Lesson 1.
1: Background of Philosophy NOTABLE PHILOSOPHERS:
PYTHAGORAS
Have you ever struggled with the One of the wisest men and philosopher of
question, “Who am I”? or thought about who ancient Greece who coined the word
you might become in the future? These “Philosophia” or “Philosophy” because of
questions have been discussed throughout his love of wisdom. He’s also the famous
history particularly by many philosophers in Greek mathematician who laid down the
the search for knowledge about the nature of foundation of the Pythagorean theorem.
being human. Such questions as, “What does
it mean to be a person?”, “Do I matter?”, “Is it Three Kind of Men:
the truth?”, that we still grapple with today. 1. Those that love PLEASURE
2. Those that love ACTIVITY/ SUCCESS
Philosophy is a discipline of questioning, both 3.Those that love WISDOM
dynamic and personal. Dynamic in a sense
that the act of questioning is an unending
SOCRATES
process; and personal because the human He was credited in history as one of the
person as a thinking being. forefathers of Western philosophy, a Greek
philosopher who was the primary moral
The word philosophy comes from two philosopher of the western ethical tradition of
Greek words: philos (love) and sophia thought.
(wisdom). The ancient Greeks used this term
PLATO
to refer to “love of wisdom” and they soon
He was considered the most pivotal figure in
applied it to the study or discipline that uses the development of philosophy especially the
human reason to investigate the ultimate Western tradition. Also, the founder of the
causes, reasons, and principles which govern Academy in Athens—the first institution of
all things. higher learning in the Western world.
ARISTOTLE
Philosophy is the science of the first causes
He was a Greek philosopher. According to
because it seeks to know and clarify the very
him, “all men seek wisdom”, meaning all men
source of which all the chain of causes are philosophers
ultimately all goes back to. A person acquired
science when he or she knows the reason for THREE KINDS OF LOVE
the fact. Science, therefore, is about clarified 1. EROS “Passionate love”- Love of Desire.
A kind of love that is passionate.
facts which can only be attained through
2. PHILIA “Brotherly love”- Involves a
intellectual inquiry. fondness and appreciation of the qualities of
the beloved.
Philosophy involves thinking, evaluating and 2.1 STORGE “Parental love”- A deep and
engaging in arguments. It is not just caring bond that develops naturally between
accepting everything as is. Man is a rational parent and children. Storge love is a
being. We can always agree to disagree on protective love that can withstand hardships
and trials.
almost anything and everything. Philosophy is 3. AGAPE “Unconditional love”- Represents
working out and justifying reasons the best the absolute and unconditional love of God
way we know how to deal with life. Therefore, for us.
philosophy is about wisdom in relation to our
search for truth.
Philosophy: The Quest for Truth
Questions that may be asked in philosophy
had no limits. One can ask anything and
everything under the heat of the sun in his about one’s life experiences. One can reflect
pursuit for truth. It even tried to prove the on almost any subject.
existence of a Higher Being in the hope to
Lesson 1.3: Branches of Philosophy
alleviate doubts and consequently
understand the meaning of one’s life. Metaphysics
The study of the “ultimate reality” that focuses
on “how things really are.”
Lesson 1.2: The difference between
Holistic and Partial Point of View Epistemology
The study of the nature and foundations of
Holistic Thinking- It refers to a perspective knowledge mainly with reference to its limits
that considers large-scale patterns in and validity, knowing how to determine if we
systems. The word holistic comes from the really know something.
Greek word “holos” which means whole. Example: Plato’s Allegory of the Cave
This is often described as looking at the “big
picture” when describing and analyzing a Ethics
situation or problem. A set of moral principles and the discipline
WHOLE dealing with what is good and bad.
BIG PICTURE
Example: The Trolley Dilemma
TOTAL
COMPLETE Logic
ALL ASPECTS The science of the formal, prescribed and
proper principles of reasoning.
Example: Holistic doctors don’t just Informal Logic
provide the patients with medications Example: Premises: Nikki saw a black
instead they look at ways to improve cat on her way to work. At work, Nikki
life balance and remove health got fired.
problems from the root source such as Conclusion: Black cats are bad luck.
high stress or bad nutrition. Explanation: This is a big
generalization and can’t be verified.
