to the particular,
whereas a philosophical
question leads into the totality
of beings, and inquires into
the whole.
Heidegger’s essence of
the human freedom
provides that essence is
that which makes
something what it is.
 • However, the pure
essence of freedom
is freeing yourself to
be who you are no
matter who you are.
•To free yourself from
the fear of others
knowing who you are
and respecting
yourself for who you
are, are the most
crucial steps for inner
peace.
Essence of a
HUMAN
PERSON
 •Essence is defined
as the core nature
or most important
qualities of a person
or thing.
 •An example of
essence is what is
captured of
someone's
personality.
 A philosophical
question becomes a
revelation about the
whole reality from past
to present.
When we ask about the
essence of human
freedom, the problem is
not limited to man and
freedom,
Instead, we find that we
cannot avoid asking
about the essence of
man, the essence of the
world, and the essence
of God.
 It is not simply a
question of what man is
free to do, or to become
but also requires that we
address the question of
what he is free from.
 When we ask
philosophically about
freedom, we venture
into an inquiry about the
whole.
Limits are removed and
the inquiry is
broadened.
 It is no longer a
particular problem but a
universal one.
 After a philosophical
question is raised, how
does one proceed to
finding an answer?
Philosophy as its own
methods and criteria of
proceeding with its
inquiries.
 For now, you have to
understand that every person
engaged in a philosophical
reflection must recognize that
possible answers to
philosophical questions
require adequate or rational
basis.
Answers that sound right
or seem right will simply
not do.
 Philosophers have taught
that we can be misled if we
are not careful.
 There are numerous
sources we go to for
answers such as books,
teachers, internet,
television, among others.
 But philosophical
questions as earlier said
do not have ready or
definite answers.
Plato has warned us that
there are things that
deceive, confuse, or
mislead in this world.
Who is Plato?
Plato
- is one of the famous
philosophers who ever lived.
- He founded a school in
Athens known as the
Academy.
- He wrote Apology and the
Republic
S - socrates
P - Plato
A - Aristotle
A – Alexander the
great
 •Socrates was a Greek
philosopher from Athens who is
credited as the founder of
Western philosophy and among
the first moral philosophers of
the ethical tradition of thought.
•Plato was a Greek philosopher
born in Athens during the
Classical period in Ancient
Greece. He founded the
Platonist school of thought and
the Academy.
•Alexander III of Macedon,
commonly known as
Alexander the Great, was
a king of the ancient
Greek kingdom of
Macedon.
 •He succeeded his father
Philip II to the throne in 336
BC at the age of 20, and spent
most of his ruling years
conducting a lengthy military
campaign throughout
Western Asia and Egypt.
To know what is real
requires much
intellectual effort and
rational ability.
A person is responsible
for what answer he/she
holds on to.
 This means we are to
blame in case we are
fooled into believing a
falsehood.
So how do we guard
against
deceptions?
God did not give us a life
manual but he gifted us
with intellect or mind
(faculty of reason) to
figure things out on our
own.
Faculty of reason
or rational capacity allows
us to pursue our questions
so we can come nearer to
the truth.
 It is the best tool we have
that enables us to deal with
problems.
Our mind goes beyond our
instincts and pays attention
to our emotions so we can
effectively pursue meaning
and truth.
Truth and
Dialectics
 Philosophers rely on the
human faculty of reason as
they philosophize.
 Through this rational
capacity, they arrived at a
technique to resolve
philosophical questions,
which is called
Dialectics.
 What is
dialectics?
Dialectics is an art of
refutation that dates back
to the ancient Greek.
Refutation
•the action of proving
a statement or theory
to be wrong or false
 Philosophical
discovery is seen as a
result of collaborations
with partners in dialogue
or conversation.
Dialogues illustrates
how dialectics is an
effective means of
examining and evaluating
truth claims
Errors or inconsistencies of
a claim are demonstrated
using rational abilities
 Socrates is most
noteworthy in his use of
dialectics. His method of
question and answers
illustrates how views to be
defended with consistency
and clarity.
It is not enough to claim
something as true.
 One has to give good
reasons as basis for any
claim and the claim must
be able to withstand
further scrutiny and
examination.
 Socrates’ life is a puzzle
because even three recognized
sources on his life presented
differing accounts. However, they
agreed that socrates philosophize
in the marketplace
 He left no writings but
conversed with people from
all walks of life using question
and answer as a concrete
living out of his famous
advice – “ Know thyself”.
 His commitment to
philosophy was the reason he
was condemned to death.
 It is when our views are
challenged that we feel
compelled to defend those
very views.
The rational way to do it is to
give good reasons.
Do we need such hard
questions?
