PHILO SITTIE HAIRAN L.

ABDULATIP

LESSON 1: WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY IN GENERAL?

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

After finishing this lesson, you should be able to:

1. explain the etymological and technical definitions of

philosophy;

2. discuss the misconceptions about philosophy;

3. compare and contrast the material and formal objects of

philosophy;

4. explain the importance of philosophy; and,

5. distinguish theoretical and practical philosophy.

PHILOSOPHY AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF MAN

Philosophy is not really a subject; it is an activity (Articulo,

2004). One does not simply study it, one does it. The study of
philosophy is unlike the study of other subjects. No dates,
formulas, or rules are needed to be memorized. No field work is
necessary, no technical equipment required. The only prerequisite
is an inquiring mind.

To have a philosophy is to have a view of man. Since philosophy

is given the task of discovering man in his totality and essence,
man himself, according to Gladstone(as cited in Fetizanan &
Gajete, 2003) , is the crowning wonder of creation, and the study
of his nature is the noblest study the world affords. Thus,
knowledge of man should be the highest priority. The study of
philosophy facilitates the understanding of man. Since man is the
basis of existence in the world, everything on earth can only
achieve its meaning and its perfection in man.

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Generally, people tend to think of philosophy as somehow

extremely complex intellectual activity; the most abstract of all
subjects (it is set apart from the affairs of ordinary life); or
the most abstruse. Consequently, they are inclined to imagine a
philosopher as somebody who sits pondering questions of the
ultimate significance of human life while others only have the
time or the energy to live it. Let us thus attempt, through
careful and critical examination of the term, to work out some
general, systematic, coherent, and consistent pictures of all
that we know and think.

A. WHAT PHILOSOPHY IS. The word philosophy can be looked into in

two aspects: its etymological and its technical definitions.

1. Etymological Definition of Philosophy. Philosophy comes from

the two Greek words philo meaning “love” or “friendship” and
sophia meaning “wisdom.” Thus, philosophy means “love of wisdom.”
Love is an urge or a drive of a will towards a particular object.
As a drive, love always seeks unity with its object and desires
to posses its object. On the other hand, wisdom means the
application of knowledge. Thus, wisdom cannot be dissociated from
knowledge. Truth is the ultimate object of knowledge. Philosophy
is absolutely committed to the truth, “the whole truth and
nothing but the truth.” Hence, truth is being shown and practiced
by a man of wisdom. Now, if philosophy means love of wisdom, to
philosophize, therefore, is to be in quest, or to have a desire
towards loving and living the truth (Babor, 2007)

2. Technical Definition of Philosophy. Its real definition can be

stated as: scientia rerum per causas primas sub lumine rationis
naturalis. We may translate this as: “the science of beings in
their ultimate reasons, causes, and principles acquired by the
aid of human reason alone (Bittle, 1984).”
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a) Philosophy is a science.*1 The word science comes from the

Latin verb scire, which means “to know”. Thus, science is about
possessing a certain kind of knowledge. Some people say that
science is about knowing facts. Science is much more than that;
for everyone knows certain basic facts, such as “leaves are
green” that “people get cancer” but that doesn't make them
scientists.

Thus, a person has science when he knows the reason for the fact,
such as why leaves are green, or the cause of the fact, such as
what is the cause of cancer. Science is about reasoned facts. In
other words, one has science when he knows the reason for or the
cause of the fact. That is why science is fundamentally knowledge
of things through their proper causes and reasons. Clearly there
is a difference between knowledge and wisdom. Some people have a
great deal of learning, but very little wisdom.

