SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

Introduction to the
Philosophy of the
Human Person
Quarter 1- Module 1
The Meaning and Method of Doing
Philosophy

Department of Education ● Republic of the Philippines

 OVERVIEW
Hello dear learners! Welcome to this module on Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human
Person. This module will help you understand the meaning and process of doing philosophy
of the human person as an embodied being in the world and the environment as a means
towards a holistic understanding of life. It contains activities that will help you reflects on a
concrete experience in a philosophical way and demonstrates various ways of doing
philosophy and evaluate opinion. The module is self – instructional and allows you to learn in
your own space, at your own pace. So, relax and enjoy learning.

To the teacher:

This lesson assume that the teacher has already introduced to his/ her learners knowledge
about philosophy and its importance as discipline and a means of understanding life.

The primary goal of this module is to help learners engaged in some simple activities in order
to have necessary skills and understanding and reflects on a concrete experience in a
philosophical way.

To the Learners:

At the end of this module, you will be able to reflect on your daily experiences from a holistic
point of view and acquires critical and analytical thinking skills so that you can apply this critical
and analytical thinking skills to the affairs of your daily life and should be able to demonstrate
a capacity for a critical and analytical reflection from the perspective of a holistic and profound
vision of life.

In order to achieve the objectives of this module, it is necessary to have completed all the
module for you to fully understand the activities and discussions.
 Lesson
The Meaning and Method
1 of Doing Philosophy

The study of this subject is an initiation to the activity and process of philosophical
reflection as a search for a synoptic vision of life. At the end of the course, you should be able
to reflect on their daily experiences from a holistic point of view, acquire critical and analytical
thinking skills and should be able to apply this critical and analytical thinking skills to the affairs
of daily life and become truthful, environment-friendly and service-oriented. Actively committed
to the development of a more humane society and articulate their own philosophy of life.

WHAT I NEED TO KNOW?

Objectives: After going through this module, you are expected to understand the
meaning and process of doing philosophy, to:

1. Distinguish a holistic perspective from a partial point of view PPT11/12-Ia-1.1

2. Realize the value of doing philosophy in obtaining a broad perspective on life
PPT11/12-Ib-1.2
3. Do a philosophical reflection on a concrete situation from a holistic perspective
PPT11/12-Ib-1.3

Before heading on to our lesson, let us first check what you already know.

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 WHAT I KNOW?

INSTRUCTION: Write your answer in the space provided below.

What words come to mind when you hear the word Philosophy? Why do we need to
study Philosophy?

Great job! Later we will see if your answers are correct by reading the rest of
this module.

WHAT’S IN?

The word philosophy comes from two Greek words: philos (love) and sophia (wisdom).
The ancient Greeks used this term to refer to “love of wisdom” and they soon applied it to the
study or discipline that uses human reason to investigate the ultimate causes, reasons, and
principles which govern all things.

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental questions about existence,

knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language.

Philosophy in simple words is a way of thinking about the world, the universe, and
society. It works by asking very basic questions about the nature of human thought, the nature
of the universe, and the connections between them. The ideas in philosophy are often general
and abstract.

Philosophy is the study of humans and the world by thinking and asking questions. It
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is a science and an art. Philosophy tries to answer important questions by coming up with
answers about real things and asking "why?"

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 WHAT’S NEW?

Do you know of some Greek Philosophers? Philosophers- are people who engage in
philosophy.

Direction: Identify the following person in the picture below. Write your answer on the space
provided below.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki

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 WHAT IS IT?

The most notable ancient Greek philosophers are:

Pythagoras (570 BCE to 495 BCE)- A mathematician and scientist, he was credited with
formulating the Pythagorean theorem.

Heraclitus (535 BCe to 475 BCE)- He proposed that everything that exists is based on a
higher order or plan which he called logos.

Democritus (460 BCE to 370 BCE)- He devoted himself to the study of the causes of natural
phenomena.

Diogenes of Sinope (412 BCE to 323 BCE)- He was a known advocate of living a simple and
virtuous life.

Epicurus (341 BCE to 270 BCE)- He believed that philosophy could enable man to live a life
of happiness.

Socrates (470 BCE to 399 BCE)- He was considered the foremost philosophers of ancient
times. He was credited with formulating the Socratic method- means of
examining a topic by devising a series of questions that let the learner examine
and analyze his knowledge and5views regarding the topic.

Plato (427 BCE to 347 BCE)- A student of Socrates, he wrote down his mentor’s teaching and
incorporated some of his own ideas into them. Plato’s most significant ideas
included his Theory of Forms, which proposes that everything that exist is based
on an idea or template than can only be perceived in the mind. Plato is also
known for his dialectic- a method of inquiry where two opposing ideas are
discussed in an attempt to arrive at new knowledge. Plato’s lasting contribution
to learning was his founding of the Academy, an institution of higher learning.

Aristotle (384 BCE to 322 BCE)- He attended the Academy, and was the prominent student
of Plato. For him, all ideas and views are based on perception and our reality is
based on what we can sense and perceive. His studies in logic led to the
formulation of a formal process of analyzing reasoning which give rise to
deductive reasoning-the process by which specific statements are analysed to
reach a conclusion or generalization.

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 REFERENCES
Roberto D. Abella, M.Div., D.Min. (2016). Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person.
Philosophy meaning. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy)
Holistic thinking. https://www.reference.com/world-view/holistic-thinking-71825abaad1c20ca
Partial point of view. https://study.com/academy/answer/what-is-partial-point-of-view.html
Self-reflection. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-reflection
The difference between holistic and partial thinking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yTVInz1eOg
https://www.slideshare.net/arielgilbuena7/intro-to-the-philosophy-of-the-human-person-
chapter-1-the-process-of-doing-philosophy
https://www.reference.com/world-view/holistic-thinking-71825abaad1c20ca
https://study.com/academy/answer/what-is-partial-point-of-view.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBTnhWEWf38
https://www.google.com/search?q=what+is+philosophy&oq=what+is+philo&aqs=chrome.1.6
9i57j0l7.8372j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophy
https://study.com/academy/lesson/big-picture-vs-detail-oriented-thinking.html
https://thefearlesshustle.com/5-ways-to-stay-positive-through-life/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aristotle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socrates
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicurus
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/prek-12-subject-area/test-preparation/Type-
of-Resource/Rubrics