The Meaning,

Characteristics and
Branches of Philosophy
LESSON 1
OBJECTIVES
At the end of this lesson you are expected to:
1. discuss the meaning of philosophy
2. identify the branches of philosophy; and
3. appreciate the significance of the characteristics of
philosophy
Definition:
According to Abella (2016), the word Philosophy comes
from the two Greek words philos (love) and Sophia
(Wisdom), (Abella 2016). Thus, Philosophy is the love of
wisdom. This is the most common and simplest
definition of Philosophy. He further defined Philosophy
as a science of thinking that deals with the study of
processes governing thoughts and conduct. He also
added that Philosophy is the study that uses the human
reason to investigate the ultimate causes, reasons, and
principles which governs all things.
B. Characteristics:
Just as there are many ways at looking at things, like,
experiences, situations, problems, Philosophy can also be seen
and treated in different ways. Philosophy can be seen as a
framework, as an examination of knowledge and as a discipline.
(Abella 2016)
C. Branches of Philosophy
Logic
o a branch of philosophy that deals with the
nature of thinking and reasoning using empirical
support and information which are reliable, valid
and objective.
o it is the science of correct thinking.
C. Branches of Philosophy
Two Types of Logic
a. Deductive Reasoning – from a general truth to
specific truth, from universal truth to particular.
b. Inductive Reasoning – from a specific truth to
general truth, particular to universal.
C. Branches of Philosophy
Epistemology
o a branch of Philosophy that concerns with the
definition of knowledge and related concepts such as the
sources and criteria of knowledge.
Two Contending Schools of Thought
a. Rational school – the main source of knowledge is deductive
reasoning based on self-evident principles or actions.
b. Empirical school – the source of knowledge is sense-perception
C. Branches of Philosophy
Ethics
o it comes from the Greek word “ethos” which means
character.
o it is the science of correct doing.
o it is the study of what is right and what is wrong in
human behavior in the pursuit of beauty and goodness
of life.
C. Branches of Philosophy
Metaphysics
o it comes from the Greek words “meta” which
means beyond and “physikon” which means
nature.
o it is branch of philosophy which is concerned
with the nature of ultimate reality.
C. Branches of Philosophy
Aesthetics
o it is derived from the Greek word “aesthetikos” which
means one who is perceptive of things through his
sensations, feelings and intuitions.
o it is concerned with the essence of perception of
beauty and ugliness.
C. Branches of Philosophy
Aesthetics
o it is derived from the Greek word “aesthetikos” which
means one who is perceptive of things through his
sensations, feelings and intuitions.
o it is concerned with the essence of perception of
beauty and ugliness.
C. Branches of Philosophy
Political Philosophy
o it refers to a body of knowledge that looks up on the
society, politics and the people that makes it whole.
o it is believed that society is inseparable
to politics.
General Questions in Philosophy