Wisdom is a kind of science, and so it too is knowledge of things

through causes. But, more precisely, wisdom is knowledge of the
highest causes. It is the intellectual virtue by which a person
judges in light of the highest or first causes. That is why we
sometimes find wisdom in older people, for they have had the
years of experience to "see the larger picture", so to speak.
They have encountered many kinds of people throughout their
lives, they have been deceived before, lied to, have been
pleasantly or unpleasantly surprised by things they weren't aware
of, they've made mistakes, have had time to reflect upon their
mistakes and the mistakes of their friends, associates, and
family, and they have come to learn how to distinguish the
genuine friend from the false friend, they know something about
what marriage really is as opposed to what they thought it was
when they first married, they understand what love really is and

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what it is not, they understand that they knew very little when
they thought they knew a lot, and so they know something about
human limitations, which they didn't quite appreciate when they
were younger. Such people are wise as a result of experience,
honest reflection, and the ability to reason. Accordingly, one
has no need of a microscope in order to be wise. But one cannot
do biology, for example, without a microscope. And so philosophy,
which is the love of wisdom, does not require technology.
(McManaman, 2007).

b) Philosophy is a science of beings. It is the science of

beings, i.e., of all things which can be reached by the human
mind. This includes man, the world, God, everything that is, or
becomes, or is known. Thus, as one philosopher has put it:
“Philosophy’s center is everywhere and its circumference nowhere
(Ponty, 1964).”

c) Philosophy searches for the ultimate reasons, causes and

principles of beings.*1 This means that philosophy studies the
ultimate whys and wherefores of beings. To illustrate: philosophy
does not investigate plant life, or the physiology of an insect,
etc.

Rather, philosophy would seek an answer to the question: “What

does it mean to be a living thing as opposed to a non-living
thing?” The philosopher is not concerned with the nervous system
of a rabbit or the DNA of a frog. Rather, philosophy would like
to know what it means to be an animal, or what it means to be a
species as opposed to an individual of a species, etc.
Philosophical knowledge is the knowledge of things through their
first causes. For instance, the cause of the blue in your eyes is
a secondary cause, for you cannot have blue eyes unless you first
have an eye which is alive, and you cannot have a living eye
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unless you as a whole are alive. The first cause is that which
accounts for your being alive, the secondary cause accounts for
the blue in your eyes, or the brown in your hair, etc.
(McManaman, 2007)

d) Philosophy uses the power or natural light of reason.

Philosophy is the knowledge acquired by the aid of human reason
alone. This means that philosophy does not base its knowledge on
authority, but solely on the reasoning power of the human mind.
Divine revelation is therefore formally excluded as a source of
information although it can and should assist the mind of man by
pointing out the proper direction for the philosophic solution of
a problem along purely natural line.

B. WHAT PHILOSOPHY IS NOT. Having said something about what

philosophy is, let us now go straight to what philosophy is not.
We will need to discard these misconceptions before we proceed
any further. Here are some of the most common misconceptions
about philosophy.

1. Philosophy does not make real progress like the sciences. This
goes with the idea that philosophical questions are unanswerable.
Now, progress comes in many forms. It does not happen only when
questions are answered. Questions can be clarified, subdivided,
and found to rest on confusions. They can be partially answered.
These are all forms of progress. Even when a question is
abandoned as unanswerable, that too is progress. being HUMAN and
being a PERSON CHAPTER ONE: What is Philosophy and What is
Philosophy of Man all about? 10 Earlier answers to a question can
be inadequate even if the final answer isn’t in, and that’s
progress as well (Moore & Bruder, 2005).

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2. Philosophy is not just stating your personal opinion.

Philosophy is providing arguments to support to your opinions,
and arguments against objections to your views. The best
philosophy always includes a kind of point – counterpoint format.
Don’t just state your views. Argue for them and anticipate the
kind of objections that will probably be raised against you
countering them in advance (Solomon & Higgins, 2010).

3. Philosophy is one’s view in life or other matters. In popular

parlance, the word philosophy is used in a loose and misleading
way. We find football coaches explaining their “defensive
philosophies” before the game, or grandfathers telling
grandchildren about their “philosophies of life.” And sometimes
people explain their “philosophy” as mere collection of saying or
witty insights about human nature or life in general (McHenry &
Higgins, 2003). Philosophical views are often carefully worked
out and emerge only after criticism, revision, and years of
study. Truth does not come easy, so it is unlikely to be captured
in some simplistic and haphazard fashion. We all live in the
world and operate with a set of beliefs about it, but the
continual quest to challenge those beliefs and improve them
requires a particular kind of dedication.

