RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
Cities of Mandaluyong and Pasig
MODULE NO.1
LESSON NO. 1: DOING PHILOSOPHY
Topics to be delivered in the module:
1. The Meaning of Philosophy
2. Branches of Philosophy
Overview
Philosophy, by definition covers a great deal of conceptual, complex, and
value-laden processes. Lessons to be learned go beyond and rise to daunting
challenges of modern experience. A broad understanding of philosophy stressed not
just the humans but other living beings. Though philosophy has many branches and
special branches, philosophical introduction goes beyond partial but stresses holism;
beyond mind but the body as well; beyond global/ technological to local and
indigenous.
Study Guide
The learner understands the meaning and process of doing philosophy; and
The learner reflects on a concrete experience in a philosophical way.
Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person – a. morada 1
RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
Cities of Mandaluyong and Pasig
Learning Competency
1. Distinguish a holistic perspective from a partial point of view.
2. Recognize human activities that emanated from deliberate reflection.
3. Realize the value of doing philosophy in obtaining a broad perspective on life.
4. Do a philosophical reflection on a concrete situation from a holistic perspective.
Topic Presentation
1. 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.
Natural Light of Reason - it uses a philosopher’s natural capacity to think or
human reason or the so-called unaided reason.
First Cause or Highest Principle –
Principle of Identity – whatever is; whatever is not is not.
Everything is its own being, and not being is not being.
Principle of Non-Contradiction – it is impossible for a thing to
be and not to be at the same time.
Principle of Excluded Middle – a thing is either is or is not;
between being and not-being, there is no middle ground
possible.
Principle of Sufficient Reason – nothing exists without
sufficient reason for its being and existence.
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RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
Cities of Mandaluyong and Pasig
Study of All Things - It makes philosophy distinct from other sciences because
it is not one dimensional or partial. A philosopher does not limit
himself to a particular object of inquiry. Philosophy is
multidimensional or holistic.
Early Greek philosophers studied aspects of the natural and human world that
later became separate sciences—astronomy, physics, psychology, and sociology.
Basic problems like the nature of the universe, the standard of justice, the
validity of knowledge, the correct application of reason, and the criteria of beauty have
been the domain of philosophy from its beginnings to the present.
These basic problems are the subject matter of the branches of philosophy.
2. Branches of Philosophy
A. Metaphysics
concerned with the nature of existence, being and the world.
Arguably, metaphysics is the foundation of philosophy: Aristotle calls it
"first philosophy" (or sometimes just "wisdom"), and says it is the
subject that deals with "first causes and the principles of things".
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.
Thales
- He claims that everything we experience is water (“reality”) and
everything else is “appearance.” 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. We can see things made of matter such as book or chair
but we cannot see the underlying matter itself.
Plato
- Nothing we experience in the physical world with our five
senses is real. Reality for him is just the opposite. Reality is
unchanging, eternal, immaterial, and can be detected only by
the intellect. Plato calls these realities as ideas of forms.
B. Ethics
The word "ethics" is derived from the Greek "ethos" (meaning "custom"
or "habit"). It is concerned with questions of how people ought to act,
and the search for a definition of right conduct and the good life.
It explores the nature of moral virtue and evaluates human actions.
It is a study of the nature of moral judgments.
It insists that obedience to moral law be given a rational foundation.
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RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
Cities of Mandaluyong and Pasig
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 through self-knowledge.
- True knowledge = Wisdom = Virtue
- Courage as virtue is also knowledge.
C. Epistemology
It deals with nature, sources, limitations, and validity of knowledge.
It analyzes the nature of knowledge and how it relates to similar notions
such as truth, belief and justification.
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.
How do we acquire reliable knowledge? Human knowledge may be
regarded as having three parts:
Induction Method
o gives importance to particular things seen, heard,
and touched
o Empiricist – advocates of induction method
o Empiricism is the view that knowledge can be
attained only through sense experience. Real
knowledge is based on what our sight, hearing, smell
and other senses tells us is really out there not what
people make up in their heads.
Deduction Method
o gives importance to general law from which
particular facts are understood or judged
o Rationalist – advocates of deduction method
o For a rationalist, real knowledge is based on the
logic, the laws, and the methods that reason
develops.
Pragmatism
o the meaning and truth of an idea are tested by its
practical consequences.
D. 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.
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RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
Cities of Mandaluyong and Pasig
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
o First philosopher to devise a logical method
o Truth means the agreement of knowledge with reality.
o Logical reasoning makes us certain that our conclusions are
true.
Zeno of Citium
o One of the successors of Aristotle and founder of Stoicism
Other influential authors of logic
o Cicero, Porphyry, and Boethius
o Philoponus and Al-Farabi, Avicenna, and Averroes
E. Aesthetics
Aesthetics is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature and
appreciation of art, beauty and good taste.
The word "aesthetics" derives from the Greek "aisthetikos", meaning "of
sense perception". Along with Ethics, aesthetics is part of axiology (the
study of values and value judgments).
It is important because of the following:
o It vitalizes our knowledge. It makes our knowledge of the world
alive and useful.
o It helps us to live more deeply and richly. A work of art helps us
to rise from purely physical existence into the realm of intellect
and the spirit.
o It brings us in touch with our culture. The answers of great minds
in the past to the great problems of human life are part of our
culture.
Hans-Georg Gadamer
o A German philosopher who argues that our tastes and
judgements regarding beauty, works in connection with one’s
own personal experience and culture.
Additional Knowledge
The Origin of Philosophy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR-QETBbnB0
Doing Philosophy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBTnhWEWf38
What is Philosophy and branches of it? - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRG-
rV8hhpU&t=293s
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RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
Cities of Mandaluyong and Pasig
Guided Exercises / Learning Activities
Tracking and Analyzing your purpose.
Draw a timeline. This exercise aims to examine the wackiest and worst times; in search
of the meaning behind your life. This can help you identify more skillfully the kinds of
activities, conditions, locations and people combinations where your purpose is well
served and where it is abused. During these times, you experienced very poor results
and very strong dissatisfaction. If you learn something new about your purpose, make
a note of it.
HAPPIEST TIME WORST TIMES
List the activities, people, locations or List the activities, people, locations or
conditions in your life you were conditions in your life when you felt
happiest. dissatisfied.
1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.
What did you learn about your purpose? What did you learn about your purpose?
1. 1.
2. 2.
3. 3.
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RIZAL TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY
Cities of Mandaluyong and Pasig
Assessment
Link will be sent on Sept. 23, 2020 to our G Classroom
References
Christine Carmela R. Ramos, P. (2016). Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human
Person. Rex Book Store, Inc.
https://www.philosophybasics.com
https://www.youtube.com/user/salbahisnapicoy
Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person – a. morada 7
