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Philosophizing (Part 3)
Lesson 7:
Methods of
Philosophizing
Mr. Edward B. Noda Jr.
Methods of
Philosophizin
g
1. The Dialectic Method
● This method of philosophizing was formulated by the
Greek philosopher Socrates, one of the great
philosophers of the ancient world.
● The method starts with eliciting the definition of a
certain
word from a person who appears to be familiar (or
“pretends” to be familiar) with its meaning. Socrates
person through a series of questions. What Socrates
then
desires is for
points out thethe person to realize
imperfections of thehis ignorance andof
understanding
contradictions,
the and thereby correcting his own mistakes
and arriving at a complete knowledge of the true
meaning of the word.
● The method, however, does not sit well
with the ruling elites of Athens (the city
where Socrates lived).
● They accused him of not worshiping the
Greek gods and corrupting the youth.
● His defense (which was dramatically
recorded in Plato’s dialogue the Apology)
was a model of “forceful argument” but it
fell on deaf ears.
● Socrates forced to drink poison. He was the first philosopher to
die fighting for truth.
1. The Dialectic Method
● The Socratic Method was modernized and treated in
a different way by George Wilhelm Hegel, a German
philosopher.
● People are social beings and could be completely
influenced by other people’s ideas.
● An individual’s mind is influenced by means of a
common language, customs of one’s society, and the
cultural institutions that one belongs to.
● Hegel refers this to “Spirit” as the
consciousness of a society which is responsible for
collective
honing one’s consciousness and ideas.
1. The Dialectic Method
● Hegel also believed that the Spirit is
constantly changing and evolving.
● According to Hegel, the spirit changes
through dialectic. First, there is an idea about
the world (much like a thesis), which has a
natural characteristic of having errors which
give rise to the antithesis. The thesis and
antithesis can be eventually resolved by
creating a synthesis which is a new idea
comprised of the essentials of both the thesis
and the antithesis
2. The Pragmatic Method
● Pragmatism was popularized by William James and
institutionalized in American culture by John Dewey.
● Pragmatists seek to make philosophy relevant by
solving real life problems.
● Pragmatism aims is to test the view of science, religion
and philosophy by determining their practical results.
● The pragmatic test is: if I practice this belief, will it
bring success or failure? Will I solve problems or create
problems? Successful experience is the verification
process of truth for the pragmatists
3. The Phenomenological
●
Method
The phenomenological method was conceived by
Edmund Husserl, one of the greatest intellects of the
19th century.
● Husserl’s main purpose was to build a philosophy free
from any biases or preconceived ideas. One can only
do this if one returns to immediate experience.
● This experience is the world as it appears to us or the
phenomenal world - hence, the term
phenomenology.
4. The Primary and Secondary
● reflections
According to Gabriel Marcel, reflection arise when
there is a disruption from your normal routine and
when something valuable is at stake.