4. Philosophy is light reading, something you relax with in the

evening, after all the serious work of the day is done. In
reality, philosophical writing generally takes time and effort to
understand. Often it seems to be written in familiar, everyday
language, but that can be deceiving. It is best to approach
philosophy with mental preparedness and alertness appropriate for
a textbook in mathematics or science. You should expect to be
able to read an entire novel in the time it takes you to
understand just a few pages of a philosophy book. To understand

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philosophy, you have to reread a passage several times and think

about it a lot. being HUMAN and being a PERSON CHAPTER ONE: What
is Philosophy and What is Philosophy of Man all about? 11 If your
instructor assigns what seem to be short readings, don’t
celebrate. It takes time to understand philosophy (Moore &
Bruder, 2005).

C. THE OBJECTS OF PHILOSOPHY. Every science does two things.

First, it treats a certain subject matter. Second, it treats its
subject matter in a certain way and with especial definite aim
(Glenn, 1957). Thus, there are two objects to the study of any
field of science: Material Object and Formal Object.

1. Material Object. Material Object is the subject matter of

a science - the field in which the science works (Glenn, 1957).
For instance, in cosmology the material object encompasses the
whole universe, from the largest galaxies to the minimal
subatomic particle.

2. Formal Object. Formal Object is the special thing for

which the science seeks in that field, that is to say, the
special aim, end-in-view, point-of-focus that the science has in
dealing with the subject matter (Glenn, 1957). For instance, in
cosmology the special point-of-focus, for which it seeks in the
study of the universe, is its origin, evolution, structure, and
by extension, humanity’s place in it. Its two subdivisions, viz.,
the formal object QUOD and the formal object QUO can clearly
illustrate its meaning.

a) Objectum Formale Quod of Philosophy. Objectum Formale

Quod is the special or immediate viewpoint from which a thing is
considered. For example, a tree may be considered from a
viewpoint of its color or its shape, whether it is material or

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living, whether it is a being as opposed to nothing, etc (Reyes,

1988).

b) Objectum Formale Quo of Philosophy. Objectum Formale Quo

(or the medium) is the light or vehicle by which the science
studies its object. For instance the formal medium for color is
light; for sound, air; and, for scientific knowledge, reasoning
(Reyes, 1988). In the case of philosophy, the material object is
all beings. The formal object quod is the first causes and the
highest principles of beings.

D. THE DIVISIONS OF PHILOSOPHY. Philosophy is classified into

practical and speculative. Man’s philosophical questions tend to
fall into any of the following fields:

1. Practical Philosophy is composed of philosophical fields

which study not only to obtain knowledge and wisdom but to use
that knowledge and wisdom for practical purposes (Ardales,1998).
being HUMAN and being a PERSON CHAPTER ONE: What is Philosophy
and What is Philosophy of Man all about? 13 It is a philosophy
that also perfects the will by principles to be practiced. It
presents related data from which the directive laws or norms are
immediately derived. Its function is primarily directive. Its
goal is not just finding the truth but acting on it, applying the
knowledge gained for the benefit of mankind (Ardales,1987). For
instance, the ten commandments are not merely to be memorized and
known; they must be understood and lived (Artigas,1984). It
includes: logic, ethics, axiology, aesthetics, and semantics.

a) Logic (Questions related to Reasoning). The name logic

comes from the Greek word logike meaning “thought”. Thus, logic
studies the laws of thought. It is the science and art of correct
thinking. This covers the study of simple apprehension and ideas,

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judgment and proposition, reasoning and arguments. Logic attempts

to resolve the following questions: “What makes good arguments
good and bad arguments bad?” “How can one tell whether an
argument is justified, believable, or convincing?”

b) Ethics (Questions related to Morality). The name ethics

is derived from the Greek word ethos meaning “character.” Thus,
ethics deals with development of a virtuous and moral character.
It is the science of the morality of human acts as ordained to
the final end. This covers human acts and principles of human
actions, acts of man, ultimate end of man, determinants of
morality, law, and conscience. Ethics attempts to resolve the
following questions: “What makes my action right or wrong, and
how could I know it?” “How should I determine whether I am acting
rightly or wrongly?” “How should I live my life?” “How should I
treat other human beings and how should I be treated in return?”
“Is there a norm good and evil?

