Q1 M2 Philosophy
Q1 M2 Philosophy
Q1 M2 Philosophy
Introduction to the
Philosophy of the
Human Person
Quarter 1 – Module 2.2
Methods of Philosophizing
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Introduction to
the Philosophy
of the Human
Person
Quarter 1 – Module 2.2
Methods of Philosophizing
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:
This module was collaboratively designed, developed and reviewed by educators both
from public and private institutions to assist you, the teacher or facilitator in helping
the learners meet the standards set by the K to 12 Curriculum while overcoming
their personal, social, and economic constraints in schooling.
This learning resource hopes to engage the learners into guided and independent
learning activities at their own pace and time. Furthermore, this also aims to help
learners acquire the needed 21st century skills while taking into consideration their
needs and circumstances.
In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the body of
the module:
As a facilitator you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this module.
You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to manage
their own learning. Furthermore, you are expected to encourage and assist the
learners as they do the tasks included in the module.
The hand is one of the most symbolized part of the human body. It is often used to
depict skill, action and purpose. Through our hands we may learn, create and
accomplish. Hence, the hand in this learning resource signifies that you as a learner
is capable and empowered to successfully achieve the relevant competencies and
skills at your own pace and time. Your academic success lies in your own hands!
This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful opportunities for
guided and independent learning at your own pace and time. You will be enabled to
process the contents of the learning resource while being an active learner.
What I Need to Know This will give you an idea of the skills or
competencies you are expected to learn in the
module.
1. Use the module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on any part of the
module. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises.
2. Don’t forget to answer What I Know before moving on to the other activities
included in the module.
3. Read the instruction carefully before doing each task.
4. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking your answers.
5. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
6. Return this module to your teacher/facilitator once you are through with it.
If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do not
hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator. Always bear in mind that you are
not alone.
We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful learning and
gain deep understanding of the relevant competencies. You can do it!
This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is here to help you in
internalizing the methods of philosophizing starting with the dialectic method, the
pragmatic method, and the phenomenological method. The scope of this module
equips you with skills in philosophical reasoning and critical analysis of situations
you encounter in your daily life leading to acquiring wisdom. Moreover, the module
also orients you into distinguishing erroneous or wrong reasoning. We acknowledge
that language should be diverse to meet the vocabulary level of students including
yourself. However, since philosophy is a mental subject, we employ some
vocabularies for you to be familiarized with philosophical terms which could be
useful in your interaction with people. The lessons are arranged to follow the
standard sequence of the course.
What I Know
Select the keyword that best fits the statement in each item. Write the chosen letter
on a separate sheet of paper.
1. Which fallacy literally means hitting the person below the belt instead of
focusing on the issue at hand?
A. mora licensing
B. equivocation
C. argumentum ad baculum
D. ad hominem
6. Which among these headlines presented information that are fair, objective,
and moderate?
A. It’s time to consider other means of cash aid distribution
B. Other countries around the world have much better means in cash
aid distribution
C. Government vows to faster distribution of coronavirus aid
D. We can also learn lesson from Vietnam how they distribute their cash
aid
9. Which among the following authors could be the most credible according to
his or her Twitter account’s background?
A. Banat By – Simpleng tao na mahilig bumanat
B. Atom Araullo- Journalist. @ UNHCPPh Goodwill Ambassador
C. AkoNgaSY Lyco- Speak now or be silent forever. Follow me I will not
follow you
D. Senyora- Full time haciendera and professional husgadera
10. Which among the following publishers pose no particular agenda or bias?
A. Bulag Ang ABS-CBN sa Katotohanan by Antonio Brigas
B. ABS-CBN Naipasara Sanhi ng Di Pagrenew ng Prangkisa by GMA
News
C. Nararapat Lamang na Huwag ng Magbukas ang ABS-CBN by Balat
Sibuyas
D. Bye Bye Kapamilya by the Avengers
Lesson
Methods of Philosophizing
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Truth is one of the significant lessons in philosophy. It has been a topic of discussion
in its own right for many years. Moreover, its value and influence to man’s life cannot
be denied.
