MODULE 1

WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?
 LET’S PONDER
• READ AND ANALYZE THE FOLLOWING CONVERSATION
BETWEEN A HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER AND HER
STUDENT IN CLASS.
Teacher : Juan, What would you like to be when you grow up?
Juan : Ma’am I want to be happy!
Teacher : Juan, you did not understand my question
Juan : Ma’am, you do not understand what life is all about!
 QUESTIONS
• Do you think that Juan’s answer was appropriate for his teacher’s
question?
• What do you think was Juan’s interpretation of his teacher’s
question?
• Based on his responses, what kind of student do you imagine Juan
to be?
• If you were Juan’s teacher, how would you respond to him?
• How is philosophy related to this situation?
 INQUIRE AND DISCOVER
• Have you, like Juan, come to a realization of what you
want in life?
• Have you ever found yourself wondering about the things
you experienced?
• Have you ever encountered a situation where you had to
think about the “deeper” questions in life?
 INQUIRE AND DISCOVER
• Young children are very curious, and we often hear
them ask simple questions such as: “What is this?”
“What does this do?” These queries may be easily
ignored because of their simplicity, but these indicate a
healthy curiosity and a sense of wonder which is an
important feature of childhood innocence.
INQUIRE AND DISCOVER
• As we grow older, our questions are influenced by
our experinces and circumstances. We find
ourselves asking more serious questions such as
“Why do I have to study?” “What do I need to do
to get better grades?” “What should I do to achieve
my goals in life?” “Why did I fail?”
 INQUIRE AND DISCOVER
• Still, there are other questions that make us pause and
think. We often encounter these “deep” questions in
serious conversation, in the books we read, we hear
and even in the movies we watch. Some of these
questions include: “What is love?” “Is love worth
giving up everything?” “Where can one find true
happiness?” “Does the end justify the means?”
 THINK
READ THE FF. NEWS HEADLINES. WHAT “SIMPLE”, “SERIOUS”,
AND “DEEP” QUESTIONS COME TO MIND WHEN YOU READ
THEM? DISCUSS IN CLASS

• Flash floods in remote village kill a hundred people

• Abused child kept chained in basement for five years finally
rescued
• Men sentenced to ten years for stealing milk to feed his baby
• Lottery winner donates half of winnings to local orphanage
 WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?
• The word PHILOSOPHY comes from the two Greek
words: philos (love) and Sophia (wisdom). The ancient
Greeks used this term to refer to “ LOVE OF WISDOM”
and they soon applied it to the study or discipline that
uses human reason to investigate the ultimate causes,
reasons, and principles which govern all things.
• People who engage in philosophy are called
PHILOSOPHERS or “ lovers of wisdom.”
WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?

• PHILOSOPHY is the study of fundamental

questions about existence, knowledge, values,
reason, mind and language. It involves critical
thinking and exploration of concepts to understand
the nature of reality and the human experience.
THE MOST NOTABLE ANCIENT GREEK
PHILOSOPHER
• PYTHAGORAS – A mathematician and scientist,
he has credited with formulating the Pythagorean
theorem. His work earned him many followers, and
he established a community of learners who were
devoted to the study of religion and philosophy
THE MOST NOTABLE ANCIENT GREEK
PHILOSOPHER

• HERACLITUS – He proposed that everything that

exists is based on a higher order or plan which he
called logos. For him, change is a permanent aspect
of the human condition as he was credited with the
saying, “NO man ever steps in the same river
twice”.
THE MOST NOTABLE ANCIENT GREEK
PHILOSOPHER

•DEMOCRITUS – He devoted himself to the

study of the causes of natural phenomena. He
was among the first to propose that matter is
composed of tiny particles called atoms.
 THE MOST NOTABLE ANCIENT GREEK
PHILOSOPHER

• DIOGENES OF SINOPE – He was a known advocate

of living a simple and virtuous life. For Diogenes, one
should not only talk of virtue but should show it in
words and actions. His emphasis on austerity and
simplicity often went to the extreme, and he was said to
have lived like a beggar.
THE MOST NOTABLE ANCIENT GREEK
PHILOSOPHER

• EPICURUS – He believed that philosophy could

enable man to live a life of hapiness. He views rise
to Epicureanism – a school of philosophy which
believes that wisdom and simple living will result
in a life free of fear and pain.
 THE MOST NOTABLE ANCIENT GREEK
PHILOSOPHER
• SOCRATES – He was considered the foremost philosopher of
ancient times. He made great contributions to the field of ethics.
Socrates was a known critic of intellectuals during his time, but he
himself did not claim to be “wise” and merely considered himself a
midwife that helped inquiring minds achieve wisdom. He also
believed that philosophy could enable a man live of life of virtue.
He was credited with formulating the Socratic Method – a means of
examining a topic by devising a serirs of questions that let the
learner examine and analyze his knowledge and views regarding the
 THE MOST NOTABLE ANCIENT GREEK
PHILOSOPHER
• PLATO – A student of Socrates, hw wrote down his
mentor’s teaching and incorporated some of his own ideas
into them. His teachings and writings were considered the
foundation of western philosophy. Plato’s most significant
ideas included his Theory of Forms, which proposes that
everything that exists is based on an idea or template that
can only be perceived in the mind, these nonphysical ideas
 THE MOST NOTABLE ANCIENT GREEK
PHILOSOPHER
• ARISTOTLE – He attended the Academy, and was a prominent
student of Plato. Aristotle, however, disagreed with 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. His studies in logic led to the
formulation of a formal process of analyzing reasoning which gave
rise to deductive reasoning – the process by which specific statements
are analyzed to reach a conclusion or generalization.
WHY IS THERE A NEED TO PHILOSOPHIZE?

