Doing Philosophy PDF

LESSON 1
Doing Philosophy
DOING
PHILOSOPHY
This module brings the learner towards holistic
perspective of life as a human person with the guidance of
his or her capacity to reason out. It gives importance to
the nature of a human person—to think and takes the
learner to a student-friendly discussion about the
introduction of Philosophy. At the end of this module, the
learner is expected to appreciate Philosophy subject and
would realize that being a philosopher is not just being a
“Pilosopo”, who annoys people for the sake of winning the
argument, but instead, a responsible citizen who seek the
truth and stand by the truth.
At the end of the lesson, the leaners shall
be able to….
1. Distinguish a holistic perspective from
a partial point of view.
2. Realize the value of doing philosophy
in obtaining a broad perspective on life .
3. Do a philosophical reflection on a
concrete situation from a holistic
perspective.
What words come to mind when you
hear the word Philosophy?
Meaning of Philosophy
• “Philosophy” came from two Greek words:
▪ Philo which means “to love”
▪ Sophia which means “wisdom”
• Philosophy originally meant “love of wisdom.”
• Philosophy is also defined as the science that
by natural light of reason studies the first
causes or highest principles of all things.
▪ Science
It is an organized body of knowledge.
It is systematic.
It follows certain steps or employs
certain procedures.
It refers to an academic subject or course
that is taught usually in colleges,
universities and seminaries.
A wise person…
a. knows what he knows and what he
doesn’t know.
b. can justify true beliefs.
c. knows things that are valuable in life.
d. has the ability to put knowledge into
practice.
knows what should be done and act
accordingly.
Branches of Philosophy
Metaphysics
• It is an extension of a fundamental and
necessary drive in every human being to know
what is real.
• A metaphysician’s task is to explain that part of
our experience which we call unreal in terms of
what we call real.
• We try to make things comprehensible by
simplifying or reducing the mass of things we
call appearance to a relatively fewer number of
things we call reality.
• Thales
▪ He claims that everything we experience is
▪ We try to explain everything else
(appearance) in terms of water (reality).
• Idealist and Materialist
▪ Their theories are based on unobservable
entities: mind and matter.
▪ They explain the observable in terms of the
unobservable.
• Plato
▪ Nothing we experience in the physical world
with our five senses is real.
▪ Reality is unchanging, eternal, immaterial,
and can be detected only by the intellect.
▪ Plato calls these realities as ideas of forms.
Ethics
• It explores the nature of moral virtue and
evaluates human actions.
• It is a study of the nature of moral judgments.
• Philosophical ethics attempts to provide an
account of our fundamental ethical ideas.
• It insists that obedience to moral law be given
a rational foundation.
• Socrates
▪ To be happy is to live a virtuous life.
▪ Virtue is an awakening of the seeds of good
deeds that lay dormant in the mind and
heart of a person which can be achieved
▪ True knowledge = Wisdom = Virtue
▪ Courage as virtue is also knowledge.
• William Edward Burghardt Du Bois
▪ An African-American who wanted equal
rights for the blacks.
▪ His philosophy uses the same process as
Hegel’s dialectic (Thesis > Antithesis >
Synthesis).
Epistemology
• It deals with nature, sources, limitations, and
validity of knowledge.
• It explains: (1) how we know what we claim to
know; (2) how we can find out what we wish to
know; and (3) how we can differentiate truth
from falsehood.
• It addresses varied problems: the reliability,
extent, and kinds of knowledge; truth;
language; and science and scientific
knowledge.
• Sources of knowledge
▪ Induction
gives importance to particular things
seen, heard, and touched
forms general ideas through the
examination of particular facts
Empiricist – advocates of induction
method
Empiricism is the view that knowledge
can be attained only through sense
experience.
▪ Deduction
gives importance to general law from
Rationalist – advocates of deduction
method
For a rationalist, real knowledge is based
on the logic, the laws, and the methods
that reason develops.
▪ Pragmatism – the meaning and truth of an
idea are tested by its practical
consequences.
Logic
• Reasoning is the concern of the logician.
• It comes from the Greek word logike, coined by
Zeno, the Stoic (c.340–265BC), which means a
treatise on matters pertaining to the human
thought.
• It does not provide us knowledge of the world
directly and does not contribute directly to the
content of our thoughts.
• It is not interested in what we know regarding
certain subjects but in the truth or the validity
of our arguments regarding such objects.
• Aristotle
▪ First philosopher to devise a logical method
▪ Truth means the agreement of knowledge
with reality.
▪ Logical reasoning makes us certain that our
conclusions are true.
• Zeno of Citium
▪ One of the successors of Aristotle and
founder of Stoicism
• Other influential authors of logic
▪ Cicero, Porphyry, and Boethius
▪ Philoponus and Al-Farabi, Avicenna, and
Averroes
Aesthetics
• It is the science of the beautiful
in its various manifestations –
including the sublime, comic,
tragic, pathetic, and ugly.
• Hans-Georg Gadamer
▪ A German philosopher who argues that our
tastes and judgments regarding beauty work
in connection with one’s own personal
experience and culture.
▪ Our culture consists of the values and beliefs
of our time and our society.
ACTIVITY
1. What are the reasons that compel a person to