What’s In
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What’s New
Source: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1513293938691384&type=3
1. Look at the comic strip. Do you agree with the reasoning of the person inside
the car? Why or why not?
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2. If you are the biker, how would you react to the remarks of the person inside
the car?
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What is It
Philosophers generally believe that reason is the road to wisdom. However they have
different interpretations of what reason consists of and some philosophers even
challenge the pre-eminence of reason in the pursuit of wisdom.
I. METHODS OF PHILOSOPHIZING
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life which is based on the proper care of one’s soul (psyche in Greek). The soul,
according to Socrates, can be properly taken care of if we make it as good as
possible (Stumpf 2008). Since by its very nature the soul’s activity is to know,
the soul can only be good if we employ it in the activity of having a clear
awareness of the meaning of some words (Stumpf 2008). When we have a clear
awareness of what justice is, we harm our soul if we act contrary to what we
know, like harming others (which is the opposite of being just).
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and corrupting the youth. His defense (which was dramatically recorded in
Plato’s dialogue the Apology) was a model of “forceful argument” (Stumpf 2008)
but it fell on deaf ears. In the end, he was forced to drink poison. Socrates was
the first philosopher to die fighting for truth.
The Socratic Method was modernized and treated in a different way by George
Wilhelm Hegel, a German philosopher. Hegel was an idealist. He believed that
the ideas of the human minds have access of what the world is like. People
are social beings and could be completely influenced by other people’s ideas.
An individual’s mind is influenced by means of a common language, customs
of one’s society, and the cultural institutions that one belongs to. Hegel refers
this to “Spirit” as the collective consciousness of a society which is
responsible for honing one’s consciousness and ideas.
Hegel also believed that the Spirit is constantly changing and evolving.
According to Hegel, the spirit changes through dialectic. First, there is an
idea about the world (much like a thesis), which has a natural characteristic
of having errors which give rise to the antithesis.
The thesis and antithesis can be eventually resolved by creating a synthesis
which is a new idea comprised of the essentials of both the thesis and the
antithesis.
To Hegel, society and culture follow this design, and one could understand
all of human history without the use of logic or empirical data simply by using
logic (Klein, 2013).
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What pragmatism aims is to test the dogma of science, religion and philosophy
by determining their practical results. The pragmatic test is: if I practice this
belief, will it bring success or failure? Will I solve problems or create problems?
Successful experience is the verification process of truth for the pragmatists
(Stumpf 2008).
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Husserl’s main purpose was to build a philosophy free from any biases or
preconceived ideas. One can only do this if one returns to immediate
experience. Husserl said that he was only looking to “things and facts
themselves, as these are given in actual experience and intuition” (quoted by
Stumpf 2008). This experience is not the objective world of science separate
from us, but the world as it appears to us or (borrowing the term of the 18 th
century German philosopher Immanuel Kant) the phenomenal world - hence,
the term phenomenology.
However, our beliefs about human beings and the world prevent us from
seeing clearly this immediate experience which he calls “pure subjectivity”.
Thus, to know the truth, we have to put aside one by one all our limiting
beliefs about the world which represents our biases. Husserl calls this process
phenomenological epoche (epoche is the Greek word for bracketing).
Bracketing is not ignoring. It is an act of stepping back at our biases and
prejudices to make sure that they do not influence the way we think. Only
facts provided by immediate experience must influence us.
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From this example, you will see that reflection arise when there is a disruption
from your normal routine and when something valuable is at stake.
Then, Marcel identified two levels of reflection: primary reflection and
secondary reflection. Marcel applied these two levels of reflection to the most
fundamental question: Who am I?
Yet, we had an uneasy feeling that all the information we put on the form
(although true) do not fully capture who we really are (Marcel 1970). We view
that our self is bigger and more expansive than what is there on the form.
Thus, we are not merely thinking but we are thinking about thinking and
about the process we perform in answering the form. This is the secondary
reflection.
The result of secondary reflection is a more expansive view of the self until it
embraces the world. Thus, the separation of the self and the world brought
about by primary reflection were united by the secondary reflection.
