Philo Week 12 Notes

INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON
Philosophy-Questions and Answers
It is concerned with the deepest and biggest questions in life.
PHILOSOPHY-comes from the Greek word “philos” w/c means “love” and “Sophia” means “wisdom”
PHILOSOPHY is the “Love of Wisdom”
 It is the study of the basic ideas about knowledge, right and wrong, reasoning, and the value of
things.
 In a broad sense, philosophy is an activity that people undertake when they seek to understand
fundamental truths about themselves, to the world in which they live, and their relationship to
the world and to each other.
PHILOSOPHER
 A Philosopher is a lover of wisdom. He/she puts meaning to what is out there. He/she opens to
changes and discovery. He/she does not stop knowing, wondering, and asking questions.
CHARACTERISTICS OF PHILOSOPHY
 FRAMEWORK
 EXAMINATION OF KNOWLEDGE
 DISCIPLINE
PHILOSOPHY AS FRAMEWORK
FRAMEWORK
… a set of rules, ideas, or beliefs which you use in order to deal with problems or to decide what to do.
Philosophy then as a framework could lead the person to come up with something that may provide
solutions.
PHILOSOPHY AS FOUNDATION OF KNOWLEDGE
… principle of philosophy can also be use of other disciplines or particular areas of knowledge.
Example:
Scientist concerns himself with scientific knowledge

Historians is concerned with the knowledge of the past
Economist with the knowledge of Supply and Demand
A Philosopher is concerned with the nature of knowledge
PHILOSOPHY AS DISCIPLINE
… philosophy is the “Mother of Human and Natural Sciences”
It is not more that just knowledge, it seeks our mind to become aware of illusions and flaud reasoning.
ORIGIN OF PHILOSOPHY
ANCIENT, GREECE
Greece is the birthplace of philosophy in the West.

City of Miletus in the Western coast of what is now Turkey.
THALES OF MILETUS
Thales is the Father of Philosophy in the Western civilization. He lived between 624 and 546 BCE
What made Thales a philosopher is his desire to know the ultimate stuff that makes up the different
things we perceived.
THALES BELIEVE…..
• despite the different things we encounter there is one underlying stuff or substance in which
everything is composed.
• He believes that there is One in the Many.
• Thales was the first individual who tried to reduce the multiplicity in to a unity (Jones,1969).
EASTERN PHILOSOPHY
INDIA is the birthplace of philosophy in the EAST.

BUDDHA-a person who is awake
TRUE NATURE OF REALITY
“RULE YOUR MIND, OR IT WILL RULE YOU. WITH OUR THOUGHTS, WE MAKE THE WORLD.”
-Gautama Buddha
MOST NOTABLE ANCIENT GREEK PHILOSOPHERS
PYTHAGORAS570 BCE-495 BCE

 A mathematician and scientist, he was credited with formulating the Pythagorean theorem.
 His work earned him many followers, and he established a community of learners who were
devoted to the study of religion and philosophy.
HERACLITUS 535-475 BCE
 He proposed that everything that exists is based on a higher order or plan which he called
“logos”.
 For him, change is permanent aspect of the human condition as he was credited with the
saying, “No man ever steps in the same river twice”
DEMOCRITUS 460-370 BCE
 He devoted himself to the study of the causes of natural phenomena.

 He was among the first to propose that matter is composed of tiny particles called “atoms”.
EPICURUS 341-270 BCE
 He believed that philosophy could enable man to live a life of happiness .

 His views gave rise to Epicureanism-a school of philosophy which believes that wisdom and
simple living will result in a life free of fear and pain.
SOCRATES 470-399 BCE
 He was considered the foremost philosopher of the ancient times. He made great contributions
to the field of ethics.
 He believed that philosophy could enable a man to live a life of virtue.
 He was credited with formulating the Socratic Method-a 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.
 Famous quote ““An unexamined life is not worth living”.
PLATO 427-347 BCE
 A student of Socrates, he wrote down his mentor’s teaching and incorporated some of his own
ideas into them. His teachings and writings were considered the foundation of Western
Philosophy.
 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; these
nonphysical ideas are eternal and unchanging.
ARISTOTLE 384-322 BCE
 He was prominent student of Plato. Aristotle, however, disagreed with Plato’s theory of forms
and took a different stance in interpreting reality.
 For him, all ideas and views are based on the perception and our reality is based on what we
can sense and perceived.
BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY
COGNITIVE BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY
 LOGIC-is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of thinking and reasoning.
It is the art of correct thinking.
2 TYPES OF LOGIC
DEDUCTIVE REASONING
from a general truth to specific truth
INDUCTIVE REASONING
from a specific truth to general truth
 EPISTEMOLOGY-It is the theory of knowledge. It is concerned with the mind’s relation to

reality.
 METAPHYSICS-it comes from the word “meta” means beyond and “physicon” means
nature. It is a branch of philosophy that is concerned with the nature of ultimate reality.
NORMATIVE BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY
 ETHICS-it comes from the word “ethos” w/c means “character”. It is the science of correct
doing and the study of what is right and what is wrong in human behaviour.
 POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY-it is the body of knowledge that looks up on the society,

politics, and the people making it whole.
 AESTHETICS-is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as
well as the philosophy of art. It examines aesthetic values, often expressed through
judgments of taste.
Why is there a need to philosophize?

“wondering”
“philosophizing’
“philosophizing’-thinking and expressing oneself in a philosophical manner

-freedictionary.com
SOCRATES
“Wonder is the feeling of a philosopher, and Philosophy begins in Wonder.”
“desire or be curious to know something’
WISDOM-“docta ignorantia” OR “to know what you do not know’’
It is in our state of ignorance that we begin to learn and to understand.
PLATO
-traced the man’s need to philosophize is the sense of wonder.
WONDER-question and to investigate more
Rene Descartes-Found the need to philosophize through his doubt.

Karl Jasper--saw the need to philosophize because of experience.
Aristotle-All men by nature desire to know.
HOLISTIC PERSPECTIVE VS PARTIAL POINT OF VIEW

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INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON

Philosophy-Questions and Answers

It is concerned with the deepest and biggest questions in life.

PHILOSOPHY is the “Love of Wisdom”

PHILOSOPHY AS FOUNDATION OF KNOWLEDGE

Scientist concerns himself with scientific knowledge

Greece is the birthplace of philosophy in the West.

INDIA is the birthplace of philosophy in the EAST.

MOST NOTABLE ANCIENT GREEK PHILOSOPHERS

PYTHAGORAS570 BCE-495 BCE

HERACLITUS 535-475 BCE

DEMOCRITUS 460-370 BCE

 He devoted himself to the study of the causes of natural phenomena.

EPICURUS 341-270 BCE

 He believed that philosophy could enable man to live a life of happiness .

SOCRATES 470-399 BCE

PLATO 427-347 BCE

 EPISTEMOLOGY-It is the theory of knowledge. It is concerned with the mind’s relation to

NORMATIVE BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY

 POLITICAL PHILOSOPHY-it is the body of knowledge that looks up on the society,

Why is there a need to philosophize?

“philosophizing’-thinking and expressing oneself in a philosophical manner

Rene Descartes-Found the need to philosophize through his doubt.

HOLISTIC PERSPECTIVE VS PARTIAL POINT OF VIEW

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