Doing

Philosophy
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 Competencies
1.1. Distinguish a holistic perspective from a
partial point of view
1.2. Recognize human activities that
emanated from deliberate reflection
1.3. Realize the value of doing philosophy in
obtaining a broad perspective on life
1.4. Do a philosophical reflection on a
concrete situation from a holistic perspective
Key Concepts
Holistic Perspective
Partial Point of View
What is the difference
between a holistic
perspective to a partial
point of view?
Holistic Perspective/Holism -comes from the
Greek word holos which literally means all, entire,
totality. It aims to determine and explain the
whole or totality of a given system by examining
the behaviors and activities of certain
component parts.

Partial point of view – it is a perspective that is

based on one of the component parts of a
whole.
 A partial point of view is a perspective
that looks at reality based on a single
or partial component of a system
whereas the holistic perspective tries
to broaden the understanding of reality
by taking considerations of other
possible causal agents or factors
Blind Men and the Elephant
– A Poem by John Godfrey Saxe
It was six men of Indostan,
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the Elephant
(Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation
Might satisfy his mind.
The First approach'd the Elephant,
And happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy_______,
At once began to bawl:
"God bless me! but the Elephant
Is very like a wall!"
The Second, feeling of the________,
Cried, -"Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me 'tis mighty clear,
This wonder of an Elephant
Is very like a spear!"
The Third approach'd the animal,
And happening to take
The squirming_________within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
"I see," -quoth he- "the Elephant
Is very like a snake!"
The Fourth reached out an eager hand,
And felt about the_________:
"What most this wondrous beast is like
Is mighty plain," -quoth he,-
"'Tis clear enough the Elephant
Is very like a tree!"
The Fifth, who chanced to touch
the_________,
Said- "E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an Elephant
Is very like a fan!"
The Sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Then, seizing on the swinging__________
That fell within his scope,
"I see," -quoth he,- "the Elephant
Is very like a rope!"
 And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!
What caused the dispute between
the six man of Indostan?

Anong ibig sabihin nito,

Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!
Limits of the = Limit of
Senses Experience
Philosophy begun in this question,
WHAT IS EVERYTHING?

Ano nga ba ang LAHAT-LAHAT-

SABAY-SABAY? (Feriols)
Aristotle
Most of the earliest philosophers conceived only
of material principles as underlying all things.
That of which all things consist, from which they
first come and into which on their destruction
they are ultimately resolved, of which the
essence persists although modified by its
affections—this, they say, is an element and
principle of existing things.
Kaya ba natin maranasan
at malaman ang
sanlibutan?
In Philosophy,
KAYA!!!
On Partial Seeing
Thinking process (LOGIC) behind the dispute
LOGIC
–from the Greek word logike coined by Zeno the Stoic
(c. 340-256 BC) which means “a treatise on matters
pertaining to the human thought”
-It is the systematic study of the rules for the correct
use of these supporting reasons, rules we can use to
distinguish good arguments from bad ones.
My view is my view Your view is your view
Mathematics: Principle of Equality
A=A
Logic: Principle of Identity
“What is, is”
My view is not your view Your view is not my view

Mathematics: Principle of Inequality

A is not equivalent to not A

Logic: Principle of Non-Contradiction

“What is, is not not-is.”
If your view is not my view Y = -M Major Premise
and my view is right M=R Minor Premise
Then your view is not right Then, Y = -R Conclusion

Mathematics:
Principle of Transitivity
If A=B, and B=C, then
A=C
If my view is not your view
And your view is not right
Then my view is right