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However he soon realized that words had multiple functions depending on the
context to which it occurs. Wittgenstein used the analogy of “tools in a tool
box” (Wittgenstein 1968). If we look at the tools inside a tool box ‘there is a
hammer, pliers, a saw, a screw driver, a ruler, a glue pot, glue nails and screw.
The functions of words is as diverse as the functions of these objects’ (quoted
by Stumpf 2008).
What Wittgenstein wants is to analyze language in the way actual people used
it in ordinary situations and not to construct an ideal language based on logic
and mathematics like what Russell seems to be doing.
To analyze language, we have to realize that it follows rules. If there are rules
in every aspect of life, there are certainly rules on how we put together and
communicate words. Wittgenstein believed that these rules are like the rules
of games (Wittgenstein 1968)-language games. For example, the usage of
words like “demand”, “supply”, “money”, “price” in the context of economics
differ from its usage in everyday life. These are technical words and they follow
certain rules (i.e. the language game) within that discipline that affects the
way these words are used.
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You have just learned that it is not enough to acquire knowledge but you
should analyze if that knowledge you have acquired is truthful or not. Philosophizing
involves the gift of speech and the gift of intelligence that enable us to reason out
and detect the falsity or truthfulness of a statement. When one reasons out, he/she
expresses his opinion and when others disagree, then argument begins. In
philosophical parlance argument is not an emotional reptilian word war or a
territorial show of force between persons but a philosophical method in knowing the
truth of a certain phenomenon or reality. It is a set of statements which includes the
premises and conclusion (the latter is the one that claims the truth of the premises)
(Cornejo & Ebia, 2017).
However, there are arguments that are erroneous or based from faulty
reasoning called Fallacies (Abella, 2016). Unconsciously, we are culprits of this in
our daily interaction with people including our families and friends. Even TV
commercials intentionally employ some faulty reasoning to convince their target
market to purchase their products. Lawyers outwit each other by employing some
fallacies to defend their clients. I am sure you are familiar with the famous “Flip Top
Battles” group in today’s digital world. Shall we say a modern dialectical approach
which appeal not only to the mind but also to our aesthetic sense? They entertain
audience and it is awesome how they display their wit to outsmart each other in a
poetic manner. It becomes an art and aesthetically superb, but if you go beyond
entertainment and analyze their statements there are a lot of faulty reasoning going
on. Below are some of the Fallacies which we believe you need to be aware of. Abella,
Roberto D. in his book “Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person” laid
down some of these fallacies:
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Michigan State University reference librarian Terry Link suggests examining the
following factors when evaluating the quality of a Web site:
Authority: Who is the author and what are his or her qualifications? Who is the
publisher and what is the purpose of the site?
Verifiability: Are sources provided?
Timeliness: Is the information current? When was it posted and/or last
updated?
Relevance: Does the material contain unsubstantiated generalizations?
Bias: Is the language emotional or inflammatory? Does the information represent
a single opinion or a range of opinions?
Orderliness: Is the page arranged in an order that makes sense? Are underlying
assumptions identifiable? Is the information consistent?
Clarity: Is the information clearly stated? Does the author define important
terms?
Validity: Do the facts presented support the conclusions?
Likewise, when we critique sources, we must first understand the difference between
fact and opinion.
FACT OPINION
A fact is a statement that can be proven An opinion is a statement of belief which
true or false. may or may not be backed up by facts,
but cannot be proven true or false.
Is objective Is subjective
Is discovered Is created
States reality Interprets reality
Can be verified Cannot be verified
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C. HOW DO I KNOW?
Harris suggests that, when evaluating those four components, students examine the
sites based on the following:
Type -- determine whether the URL includes .gov (government), .edu or .ac
(educational/academic), .com (commercial), .org (nonprofit organization), or. ~
(personal page).
Publisher -- determine whether the organization, agency, school, business, or
individual maintaining the site is likely to have a particular agenda or bias.
Author -- determine the author's education, training, and background to find out
whether he or she is a trained expert, an experienced enthusiast, or an
uninformed observer.