c. Axiology (Questions related to Values). The name axiology

is derived from the Greek word axios meaning “worth,” as well as
logos meaning “science.” Thus, it is the science of value. It is
the study of the origin, nature, functions, types, and
interrelations of values. being HUMAN and being a PERSON CHAPTER
ONE: What is Philosophy and What is Philosophy of Man all about?
14 This covers the study of all forms of value, including
aesthetic values, ethical values, and epistemic values. Axiology
attempts to resolve the following questions: “How are values
experienced?” “What are the kinds of value?” “In what sense can
values be said to exist?” “Is value in the quality of an object
or an act, or is it in the mind?”

d. Aesthetics (Questions related to Beauty and Taste). The

name aesthetics is derived from the Greek aisthetikos meaning “of
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sense perception.” Thus, it is the science of beauty and art.

Beauty means the quality attributed to whatever pleases the
beholder such as form, color, and behavior. Art refers to man's
creativeness and skill in making or doing things that have form
and beauty. It is the branch of philosophy that deals with the
nature of art, beauty, and taste, with the creation and
appreciation of beauty. This covers the concept of creativity,
expression, representation, form, and style. Aesthetics attempts
to resolve the following questions: “What are the essential
characteristics of beauty?” “Is beauty in the eye of the beholder
or in the object?” “What is aesthetic value?” “Do the arts
provide knowledge?” “Is there a special kind of aesthetic
experience or aesthetic perception?” “What makes something
beautiful, sublime, disgusting, fun, cute, silly, entertaining,
pretentious, discordant, harmonious, boring, humorous, or
tragic?”

D. Semantics (Questions related to Meaning). The name semantics

is derived from the Greek verb sēmainō meaning “to mean” or “to
signify”. Thus, it is the science of meaning. It is the
philosophical and scientific study of meaning in natural and
artificial languages. This includes the study of the relations of
words to the objects denoted by them, the relations of words to
the interpreters of them, and, in symbolic logic, the formal
relations of signs to one another (syntax).

Semantics attempts to resolve the following questions: “What

sorts of meanings do human grammars yield, and by what rules are
being HUMAN and being a PERSON CHAPTER ONE: What is Philosophy
and What is Philosophy of Man all about? 15 these meanings
assembled?” “How do the meanings of expressions relate to acts of
using expressions, and to various aspects of cognition,

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especially those deployed immediately in communication?” “How

does grammatical knowledge develop in children?”

2. Speculative Philosophy is made up of philosophical fields

whose main concern is the acquisition of knowledge without any
thought of applying it for any practical use (Ardales,1998). It
is a philosophy that enriches the mind by principles to be
speculated upon or to be known. It does not directly imply laws
or norms for the guidance of thought. Its function is primarily
cultural. It directs itself to knowing things as they are without
thinking of the application (Ardales,1987). For example, the sun
is 93 million miles away; light travels at the rate of 186, 000
miles per second; earth has only one moon (Arigas, 1984).

Speculative philosophy includes: epistemology, theodicy,

cosmology, philosophical psychology, and metaphysics. a)
Epistemology (Questions related to Truth and Knowledge). The name
epistemology comes from the two Greek words episteme meaning
“knowledge” and logos meaning “science”. Thus, epistemology is
the science of knowledge. It is the science of true and certain
knowledge. This includes the statement and solution to the
critical problem, nature, origin, objectivity, and validity of
knowledge, truth and certitude.

A. Epistemology attempts to resolve the following questions:

“What is knowledge?” “What is fact?” “What is truth?” “How do we
know something is true or false?” “Is there objective truth, or
are all opinion relative?” b) Theodicy (Questions related to
God). The name theodicy is derived from the Greek words theos
meaning “God” and logos meaning “science”. Thus, theodicy is the
science of God. It is the science of nature, existence, essence,
attributes and operations of God.

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This covers the demonstrability and actual demonstration of the

existence of God, His essence and attributes, and His immanent
operations – intellection and volition, and His transient
operations creation, conservation, concurrence, governance, and
providence.