Either my view or your view is

right, never both

Logic: Principle of the Excluded Middle

“Either it is or it is not, never both”
 SEATWORK
What events have you
experienced which involved a
dispute over limited views?
What were the problems
generated by the dispute?
Learning Competencies
1.1. Distinguish a holistic perspective from a
partial point of view
1.2. Recognize human activities that
emanated from deliberate reflection
Key Concepts
Sense of Wonder
Experience
Doubt
Philosophy
Love of Wisdom
Philosophical Reflection
Philosophy starts
with a Sense of
Wonder
Sense of Wonder (Plato)
-Whenever we are
confronted with an
experience we always
wonder how it came about
- “Where did we come
from?” “Why do we exist?”
“For what purpose are we
created?”
“Wonder is the feeling of
a Philosopher, and
Philosophy begins in
Wonder”
-Socrates
 What does it mean then to wonder?
“To wonder means to realize that there
is something strange behind the things
that we ordinarily perceive. To wonder
is to notice something extraordinary in
the ordinary things we see”.
(For the love of Wisdom by Chris John-Terry, An
explanation of the meaning and purpose of Philosophy)
“Philosophy is for those who are
willing to be disturbed with a
creative disturbance…Philosophy
is for those who still have the
capacity to WONDER…”
(Philosophy an introduction to the Art of
Wondering by James L. Christian, prelude.)
 Doubt can also
impel man to as
Philosophical
Questions
Doubt (Rene Descartes)
-He was famous for rejecting or
questioning established ideas,
and he even went as far as
doubting his own ideas
-A critical and questioning
perspective is necessary to
determine if needed these ideas
or views are correct or true
 CAN I EVER BE
CERTAIN ABOUT
ANYTHING?
Philosophy is an
activity rooted on
lived experience
Experience (Karl Jasper)
-A man is often confronted by
experiences which challenges
his ideas and frameworks
-These challenges are called
limit situations, which are
often accompanied by
feelings of hopelessness,
anxiety, or dread
HOW DO I KNOW IF
I’M RIGHT?
HOW WILL I EVER
KNOW I’M WRONG?
And so, What is
Philosophy?
from Greek φιλοσοφία
PHILO-SOPHIA
Philos/Philo Sophos/Sophia
“love/to love” “Wisdom”
Philosophy is the (1) science
that (2) studies all things to
its (3) ultimate cause
through the use of (4)
reason.
(1) Science
It is called science because the
investigation is systematic. It follows
certain steps or it employs certain
procedures. In other words, it is an
organized body of knowledge just like
any other sciences
(2) Study of All Things
This sets the distinction between
philosophy from others sciences. All
other sciences concern themselves
with a particular object of investigation;
whereas, a philosopher studies human
beings, society, religion, language,
God, and even plants
(3) Ultimate Cause/Highest Principle
is that from which
something proceeds in any
manner whatsoever.
(4) Natural Light of Reason
Philosophy investigates things, not by
using any other laboratory instrument or
investigative tools, neither on the basis of
supernatural revelation, otherwise it
becomes theology; instead, the
philosopher uses his natural capacity to
think or simply, human reason alone or the
so-called unaided reason.
MAIN DIVISIONS OF PHILOSOHY
1. METAPHYSICS
2. EPISTEMOLOGY
3. VALUE THEORY
3.1. ETHICS
3.2. AESTHETICS
1. METAPHYSICS
- The branch of Philosophy that studies the nature
of reality
- It is an extension of a fundamental and
necessary drive in every human being to know
what is real
- It asks the question WHAT IS THE NATURE
LOOK LIKE
- It gives an understanding about the fundamental
nature of the world, of the universe, and of
Being.
2. EPISTEMOLOGY
- The branch of Philosophy that studies the nature
and scope of knowledge.
- 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.
- Is the world really what I think it is?
3. VALUE THEORY
3.1. ETHICS
- The branch of Philosophy that studies and
evaluates human conduct
- Asks the question HOW SHOULD I LIVE?
- It studies also the nature of moral
judgments
- It explores the nature of moral virtue and
evaluates human conduct.
3. VALUE THEORY
3.2. AESTHETICS
- The branch of Philosophy that studies the
nature of beauty
- Asks the question WHAT IS BEAUTIFUL?
- It is the science of the beautiful in its
various manifestations-including the
sublime, comic, tragic, pathetic, and ugly.
PHILOSOPHICAL
REFLECTION
-The act of giving time to
think about the meaning
and purpose of life
-As a tool in doing
Philosophy Gabriel Marcel
Types
Primary Reflection
-Fragmented and
Compartmentalized Thinking
-Instrumental Thinking
“means-end” kind of thinking
Secondary Reflection
-Integrates the fragmented and
compartmentalized experience into
a coherent whole
Philosophical Reflection = Secondary Reflection
Primary Reflection
-Ability to think logically
-the ability of the mind to construct
and evaluate arguments
Premise 1: All human beings are mortal.
Premise 2: But the President of the Republic of
the Philippines is a human being.
Conclusion: Therefore, the President of the
Republic of the Philippines is mortal.
 SEATWORK
Think and Reflect what events have you
experienced which involved Letting Go
and Setting Free
Write a Reflective Essay about your
experience of Letting Go and Setting Free