Structure -- determine whether the format is clear, logical, and easily navigable.
Language -- determine whether the text contains emotional, inflammatory,
profane, or confusing language. Count the number of spelling, grammatical, and
typographical errors. Too many mistakes can indicate carelessness and suggest
informational errors as well.
Dates -- determine when the information was published and/or updated. If
possible, check the publication dates of supporting data.
Graphics -- determine whether images and animations take up a
disproportionate amount of space in relation to their informational value. Decide
whether the graphics convey information, add interest, provide interactivity, or
simply distract.
Links -- determine whether the site's bibliography and/or links contain both
supportive and contradictory information.
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What’s More
Directions: Analyze the following pictures. Write BILIB if the picture followed CARS
(Credibility, Accuracy, Reasonableness, and Supported) and write NOT if it did not
follow CARS according to Robert Harris. Afterwards, explain your answer.
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Directions: Fill in the table below with the main proponents of methods of
philosophizing. For each method, answer the questions: “ How can you find truth
using this method?” and “On what real-life situation can you apply this
method?”
On what real-life
How can you find
Methods of Main situation can you
truth using this
Philosophizing Proponent(s) apply this
method?
method?
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1. Dialectic
2. Pragmatic
3. Phenomenological
4. Primary and
Secondary
Reflections
5. Analytic
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What I Can Do
THESIS ANTI-
SYNTHESIS
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Directions: Draw a comic strip that portrays ONE type of fallacy. Explain your work.
Explanation:_______________________________________________________________
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Assessment
Select the keyword that best fits the statement in each item. Write the chosen letter
on a separate sheet of paper.
1. What type of fallacy is present in the statement, “Before we begin the debate,
everyone here should know that my opponent is a convicted felon”?
A. mora licensing
B. equivocation
C. argumentum ad baculum
D. ad hominem
5. What type of fallacy is present in the statement, “My father smoked four
packs of cigarettes a day since age fourteen and lived until age sixty-nine.
Therefore, smoking really can’t be that bad for you”?
A. ad misericordiam
B. false analogy
C. hasty generalization
D. post hoc
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9. Which among the following authors could be the most credible according to
his or her Twitter account’s background?
A. Banat By – Simpleng tao na mahilig bumanat
B. Atom Araullo- Journalist. @ UNHCPPh Goodwill Ambassador
C. AkoNgaSY Lyco- Speak now or be silent forever. Follow me I will not
follow you
D. Senyora- Full time haciendera and professional husgadera
10. Which among the following publishers pose no particular agenda or bias?
A. Bulag Ang ABS-CBN sa Katotohanan by Antonio Brigas
B. ABS-CBN Naipasara Sanhi ng Di Pagrenew ng Prangkisa by GMA
News
C. Nararapat Lamang na Huwag ng Magbukas ang ABS-CBN by Balat
Sibuyas
D. Bye Bye Kapamilya by the Avengers
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Additional Activities
Directions:
A. Observe conversations of your parents and identify three (3) common fallacies.
B. Watch commercials on TV and news and take note of the fallacies committed.
Identify 5 fallacies and write your answers on a separate sheet of paper.
3. What methods of philosophizing do you think are most useful in finding the
truth? Explain?
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Answer Key
10. B 10. B
9. B 9. B
8. A 8. A
7. A 7. A
6. D 6. D
5. C 5. C
4. B 4. B
3. A 3. A
2. A 2. A
1. D 1. D
References
Books
Copi, Irving M. and Cohen, Carl (2002). Introduction to Logic (11 th edition). New
Jersey: Prentice Hall
Peikoff, Leonard (1990). Objectivism: The Philosophy of Ayn Rand. New York: Dutton
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Stumpf, Samuel Enoch & Fieser, James (2008). Socrates to Sartre and Beyond (8 th
edition). New Yok: McGraw Hill
Websites
St. Joseph’s College (2019). Evaluating Sources: Fact Checking, Fake News, and
Bias: Fact vs Opinion. Retrieved from:
https://brooklyn.sjcny.libguides.com/c.php?g=648836&p=4692986
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