 We need to welcome
questions that probe into the
core of what we claim because
it is the best way to reveal
what is not obvious.
In the process, we learn more
about our position or view –
what it assumes, what it truly
means, and what it entails.
An added bonus is that we
also learn more about
ourselves.
 Our capacity to reason is
revealed and we may even
gain insight about who we are
at our core.
The dialectics of the ancients
later developed in the modern
era into thesis, antithesis, and
synthesis.
The exchange or confrontation
between differing positions
culminates to a synthesis, that
is a resolution of opposing
views.
 Thesis – affirmative
Antithesis – negative
Synthesis – conclusion
GWF Hegel claimed that there
is a dialectical pattern even in
history as reflected in
resolutions of contradictions
through time.
 Thus, the interplay of
opposing views is necessary
for progress.
 Confrontations of this kind
must be avoided at all. We
need this exchange of ideas so
we can grow.
Even the collective view of
Filipino as a nation may be
interpreted as one that
develops through time
dialectically.
Our views are revised as we
experience turning points in
history.
 From bowing to oppressors
and dwelling on sentiments,
we can now recognize
manipulative appeals made to
our emotion by politicians.
 We now demand that our
leaders be responsible and
accountable to people whose
interests they swore to protect
and to promote.
 Dialectics is indispensable
since it leads closer to truth.
 When we inquire about
philosophical questions in
partnership with another, in
some form of debate, we learn
more because we are
challenged to think about the
question rigorously and
exhaustively.
A development or progress in
thought thus occurs.
Philosophy teaches us to be
open as we strive to know
better.
Debating (confrontation
without aggression) amiably
with someone allows us to
discover many things.
 It reveals our beliefs and
challenges us to defend those
beliefs.
This rational activity teaches
us to hold on only to those
beliefs we can defend, and to
remain open so we can revise
views through time and in
collaboration with others.
 Karl Marx
was trained in philosophy but
later turned to economics and
politics. He introduced
concept of “historical
materialism” which embodies
his theory that societies rise
and fall as a result of class
struggles.
 LESSON 2

The Philosophical
Enterprise
“One thing I know is I
know nothing”

-Socrates
Wonder Curiosity
What is the difference between the
two?
 Human beings want to
understand the world and to
know the truth for there are so
many things we have not
figured out.
 We wonder about so many
things including the working
of the universe, mystery of
human experience, and even
the existence of the Supreme
being.
We wonder about things that
puzzle us.
Plato, claimed that philosophy
begins in wonder.
Wonder is the beginning for it
stimulates us to venture into
philosophy.
Wonder Curiosity
What is the difference between the
two?
It is beyond mere curiosity as
curiosity is usually directed to
a single, fleeting and
momentary object that
captures our interest.
It is beyond mere curiosity as
curiosity is usually directed to
a single, fleeting and
momentary object that
captures our interest.
We are curious on how a new
gadget works, but we may
wonder whether one can live
without the new gadget.
Example?
 Our wondering here is
directed toward analogy and
the relationships of the things
 We are beyond the
information we can readily get
about a new gadget. We are
wondering a more enduring
question.
 Philosophy comes
from Greek term Philo means
love and Sophia means
wisdom
 Thus we can consider
philosophers as lovers of
wisdom.
 They are engaged in
philosophy because their goal
is to become wise
 What is the difference of
knowledge from wisdom?

What is the difference of

being knowledgeable from
wise?
Philosophy, therefore, may be
understood as an activity in
pursuit of wisdom
They are far above the usual
people we encounter daily –
they are not swayed by
popular views and are not
easily deceived.
For Aristotle, wisdom is of
two kinds
1. Theoretical Wisdom
2. Practical wisdom
 Theoretical
Wisdom is knowing
necessary truths and their
logical consequences
Practical Wisdom
deals with knowledge in the
realm of action
 Politics and ethics are
concerned with action and so
the knowledge proper to this
is practical
Practical Wisdom
is knowing truths that have to
do with our dealings with
fellow human beings.
Philosophers believe that to be
wise is the best we can be.
For this reason, they devote their
time to examining their held
beliefs and opinions that are also
called intuitions to arrive
at truth.
What is intuition?
 The answer they seek are not
dependent on authority or their
emotion
Views are scrutinized by the
faculty of reason – that
which, according to
Aristotle, separates us from
plants and animals.
Aristotle claimed that
our rational faculty is the
best element is us, a divine
quality that we share with
gods.
 This led him to the
conclusion that the best life
for man is one that is
devoted to philosophy.
Philosophy is carried out
through the use of reason
 The proper exercise of our
rational faculty allows us to
answer our questions and
overcome our ignorance
 The discipline itself does not
offer definite answers to
philosophical questions because
it is in the nature of such
questions that they do not have
definite answer.