Compare and Share it to you Seatmate

Learning Competencies
1.1. Distinguish a holistic perspective from a
partial point of view
1.2. Recognize human activities that
emanated from deliberate reflection
1.3. Realize the value of doing philosophy in
obtaining a broad perspective on life
What’s the Value of
Philosophy?
Bertrand Russell
“While diminishing the
feeling of certainty as
to what things are,
philosophy greatly
increases our
knowledge as to what
they may be.”
 Philosophy
Philosophy will not directly put food on won’t bake your
your table…but, after all, it is perhaps bread, but…it
equally true that no bread would ever will open your
have been baked without philosophy. eyes if you let it.

PHILOSOPHY BAKES NO BREAD

“Philosophy bakes no bread” pero ito ang pundasyon ng
mga sibilisasyon. Ang kultura at ebolusyon ng lahat ng
buhay at mga pangyayari at kasaysayan ay nakasalalay sa
pag-unlad ng pilosopiya…pilosopiya ang nagbibigay
buhay at nagpapagalaw sa mundo. Ito ang bumabago sa
takbo ng panahon at isipan ng bawat henerasyon.
“There is only one really
serious philosophical
question, and that is
suicide. Deciding whether
or not life is worth living
is to answer the
fundamental question in
philosophy. All other
questions follow from
that.” Albert Camus
Bertrand Russell
The [person] who has no tincture
of philosophy goes through life
imprisoned in the prejudices
derived from common sense,
from the habitual beliefs of [their]
age or [their] nation, and from
convictions which have grown up
in [their] mind without the
cooperation or consent of [their]
deliberate reason.
Bertrand Russell (Cont.)
As soon as we begin to
philosophize, on the contrary, we
find… that even the most everyday
things lead to problems to which
only very incomplete answers can
be given. Philosophy…. removes
the somewhat arrogant dogmatism
of those who have never travelled
into the region of liberating
doubt…
Will Durant
Philosophy will not fatten our
purses…For what if we should
fatten our purses, or rise to high
office, and yet all the while
remain ignorantly naïve,
coarsely unfurnished in the
mind, brutal in behavior,
unstable in character, chaotic in
desire, and blindly miserable?
The Five Traits of
the Wise Person
1. A wise person is one who is
aware of (or who knows) what he
knows and what he does not
know. (A wise person is aware of
his own ignorance)
2. A wise person holds beliefs
that are not only true but which
he/she can also justify. Not only
does he/she must have true
beliefs, he/she also have strong
reasons to have these beliefs.
3. A wise person knows a
lot about things that are
valuable in life.
4. A wise person can put his/her
knowledge to practical use.
5. A wise person does not only
know what is true, but also knows
what is good or what ought to be
done in a given situation and
he/she acts accordingly.
Philosophical Thought
in Three Views
Cosmocentric View
-Ancient Philosophy (600 B.C. -600 A.D.) may
characterized as a period that held the cosmocentric
view
-They wondered about the world (kosmos in Greek)
-The question that concerned them was the origin
of the universe –the arche (Greek for ‘starting point’)
-Their desire for truth was reflected in the question
that may be simply put as “Where did all things come
from?”
Theocentric View
-During Medieval Period (600-1500 AD) which the
Church sustained man’s intellect, the world became
secondary to God (theos in Greek) and Christianity greatly
influenced philosophy.
-Because a holistic account of reality is demanded by
philosophy, highly trained and educated theologians
turned to religious texts and doctrines.
-Philosophical arguments were arguments about God
owing to Christianity and the scholastic method that
dominated universities in Europe around 1100-1700 AD
Anthropocentric View
-The Modern Period (1500-1900) in philosophy is
characterized by subjectivity and individualism, hence,
centered on man (anthropos in Greek).
-It was a result both of the rise of modern science and
the diminished authority of the Church in the seventeenth
century.
-In this period the progress in the scientific field
made man realize the practical utility of science as a
technique rather than of a doctrine that explained the
nature of the world.
This view sheds light on the philosophies
characterized in this period;
Rationalism - claimed that the ultimate
starting point for all knowledge is not
the senses but reason.
Empiricism –holds that all knowledge is
ultimately derived from sense
experience.
 The value of philosophy is evidently
practical. It has a direct relation to the
quality of our life. We venture into
philosophy to discover truths about
ourselves and to be improved by our
discoveries.