GRACE MISSION COLLEGE

Catiningan, Socorro, Oriental Mindoro

Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person

1st QUARTER- Week 1

1 Corinthians 3:19 For the wisdom of this age is foolishness with God. As it is written, “He catches the wise
in their craftiness.”

Name: _________________________ Date: __________

Grade Level: ___________________ Score: _________

Lesson/Topic: THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN HOLISTIC PERSPECTIVE AND PARTIAL

POINT OF VIEW
“This is patently
Introduction: absurd; but
Good day
whoever wishes to
Grade 11!
Welcome to this become a
new school year. philosopher must
As we enter this learn not to be
subject, do you frightened by
know what is absurdities.’ -
Philosophy? Can
you define it using your own words? What is your
understanding about this? When we look for it in the dictionary or quotes that may be circulated in the
internet, we will only just learn about it from outside. To truly understand what Philosophy is, we must
immerse ourselves in it. That is, we must allow ourselves to experience it.
To introduce you to this experience, we begin this lesson with an exercise on developing a holistic
perspective. You will then be guided to distinguishing everyday questions from philosophical ones. In the
process you will learn what a philosopher is, and the value of the act of philosophizing in our daily lives.

Objectives: At the end of this lesson you are able to:

 distinguish a holistic perspective from a partial point of view.
 understand the essence of philosophy in our daily lives.
 create a short philosophy about life.

Lesson:
Let us think about: The Story of the Six Blind Men and an
Elephant
One day, six blind men agreed to analyze an elephant
to find out what it was. Reaching out, each touched it in a
different spot. One man touched the side, one, an ear, one a
leg, one a tusk, one on trunk, and one on the tail. We now
know that the elephant is like a wall, said the one who
touched the side. I believed you are mistaken, sir, said the one
who touched an ear. The elephant I more like a large fan. You
are both wrong, said the leg man. The elephant is obviously
being like a tree. A tree? Questioned the tusk-toucher. How
can you mistake a spear for tree? What? Said the trunk feeler.
A spear is long and round, but anyone knows it doesn’t move. Couldn’t you feel the muscles? It is definitely
a type of snake. A blind man could see that said the fifth blind man. The one who touched the tail couldn’t
agree more as he said it was like a rope. The argument grew more heated for they had misunderstanding
regarding the truth of an elephant. (Discordia.loveshade.org n.d.)
 GRACE MISSION COLLEGE
Catiningan, Socorro, Oriental Mindoro

Activity 1: TRY TO ANALYZE

Answer the following questions:
1. Did anyone among the blind men give the correct answer? Why or why not?
2. In the context of the elephant story, what do you think is the holistic perspective? What is a partial point
of view?
3. What is the importance of a holistic perspective as pointed out by the author?

Philosophy and its Holistic Approach

A philosopher's way of thinking can be described as "abstractive". This means that it rises from the
level of everyday life to a higher level that gives a bird's eye view of the whole. Try to recall an experience
in which you were able to climb a tower, reach the peak of a high mountain, or view things from the window
of an airplane. The view is certainly different from up there than from the ground. When you are on the
ground, you see roads, buildings, and all that make up the busy everyday life, one at a time. When you are
up there, you not only see the same roads and buildings from a different perspective, but you see them all at
the same time. Moreover, you also see how they are connected to each other. This is what we mean by
seeing things from a holistic perspective.

Like the elephant, the different parts may be seen as separate and different from each other. Only
when the blind men learn to perceive the elephant as a whole would they appreciate how each part makes up
one thing. Not one of the blind men was able to give a correct answer. Each answer was far from what is
true. We come closer to the truth about a thing or someone when we look at that thing or person from
various perspectives.

The first philosophers noted in history hail from the ancient Greek civilization. What makes this
civilization so special for philosophy? If today we have airplanes, satellites, or spaceships that would allow
us to see the world from a holistic point of view, these great thinkers in the past used their minds to see the
whole.'" They had insight. Insight means "seeing with the mind" (Ferriols, 2001). The ancient Greek
philosophers asked the question, "What makes us all connected to each other? What makes us one? What
underlies everything that exists?"

The first noted philosopher in western history is Thales (c. 624-545 B.C.). He was a thinker who
loved to gaze at the star. By sensing the harmony in the movements of the heavenly bodies, he deduced the
relationship of things in the universe. He said that everything is related to each other because everything that
exists contains water.

Today, Thales' answer to the question What makes us one?" would be regarded as silly or outdated.
But it is not our purpose here to defend the answer of the first philosopher. Our aim is to understand how a
philosophical mind moves. From the previous paragraphs, we learned that having a philosophical Insight
means being able to see with the mind. This means that to be able to think philosophically, you must learn to
look beyond what is immediately before you. Moreover, you must learn to and see how a thing is related to
everything else. This is the mark of a holistic perspective.

The movement from everyday experience towards a more holistic point of view is a salient
characteristic of philosophical thinking. In the next two sections, we will begin to appreciate that this way of
thinking is not totally foreign to us. We will recognize certain moments in our lives in which we have been,
or have already begun philosophizing.

What it means to be a philosopher?

 GRACE MISSION COLLEGE
Catiningan, Socorro, Oriental Mindoro

The word "philosophy comes from two Greek words 'philos' which means love and 'sophia' which means
wisdom. So philosophy literally means love 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.

Activity 2: MAKE MEANING

Direction: Explain what is Philosophy means by the use of the letters of PHILOSOPHY.
P
H
I
L
O
S
O
P
H
Y

Activity 3: RELATE IT
Direction: Relate this quote by Dennis Kucinich to the lesson “Philosophy and its Holistic Approach”.
“My philosophy comes from a worldview that looks at world as one. It’s a holistic view that sees the world
as interconnected and interdependent and integrated in so many different ways.”

Activity 4: PILOSOPO?
Directions: Using a short comic strips, explain the negative and positive connotations of the word pilosopo.

Post Assessment:
Have you ever had an experience in which you wanted to ask question but you were afraid to raise them?
Why were you afraid? Or have you had an experience wherein you asked a question but you were made to
feel like you were stupid to ask that question? Do you think those people were right in reacting that way?

Write your story on a short bond paper.

Performance Tasks:
There is an upcoming event at your barangay this month to honor the Senior Citizens. As a barangay
official, you are tasked to gather their philosophy in life as they are the most-experienced people in the
community. You are going to interview them and ask about their Philosophy in life and message to the
younger generations. It is to be presented first to the barangay officials via powerpoint presentation. It will
be graded using the following criteria:

Category 10 7 4
Content The organization The organization
The ideas are
of ideas are of ideas are
vague and hard to
flawless and well slightly blur.
understand. The
organized. ideas jump from
The choice made one idea to
The choice being is defended but
 GRACE MISSION COLLEGE
Catiningan, Socorro, Oriental Mindoro

another.
made is strongly the argument
defended presented is The choice made
supported by a questionable cannot be
factual scenario. defended and is
questionable.
Presentation The content is The content not so The presentation
organized and the organized but the is not organized
ppt is excellent. thought is still
there.
Impact The presentation There is an impact There is no
is neat and well but need more impact.
delivered improvement

CHARLENE L. MAAMO 09125746100 Charlene Lalunio Maamo

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