engage in philosophical thinking?
2. How can you as a person benefit from
philosophizing?
3. Based on the characteristics of philosophy, would
it be possible for any person to engage in
philosophical discussion? Why or why not?
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
HOLISTIC AND PARTIAL POINT OF
VIEW
Holistic thinking refers to a perspective that
considers large-scale patterns in systems. A
holistic perspective requires an individual to have
an open mindset and ability to get the general
sense or impression regarding a situation.
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.
The term "holistic thinking" refers to a big picture
mentality in which a person recognizes the
interconnectedness of various elements that form
larger systems, patterns and objects.
Thinking holistically is the opposite of analyzing
something, which involves breaking down a larger
system into its details.
Holistic medicine is a prominent example of holistic
thinking. A medical professional who believes in
holistic care considers the relationship between the
mind, body and spirit. For example, holistic doctors
don't just provide patients with medications. Instead,
they look at ways to improve life balance and
eradicate health problems from their root source, such
as high stress or bad nutrition.
In philosophy, point of view describes the
perception of an event or phenomenon and how
exactly it is viewed. Point of view often is shaped
by an individual's beliefs or experiences.
Though partial thinking is useful, philosophy
utilizes holistic thinking in making sense of
problems and issues related to the human
experience.
People tend to apply an analytical perspective
when looking at problems or situations. A
holistic view gives rise to a more appreciative
perspective about life, as we are able to look at
life in its totality.
Now that you've understand the difference
between the holistic and partial point of
view, what type of thinker are you?
LESSON 2 THE
IMPORTANCE OF
PHILOSOPHY
Studying Philosophy does not satisfy the
material needs of a human person. Unlike
Science, Philosophy does not provide the
practical necessities that develop an individual
in physical aspects. One might conclude that
Philosophy is just a waste of time and a
useless discipline. But concluding that a
human person is just his physical body is not
fair. Philosophy does not satisfy the physical
needs of the human person because it gives
importance to the development of individual’s
cognitive aspects through reasoning.
The Charge of Futility
1. The indefiniteness of Philosophy with regard to the answers that it provides to philosophical
questions.
2. The impracticality of philosophy; it has no practical benefits and does not

satisfy our material needs such as those related to the nourishment of our body.
But…
It is simply wrong to limit what is valuable in life to the satisfaction of our

material or practical concerns. Our nonphysical and physical needs are equally valuable.
If our material needs concern our physical existence and survival, our nonmaterial needs
concern the quality of our life and human relations.
It is wrong to think that philosophy, though focused on addressing our mental

needs, cannot contribute to how we can best satisfy our material needs. Satisfying our
material needs would also require adequate reasoning skills, which can be provided by
philosophy.
Some Major Achievements
1. Philosophy supplements scientific
explanations to come up with
holistic explanations.
2. It contributes to the development of
some disciplines.
3. It provides ethical guidelines for the
use of modern technology.
4. It contributes to social
transformation.
5. It expands the boundaries of
knowledge.
Falconeri S. Castilla,
CARAGA..fscpostmodernity@gm
ail.com
Falconeri S. Castilla, Joshua T. Navale
-CARAGA Caraga Region
-fscpostmodernity@gmail.com Joshuanavale@gmail.com
Althon ian recto Melchor R. Baynosa

-Region XI Region 9
-Rectoalthon@gmail.com baynosamelchor18@gmail.com
Janrell I. Maratas Larry Franz Llamera Goña

-CARAGA Region Region XIII
-maratasjanrell@gmail.com lanzmigz@gmail.com
Khaira Racel Jay A. Pucot APPLE J. MONCAYO

-Caraga Region CARAGA
-khairapucot14@gmail.com moncayoapple9@gmail.com
JAIMEJAMERO Gerry D. Lacorte

-CARAGA, BUTUAN CITY Region XIII
-jaimejamero73@gmail.com jeblacorte@gmail.com

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LESSON 1

1. What are the reasons that compel a person to

2. The impracticality of philosophy; it has no practical benefits and does not

It is simply wrong to limit what is valuable in life to the satisfaction of our

It is wrong to think that philosophy, though focused on addressing our mental

Althon ian recto Melchor R. Baynosa

Janrell I. Maratas Larry Franz Llamera Goña

Khaira Racel Jay A. Pucot APPLE J. MONCAYO

JAIMEJAMERO Gerry D. Lacorte

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