According to Garcia, et al, (2016), Philosophy is

concerned with the deepest and widest questions
in life. The following are examples of questions in
the different branches of philosophy as
mentioned by him.
A. Epistemology –Theory of Knowledge
• What is knowledge?
• Can we know?
• What is to know?
• How can we know?
B. Ethics – Moral Philosophy
• What is freedom?
• Do we have free will?
• What is human act?
• Are our actions already determined?
C. Philosophy of Art – Aesthetics
• What is beauty?
• What does it mean to be beautiful?
D. Philosophy of Religion
• Does God exist?
• Can we prove the existence of God?
• What reasons are there to believe in God?
E. Rational Psychology/Philosophy of Man/
Philosophical Anthropology
• What is the essence and meaning of life?
• Does life make sense?
• What is good life?
• What is happiness?
• What is man? Who is man?
• Is man only his body, or man is his soul
 Philosophy is reflective and reflections arise from our
experiences and that man is rich with experiences both
good and evil. These experiences are the starting point of
wonder and awe. Reason leads to reflection and that’s
what makes us human. He also mentioned that we are
capable of becoming aware of our consciousness and
daily activities. Lastly, it is said that man by essence is
reflective and yet, people nowadays have less time to
think and reflect on their experiences. Man is simply
now becoming a contradiction of his own
Activity 3: True and False
1. The word Philosophy comes from two Geek words philos (love) and Sophia
(wisdom).
2. Philosophy is the study that uses human reason to investigate the ultimate
causes, reasons and principles which governs all things.
3. Philosophy is a distinct area of knowledge with its own goals, concerns and
ways of doing things.
4. Philosophy is divided into several branches namely: Aesthetics, Logic,
Epistemology, Ethics, Metaphysics and Political Philosophy.
5. Philosophy can be seen as a framework, as an examination of knowledge and
as a discipline.
6. Philosophy is concerned with the deepest and widest questions in life.
The Distinction Between Holistic
Perspective and Partial Point of
View
LESSON 2:
 The Story of the Five Blind Men and an
Elephant by: Reverend Loveshade
One day five blind men agreed to analyze an elephant
to find out what it was. Reaching out, each touched it
in a different spot. One man touched the side, one,
an ear, one a leg, one a tusk, and one the trunk. We
now know that the elephant is like a wall, said the
one who touched the side. I believed you are
mistaken, sir, said the one who touched an ear. The
elephant I more like a large fan. You are both wrong,
said the leg man. The elephant is obviously being like
a tree.
A tree? Questioned the tusk toucher. How can you
mistake a spear for tree? What? Said the trunk feeler.
A spear is long and round, but anyone knows it doesn’t
move. Couldn’t you feel the muscles? It is definitely a
type of snake. A blind man could see that said the fifth
blind man. The argument grew more heated for they
had misunderstanding regarding the truth of an
elephant. (Discordia.loveshade.org n.d.)
a. What is the story all about?
b. What is the source of argument among the five blind
men?
c. How can the five blind men come up with a common
understanding of an elephant?
Holistic thinking refers to a perspective that considers a large-
scale pattern in a system. It is often described as looking at the “big
picture” when describing and analyzing a situation or a problem.
Holistic perspective requires an individual to have an open mindset
and an ability to get the general sense or impression regarding a
situation. Partial thinking on the other hand, focuses on the specific
aspects of a situation. Partial view is an important component in
analytical thinking, as an individual focus on certain areas or aspects
of a problem in order to understand it. Lastly, it is emphasized that
though partial thinking is useful, Philosophy utilizes holistic thinking
in making sense of problems and issues related to the human
experience.
Holistic point of View Partial point of View

we may use the principles, theories and findings of

science in contradistinction of the dictum and jargons
of philosophy.

we may use Marcelian way as presented by the

philosopher Gabriel Marcel and lastly, the difference
between the shadow and reality from Plato’s master
piece, the Allegory of the cave.
 A. Science
According to Garcia, et.al (2016) Science is widely accepted and is a
good and reliable source of knowledge, information and data.
science uses a standard in identifying whether a certain discovery is
scientific or not through experimentation and observation.
through science we can explain and understand the natural world.
Science is empirical and it uses the senses in
arriving into a truth or reality called sense knowledge.
Science is investigative.
 B. Primary reflection
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. In contrast,
secondary reflection is synthetic; it unifies
rather than divides.
“Roughly, we can say that where primary
reflection tends to dissolve the unity of
experience which is first put before it, the
function of secondary reflection is essentially
recuperative; it reconquers that unity” (Marcel,
stanford.edu 2016)
The table below is an example of the use of Primary Reflection and Secondary
reflection of Gbariel marcel as presented by Garcia et.al (2016).
C. ‘The Allegory of the Cave’ by Plato: Summary and
Meaning September 21, 2012 by Amy Trumpeter
The ‘Allegory of The Cave’ is a theory put forward by Plato,
concerning human perception. Plato claimed that knowledge
gained through the senses is no more than opinion and that,
in order to have real knowledge, we must gain it through
philosophical reasoning.