Partial Thinking- It focuses on specific Premises: My mom is a celebrity. I live
aspects of a situation. The partial view is an with my mom.
important component of analytical thinking, as Conclusion: I am a celebrity.
an individual focuses on certain areas of a Explanation: There is more to
problem in order to understand it. proving fame that assuming it will
rub off.
SPECIFIC Formal Logic
PART OF A WHOLE Example:
PARTICULAR • Premises: Every person who lives in
NOT COMPLETE San Pablo City lives in Laguna.
Everyone in Laguna lives in The
Philippines.
Example: Doctors often focus on a • Conclusion: Every person who lives in
specific set of symptoms to determine San Pablo City lives in The
the cause of a patient’s illness. Once a Philippines.
particular cause has been identified, • Explanation: Only true facts are
the doctor then prescribes the presented here.
appropriate medicine and other • Premises: Bicycles have two wheels.
treatment to address the illness. Jan is riding a bicycle.
• Conclusion: Jan is riding on two
wheels.
Philosophical Reflections- It requires a • Explanation: The premises are true
person to be willing to examine one’s and so is the conclusion.
thoughts, feelings, actions, and to learn more
Lesson 1.4: Difference of Wisdom from major issues in an intricate or challenging
Knowledge approach.
When a person has love for wisdom, it goes
without saying that he has appreciation for KNOWLEDGE WISDOM
knowledge—the object of philosophy.
But what is the difference between wisdom
and knowledge? Is wisdom knowing how to
apply knowledge or is it the other way EXPERIENCE REASON
around?
Knowledge Wisdom
• It is the • It is the gift Importance of Philosophy
accumulation or ability to:
of facts, a. Detect Improves problem solving skills
information b. Improves communication skills
and data Distinguish Improves self-knowledge
gained c. Decide Improves persuasive skills
through: • It is Hope and Goal of Philosophy
a. Study therefore the
Understand oneself
b. Research ability to
Understand the world we live in
c. Actual apply that
Understand our values
experiences knowledge
Understand the entirety of existence
• These are the as it is
around us
particulars and deemed
specifics that worthy to the
may have greater Lesson 1.5: Realize the value of doing
been observed design that philosophy in obtaining a broad
in detail. you are perspective on life
trying to
project or The value of philosophy is a far cry from the
convey. values of other disciplines such as science
While knowledge refers to information, and technology, business and economics.
Wisdom is the understanding and Each have their own value, importance, and
application of that knowledge. contribution to the society. Each field has
their own set of specialties to present.
Wisdom is more holistic view of reality.
Philosophy does not intend to:
Seeing things in a broader perspective is
Present state of the art gadgets
what wisdom is all about. Humans possess
Provide delicious and nutritious food
an exceptional ability to reason out his Satisfy man’s desire for luxury and comfort
thoughts the way he understands things and
situations. The value of philosophy is to provide food
Example: Money – Knowledge is knowing for the mind and nourishment for the spirit.
how to “Manage your money” by:
a. Budgeting Philosophy does not offer exact answers to
b. Spending questions. In fact, a single question can
c. Saving produce countless answers. Some will agree
Wisdom is… while others will react differently. A single
The ability to recognize and understand in person can give conflicting answers to a
what way will money impact the quality of single question. Because deep within, that
person is torn between accepting or opposing
your life and your future.
such statement or situation and is trying to
Philosophizing therefore, is formulating analyze it profoundly in his subconscious.
assumptions or theories about basic and/or
If you are very keen you would notice that
other sciences can provide exact answers
due to objectivity simply because they are
focused on answering the: What? Who?
Where? How or how long?
Philosophy’s basic question centers on
“WHY?” So even if you either agree or
disagree on an argument, you have to justify
your reasons for such decision. It is basically
proving your standpoint. Your philosophy in
life is your guiding principle. Your mindset will
permit you to accomplish something as long
as you work for it. And while certain things
cannot be controlled, we can control our
responses through reflection.
So, when it seems like everything is going
wrong, it’s really up to you to change the
direction of where things are heading. We
don’t win every struggle but we can learn
from experience and from our mistakes.
