Division of City Schools

COMMONWEALTH HIGH SCHOOL

Ecols St. Brgy. Commonwealth,
Quezon City

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL

First Semester – SY 2022-2023

INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON

WEEK NO. 1 WORKSHEET NO. 2 QUARTER First Quarter

TOPIC What It Means to be a Philosopher?

CONTENT STANDARD The learner understands the meaning and process of doing philosophy
PERFORMANCE STANDARD The learner reflects on a concrete experience in a philosophical way
LEARNING COMPETENCY The learners will be able to:
1. discuss the meaning of what it means to be a philosopher:
2. realize the value of doing philosophy in obtaining a broad perspective on life; and
3. do a philosophical reflection on a concrete situation from a holistic perspective.

ACTIVITY 1:

What words come into your mind when you hear the word pilosopo? Write the words in the graphic organizer below.

Someone who
takes everything
literally

Annoying person
Someone who
asks questions

PILOSOPO

A philosopher
Sarcastic person

Bluffer
 Answer the following questions in the space provided.

1. What does it mean to be a lover of wisdom?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________
A lover of wisdom means being a proper philosopher. Not claiming to be wise and knowing in one's self
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
that they are ignorant because they cared about wisdom.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
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2. What characteristics should a philosopher possess?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
A philosopher should love wisdom, be curious, open-minded, logical, and determined.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
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3. When you describe someone as “pilosopo” what do you mean?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
They're either someone who loves wisdom, or someone just annoying. It depends on the context
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
since "pilosopo" has another meaning in the country we live in.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. How do you feel when someone calls you “pilosopo”? Why do you feel that way?
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
I feel insulted. Because the term "pilosopo" has a bad meaning in Filipino context and getting called
pilosopo without any reason insults me.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________________

READING:

• The word “philosophy” comes from the Greek words ‘philos’ which means love and ‘sophia’ which means 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.
• People who engage in philosophy are called philosophers or “lovers of wisdom”.
• Sometimes, however, the term ‘pilosopo’ has a negative connotation like someone who asks nonsense questions for selfish
reasons.
• The etymological meaning, however, leads us to the true meaning of ‘pilosopo’ as someone who asks questions because of a
genuine desire to know and to view things in a different way. His questions emanate from real confusion, astonishment, and
wonder and from an honest admission that he does not know. His questions are personal because they deeply touch on his
understanding of the meaning of life.

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 philosopher 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 and views regarding the topic.5

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 exists is based on an
idea or template that 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 a 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 gives rise to the deductive reasoning-the process by which specific statements are
analyzed to reach a conclusion or generalization.
 • Why do we philosophize? We all have the potential to philosophize since we have the tendency to wonder and doubt.

• A philosopher is a good communicator who can clearly and adequately present his or her ideas.

• Doing philosophy can be applied in day-to-day activities and life perspectives. Because it involves an evaluative process,
doing philosophy allows a person to make better decisions and act accordingly to situations with the help of various
philosophical skills. From a life perspective, philosophy enables reflective thinking which greatly influences a person’s view of
life, challenges, and relationships

• In philosophy, a holistic perspective on the subject is always required. Failure to do so or only using a partial point of view may
lead to illogical or incorrect conclusions.

• Plato traced man’s need to philosophize to his sense of wonder. Whenever we are confronted with an experience, we
always wonder how it came about.

• French philosopher Rene Descartes traced the need to philosophize to doubt. In life, we will be faced with several ideas and
arguments which present themselves as “truths”. A critical and questioning perspective is necessary to determine if indeed
these ideas or views are correct or true.

• Swiss-German philosopher Karl Jaspers saw the need to philosophize because of experience. These experiences limit
situations, philosophy provides us a means to understand adverse or challenging conditions, rise above them and gain new
knowledge and perspective.

• The need to philosophize is driven by the love for wisdom. To love wisdom is to have an insatiable desire for truth.

ACTIVITY 2:

1. Can everyone be a philosopher? Explain your answer.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________
No. Because a philosopher loves wisdom and acquires openness. Other people tend to believe that they know
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
everything and look at things from a partial point of view. Some people could become a philosopher since
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
some are ignorant and keeps asking questions but not everyone.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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2. How can a person benefit from philosophizing?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A person can understand the world in depth and develop a more insightful way of thinking to use in seeking
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
more answers to most obscure topics.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING:

Explain the negative and the positive connotations of the word ‘pilosopo”.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The negative connotation of the word "pilosopo" is an insult in the Filipino context. Being a "pilosopo" is being
annoying, taking everything literally, keeps bugging others with an endless amount of questions, and it's
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
someone who asks nonsense questions.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The positive connotation of the word "pilosopo" is someone who asks questions because of a
genuine desire to know and to view things differently. The questions are personal because they deeply touch on their
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
understanding of the meaning of life.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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JOURNAL ENTRY:

Make a reflection journal where you will write your answers to the following questions:

1. Among the needs that drive man to philosophize, which is most relevant to you?

2. Describe a situation in your life when you were able to engage in philosophy. What circumstances or dilemma brought about your
need to philosophize? How did philosophy help you address your situation?

3. Reflect on your life so far. Can you say that you have lived a meaningful life, considering all your experiences and achievements?
What do you consider as the “highlights” of your life? What things are you looking forward to in the future?

References:

Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person for SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL (Core Subject), Brenda B. Corpuz, et. al.,
Lorimar Publishing Inc., 2016.

Introduction to the PHILOSOPHY of the Human Person, Senior High School Textbook, Roberto D. Abella, C&E Publishing,
Inc, 2016.

Prepared by: Checked by: Approved by:

MRS. LORELINA G. MORERA DR. AGAPITO T. LERA

MR. JAY MHAR Z. GAFFUD Head Teacher VI/SHS Focal Person Principal IV
Teacher III, HUMSS Academic Track

MR. DENNIS U. ATCHUELA

Teacher III, HUMSS Academic Track