B. Theodicy attempts to resolve the following questions: “Does

God exist?” “Why God allows evil?” “What are arguments or proofs
of his existence?” “Is there really God?” “Is God just?” “If He
is, why does the morally upright person suffer while evil men
prosper?”

c) Cosmology (Questions related to Universe). The name cosmology

is derived from the Greek words kosmos meaning “universe,” as
well as logos meaning “science.” Thus, cosmology is the science
of the universe. It is the branch of philosophy which deals with
the origin and development of the universe with its parts,
elements, laws, especially its characteristics with regard to
space, time, causality and freedom. This includes the essential
principles of natural bodies, matter and form, change, motion,
time, place, space, causality and finality, generation and
corruption. Cosmology attempts to resolve the following
questions: “How did the world begin and where will it end?” “Is
the world eternal, that is to say, has it no beginning and no
end?”

d) Psychology (Questions related to Soul). The name psychology is

derived from the Greek words psyche meaning “soul” as well as
logos meaning “science.” Thus, psychology is science of soul. It
is the study that deals not with man not only as a sensing or
thinking subject but also as a being composed of body and soul.
This covers the concept of life and its operations, the soul, the
sensation and appetition, the intellection and volition.
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Psychology attempts to resolve the following questions: “Is there

really a soul?” “If a man has a soul, is it immortal?” “What
argument is there to show that man has or does not have a soul?”

e) Metaphysics (Questions related to Being and Existence). The

name metaphysics is derived from the Greek words meta meaning
“after” as well as physikon meaning “nature.” Thus, it studies
the nature of the mind, the self, and consciousness. It is the
science which deals with the nature of being, its attributes,
constituent principles, and causes. This includes the concept of
being, its analogy and fundamental attributes, problem of evil,
act and potency, essence and existence, substance and accidents,
supposit and person, and causality. Metaphysics attempts to
resolve the following questions: “What is being?” “Why is there
being rather than non-being?” “What is existence?” “What is
essence?”

E. THE IMPORTANCE OF PHILOSOPHY

According to Zunjic (2011) studying or doing philosophy could be

beneficial in many regards out of which the following appear to
be the most important ones:

1. Educationally and intellectually. Philosophy enlarges our

understanding of the world. It expands our intellectual horizons
and freedom of thought. Philosophy helps develop the capacity to
look at the world from the perspective of other individuals and
cultures. Perhaps it is not as effective as science and religion,
but it is the most free and valuable of all intellectual
endeavors.

2. Socially and politically. By discussing political and social

issues philosophy raises public awareness and helps in forming
engaged and responsible citizens. By performing critical
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examination of current social and political conditions it can

enlighten people as to the shortcomings of the current order. By
viewing social practices from the perspective of a better and
more just future it can foster necessary social change.

3. Morally and practically. Philosophy can increase our

sensitivity for universalistic moral values and stimulate our
readiness to stand up for the principles of justice and fairness.
It provides tools and opportunities to reflect on our basic
values and concepts. It proves very practical in defining our
choices and acts.

Philosophy is practical in the sense that its questions pertain

to the value of our personal existence as well as personal
relations with others. Practical life, remember, is not
necessarily an acquisitive life, but life focused on self-
reflection and ethical issues.

4. Psychologically and personally. On a personal level,

philosophy can give one self-knowledge, foresight, and a sense of
direction in life. It touches upon our own existence (in a way we
are fully humans only if we are capable to reflect upon our
humanness) and tackles the questions of our personal identity. It
can lead to self-discovery, expansion of consciousness, and self-
renewal. being HUMAN and being a PERSON CHAPTER ONE: What is
Philosophy and What is Philosophy of Man all about? 19 Philosophy
nurtures individuality and self-esteem and broadens the range of
things one can understand and enjoy.

5. Pragmatic Uses of Philosophy. While studying philosophy does

not help directly one’s job search, it has an indirect impact
even in nonacademic fields. Contrary to the wide spread view,
employers prefer candidates with general and flexible skills that

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could adjust to new situations rather than high specialists. They

look for and reward many of the capacities developed by the study
of philosophy, for instance, the ability to analyze problems, to
organize ideas and issues, to assess pros and cons, and to boil
down complex data.

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