In the Allegory of the Cave, Plato distinguishes between

people who mistake sensory knowledge for the truth and
people who really do see the truth. It goes like this:
C. ‘The Allegory of the Cave’ by Plato: Summary and
Meaning September 21, 2012 by Amy Trumpeter
The Cave
Imagine a cave, in which there are three prisoners. The prisoners are
tied to some rocks, their arms and legs are bound and their head is
tied so that they cannot look at anything but the stonewall in front of
them.
These prisoners have been here since birth and have never seen
outside of the cave.
Behind the prisoners is a fire, and between them is a raised walkway.
People outside the cave walk along this walkway carrying things on
their head including; animals, plants, wood and stone.
C. ‘The Allegory of the Cave’ by Plato: Summary and
Meaning September 21, 2012 by Amy Trumpeter
The Shadows
So, imagine that you are one of the prisoners. You cannot
look at anything behind or to the side of you – you must look
at the wall in front of you.
When people walk along the walkway, you can see shadows
of the objects they are carrying cast on to the wall.
If you had never seen the real objects ever before, you would
believe that the shadows of objects were ‘real.
C. ‘The Allegory of the Cave’ by Plato: Summary and
Meaning September 21, 2012 by Amy Trumpeter
The Game
• Plato suggests that the prisoners would begin a ‘game’ of
guessing which shadow would appear next.
• If one of the prisoners was to correctly guess, the others would
praise him as clever and say that he was a master of nature.
C. ‘The Allegory of the Cave’ by Plato: Summary and
Meaning September 21, 2012 by Amy Trumpeter
The Escape
• One of the prisoners then escapes from their bindings and leaves the
cave.
• He is shocked at the world he discovers outside the cave and does not
believe it can be real.
• As he becomes used to his new surroundings, he realizes that his
former view of reality was wrong.
• He begins to understand his new world, and sees that the Sun is the
source of life and goes on an intellectual journey where he discovers
beauty and meaning.
• He sees that his former life, and the guessing game they played is
useless.
C. ‘The Allegory of the Cave’ by Plato: Summary and
Meaning September 21, 2012 by Amy Trumpeter
The Return
• The prisoner returns to the cave, to inform the other
prisoners of his findings.
• They do not believe him and threaten to kill him if he tries
to set them free.
‘The Allegory of the Cave’ by Plato – The
Meaning

The Allegory of the cave by Plato should not be taken at

face value. In essays and exams, whoever is marking it
expects you to have a deeper understanding of the
meaning of the theory. You can then use these to think
about criticisms and then to form your own opinion.
‘The Allegory of the Cave’ by Plato – The
Meaning

The Allegory of the cave by Plato should not be taken at

face value. In essays and exams, whoever is marking it
expects you to have a deeper understanding of the
meaning of the theory. You can then use these to think
about criticisms and then to form your own opinion.
‘The Allegory of the Cave’ by Plato – The
Meaning
The Cave
• In Plato’s theory, the cave represents people who believe
that knowledge comes from what we see and hear in the
world – empirical evidence. The cave shows that believers of
empirical knowledge are trapped in a ‘cave’ of
misunderstanding.
‘The Allegory of the Cave’ by Plato – The
Meaning

The Shadows
• The Shadows represent the perceptions of those who
believe empirical evidence ensures knowledge. If you believe
that what you see should be taken as truth, then you are
merely seeing a shadow of the truth. In Plato’s opinion you
are a ‘pleb’ if you believe this (their insult for those who are
not Philosophers)!
‘The Allegory of the Cave’ by Plato – The
Meaning

The Game
• The Game represents how people believe that one person
can be a ‘master’ when they have knowledge of the empirical
world. Plato is demonstrating that this master does not
actually know any truth, and suggesting that it is ridiculous
to admire someone like this.
‘The Allegory of the Cave’ by Plato – The
Meaning

The Escape
• The escaped prisoner represents the Philosopher, who
seeks knowledge outside of the cave and outside of the
senses.
• The Sun represents philosophical truth and knowledge
• His intellectual journey represents a philosopher’s journey
when finding truth and wisdom
‘The Allegory of the Cave’ by Plato – The
Meaning

The Return
• The other prisoner’s reaction to the escapee returning
represents that people are scared of knowing philosophical
truths and do not trust philosophers.(philosophyzer.com
n.d.)