• Philosophers have often wondered and argued

about the role of philosophy in man’s life. One
view is that each one of us is a philosopher,
whether or not we have studied philosophy. We all
have the potential to philosophize since we have
the tendency to wonder and doubt.
WHY IS THERE A NEED TO PHILOSOPHIZE?

• The Greek philosopher Plato traced man’s need to

philosophize to his Sense of wonder – whenever we are
confronted with an experience, we always wonder how
it came about. Man’s over bounding curiosity drives
him to ask questions, some of which have no definite
answers. Where did we come from? Why do we exist?
 WHY IS THERE A NEED TO PHILOSOPHIZE?

• The 5th-century French philosopher Rene Descartes

traced the need to philosophize to Doubt. Descartes
was famous for rejecting or questioning established
ideas, and he even went as far as doubting his own
ideas. His method of examining ideas and perspective
became the basis of critical thinking and analysis in
the sciences.
 WHY IS THERE A NEED TO PHILOSOPHIZE?

• The 20th-century Swiss German philosopher Karl

Jaspers saw the need to philosophize because of
Experience. Jaspers believed that man is often
confronted by experiences which challenge his ideas
and frameworks. Jaspers called these experiences limit
situations, and these are often accompanied by feelings
of helplessness, anxiety, or dread.
 WHY IS THERE A NEED TO PHILOSOPHIZE?

• Finally, the need to philosophize is driven by the love for

wisdom. To love wisdom is to have an insatiable desire
for truth. A philosopher does not seek knowledge to claim
ownership of it, and one who engages in philosophy is
not satisfied with figuring out the answer to a question.
He seeks to continue to questions, to probe, and to
discuss in order to get to the bottom of things.
 WHY IS THERE A NEED TO PHILOSOPHIZE?

• Socrates – the philosopher who exemplified this

perspective. He gained fame for his curiosity and his
constant debates with many of the intellectual elite in
Greece.
- famous for having said “I know that I do not know…”
and it is in accepting this state of ignorance that one can
begin to learn and understand.
HOW DO WE CHARACTERIZE THE STUDY OF
PHILOSOPHY

• A way of analyzing frameworks

• An examination of a particular area of knowledge
• A distinct area of knowledge with its own goals,
concerns, and ways of doing things
 HOW DO WE CHARACTERIZE THE STUDY OF
PHILOSOPHY
• Framework is defined as a way of thinking about the world and is
composed of the views and beliefs of a person. Whenever a person
encounters a problem or question in life, he or she often goes back to
his or her own framework in order to make sense of the problem.
1. Internal Question – questions dealing with our own correctness and
values.
2. External Question – seek to question the very frameworks upon
which people base their own beliefs and views.
HOW DO WE CHARACTERIZE THE STUDY OF
PHILOSOPHY

• Philosophy can also be thought of as an

examination of a particular area of knowledge.
The central principle in philosophy is examination
and questioning, and this is often applied in the
analysis of the frameworks of other areas or
sciences.
 HOW DO WE CHARACTERIZE THE STUDY OF
PHILOSOPHY
• Philosophy itself is a distinct area of knowledge with
its own goals, concerns, and ways of doing things.
- It is often divided into several branches each of which
deals with a particular aspect of life or phenomena.
- Aesthetic a philosophy which deals with beauty and
what makes things “beautiful.”
 HOW DO WE CHARACTERIZE THE STUDY OF
PHILOSOPHY
- Logic is the branch of philosophy which deals with correct
reasoning.
- Epistemology discusses the nature of knowledge and knowing.
- Ethics is the branch which deals with moral questions and
dilemmas
- Political Philosophy studies governments and deals with
questions of justice, power and the rights and obligations of
citizens.
 HOW DO WE CHARACTERIZE THE STUDY OF
PHILOSOPHY
- Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy which deals with
questions regarding reality and existence.
- Philosophy of the Human Person is an area in philosophy
that understands the human person from a philosophical
perspective – integrating and synthesizing the different
branches of philosophy and other fields of study to know
the truth about the human person.
 TWO IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT
PHILOSOPHIZING
• Philosophy is a reflective and meditative activity – it
has no designated subject matter of its own.
• Method of mental exercise - on any type of
experience. When confronting human experience,
philosophers often employ tools that engage the mind in
analyzing problems and situations.
• Additionally, philosophy does not limit itself to its
own field. Philosophy makes sense of information
gathered from various fields of knowledge by
integrating and synthesizing them to have a deeper
and more complete understanding of reality.
ESSAY

• Based on the characteristics of philosophy,

would it be possible for any person to engage
in philosophical discussion? Why or Why
not?
 WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
HOLISTIC THINKING AND PARTIAL
THINKING?
• Holistic Thinking – refers to a perspective that considers large-
scale patterns in systems. This is often described as looking at
the “big picture” when describing and analyzing a situation or
problem.
- requires an individual to have an open mindset and an ability to
get the general sense or impression regarding a situation.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
HOLISTIC THINKING AND PARTIAL
THINKING?
• Partial Thinking – focuses on specific aspects of a
situation. The partial view is an important
component of analytical thinking, as an individual
focuses on certain areas or aspects of a problem in
order to understand it.
 HOW DOES ONE ENGAGE IN REFLECTION?

Reflection – requires a person to be willing to examine

one’s thoughts, feeling, and actions and to learn more
about one’s life and experiences.
- is vital in ensuring that our actions and decisions are well
thought out and done with due regard for their implications
and consequences on ourselves, others, and our
surroundings.
ESSAY

• Have you ever had an experience where reflecting

on your actions benefited you?
• Has reflection ever helped you avoid making a bad
decisions?