With the exercise of philosophy,
our knowledge can be improved
and our mind can be freed from
narrow views.
 Our attempt to answer
philosophical questions provide
us with opportunities to arrive at
good answers.
 It becomes a search for
knowledge that compels us to
seek the truth because it matters
to us personally.
 Aristotle
he surpassed his teacher by
number of works he wrote and the
diverse field he studied. He put up
a school called Lyceum. He
tutored a thirteen year-old boy
who came to be known as
Alexander the Great
Philosophy is important not only
for philosophers but also to all
human being because the
questions it raises are human
concerns.
Any person is free to engage in
the pursuit of wisdom and
knowledge.
 There is no authority that
imposes or dictates what we
ought to think
We have the freedom to ask and
seek our own answers to
philosophical questions
The Oracle of
Delphi
When we think about it, it is our
ignorance that makes
philosophy possible.
Arrogance or the belief that one
has figured out everything,
however, will impede our search
for truth.
 A person does not search for
something that he/she thinks to
have already found
However those in search of truth
are conscious of their own
ignorance
 The reason why we engage in
philosophy is so that we can find
answers and become wise.
In other words, to gain wisdom,
one has to admit that he is not
yet wise.
We need to examine views,
reflects our belief and those
presented information.
We cannot do philosophy if we
assume that our views are
correct and if we do not allow
our views to be subjected to the
scrutiny of others.
 Philosophy is carried out
because there are many things in
this world that are uncertain.
To love wisdom, is primarily to
acknowledge that we do not
possess the answers to difficult
questions, that we are not yet
wise.
 We ask questions precisely
because we are looking for good
answers – answers that are true
or at least likely to be true.
 Philosophical
Thought in Three
Views
 In the history of man’s search for
answers to philosophical questions,
three views are dominant –
Cosmocentric,
Theocentric, and
Anthropocentric
 Cosmocentric –
wonders about the world. The
question that concerned them was
the origin of the universe
 They wanted to understand the
world for they found themselves
ignorant about the workings of the
universe
Their desire for truth was reflected
in the question that may be simply
“Where did all
put as
things come from”
 Cosmology is a branch of
astronomy that involves the origin
and evolution of the universe, from
the Big Bang to today and on into
the future. According to NASA the
definition of cosmology is "the
scientific study of the large scale
properties of the universe as a whole.
It is said that the first among those
who wondered about the origin of
the universe was Thales.
 His observations of nature and his
philosophical reflections led him to
the view that water is the
underlying principle of all things.
There is no available account of his
basis or reasons for choosing water
but come to think of it, everything
that has life need water.
Philosophers started to come to
think the same question.
 Anaximander thought
that water could not simply explain
the hot, the cold, and the dry so he
claimed that the answer must be the
‘boundless’
 Anaximenes said that the
fundamental principle must be air
because it can better account for
change and for life.
A group of philosophers known as
Pythagoreans, identified
numbers as the first principle
because they observed how the
world is governed by mathematical
ratio.
 Atomists, speculated that
there must be tiny, indivisible
entities, invisible to the naked eye
that make up everything.
 In the medieval period during
which the church sustained man’s
intellect, the world become
secondary to God, and Christianity
greatly influenced philosophy
Thus, these gave birth to
Theocentrism
 Avicenna, the first Muslim
philosophers argued that in this
world, the existence of beings can
be traced to another being
responsible for its existence
 St. Thomas Aquinas’
Summa Theologica is most
remarkable for its exhaustive
explanation of the Christian faith. It
is also the source of famous “five
ways” of proving the existence of
God.
 Essence
“ ”
it is a philosophical term that is
often used in a non-philosophical
way. Aristotle believes that all
things that exist have an
unchanging ‘nature;
“What kind of thing is it”
it is the whatness of things you are
concerned about.
The modern period in philosophy is
characterized by subjectivity and
individualism, hence centered on
man.
Anthropocentric view
was a result of both the rise of
modern science and diminished
authority of the church
Anthropocentric view shed light on
the philosophies characterized in
this period – rationalism and
empiricism
Rationalism is committed
to the view that knowledge is
acquired through reason
independent of sense experience.
Knowledge for all rationalist is
based on ideas or concepts.
Clear and distinct ideas cannot be
doubted unlike the data of the
senses.
Empiricism holds that
knowledge is ultimately derived
from sense experience
John Locke, an empiricist,
claimed that human mind at birth
is like a blank sheet of paper that
is latter filled through sense
experience.
The dialectics between these
views continue to0 this time.
The inquiries we make are always
fruitful because they produce
various perspectives that enrich
our understanding of the
complexities of this world.