MEANING AND NATURE

OF PHILOSOPHY
Presented by:

MICHEL L. BRAVO
Instructor
 MEANING OF PHILOSOPHY

The word philosophy is derived from the Greek words philia (love) and sophia (wisdom) and means “the
love of wisdom.”

Pythagoras was said to have been the first man to call himself a philosopher; in fact, the world is
indebted to him for the word philosopher. It is said that when Leon, the tyrant of Philius, asked him of
who he was, he said, “a Philosopher” and he likened the Philosopher to spectators at ancient games.

Before that time the wise men had called themselves a sage, which was interpreted to mean those who
know. Pythagoras was more modest. He coined the word philosopher, which he defined as one who is
attempting to find out. According to him, men and women of the world could be classified into 3 groups:
1. those that love pleasure 2. those that love activity and 3. those that love wisdom.
 MEANING OF PHILOSOPHY

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as

those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and
language.

Philosophy is the rational attempt to formulate, understand, and answer

fundamental questions.
 NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY

1. Philosophy is a set of views or beliefs about life and the universe,

which are often held uncritically.

We refer to this meaning as the informal sense of philosophy or “having”

a philosophy. Usually when a person says “my philosophy is,” he or she
is referring to an informal personal attitude to whatever topic is being
discussed.
 NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY

2. Philosophy is a process of reflecting on and criticizing our most deeply held conceptions and
beliefs.

These two senses of philosophy— “having” and “doing”— cannot be treated entirely independent
of each other, for if we did not have a philosophy in the formal, personal sense, then we could not
do a philosophy in the critical, reflective sense.

Having a philosophy, however, is not sufficient for doing philosophy. A genuine philosophical
attitude is searching and critical; it is open-minded and tolerant—willing to look at all sides of an
issue without prejudice. To philosophize is not merely to read and know philosophy; there are
skills of argumentation to be mastered, techniques of analysis to be employed, and a body of
material to be appropriated such that we become able to think philosophically. Philosophers are
reflective and critical.
 NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY

3. Philosophy is a rational attempt to look at the world as a whole.

Philosophy seeks to combine the conclusions of the various sciences and

human experience into some kind of consistent world view. Philosophers
wish to see life, not with the specialized slant of the scientist or the
businessperson or the artist, but with the overall view of someone cognizant
of life as a totality.
 NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY

4. Philosophy is the logical analysis of language and the clarification of the

meaning of words and concepts.

Certainly this is one function of philosophy. In fact, nearly all philosophers

have used methods of analysis and have sought to clarify the meaning of
terms and the use of language. Some philosophers see this as the main task of
philosophy, and a few claim this is the only legitimate function of philosophy.
 NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY

5. Philosophy is a group of perennial problems that interest people and for which philosophers
always have sought answers.

Philosophy presses its inquiry into the deepest problems of human existence. Some of the
philosophical questions raised in the past have been answered in a manner satisfactory to the
majority of philosophers. Many questions, however, have been answered only tentatively, and
many problems remain unsolved.

“What is truth?”
“What is the distinction between right and wrong?”
“What is life and why am I here?”
“Why is there anything at all?”
 IMPORTANCE OF PHILOSOPHY

1. The study of Philosophy enables us to think carefully and clearly about important issues.
2. In studying Philosophy, we learn to take a step back from our everyday thinking and to explore
the deeper, bigger question which underpins our thought.
3. The focus in the study of Philosophy is to learn not what to believe, but how to think.
4. Studying philosophy sharpens your analytical abilities, enabling you to identify and evaluate
the strengths and weaknesses in any position.
5. It hones your ability to construct and articulate cogent arguments of your own.
6. It prompts you to work across disciplinary boundaries and to think flexibly and creatively about
problems which do not present immediate solutions.
7. Because philosophy is an activity as much a body of knowledge, it also develops your ability to
think and work independently.
 BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY

Historically, philosophical concerns have been treated under these broad

categories:

LOGIC METAPHYSICS

EPISTEMOLOGY VALUE THEORY

 LOGIC

Logic 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. Most of the great philosophers from
Aristotle to the present have been convinced that logic permeates
all other branches of philosophy. The ability to test arguments for
logical consistency, understand the logical consequences of
certain assumptions, and distinguish the kind of evidence a
philosopher is using are essential for “doing” philosophy
 METAPHYSICS

Another traditional branch of Philosophy traditionally known as metaphysics. For Aristotle,

the term metaphysics meant “first philosophy,” discussion of the most universal principles;
later the term came to mean “comprehensive thinking about the nature of things.”

It means, usually, the study or theory of reality. The question of metaphysics is: what is
reality? What is real? Is reality some kind of “thing”. Is it one or is it many? If it is one,
then how is it related to many things around us? Can ultimate reality be grasped by five
senses, or is it supernatural or transcendent?

Metaphysics undoubtedly is the branch of philosophy that the modern student finds most
difficult to grasp. Metaphysics attempts to offer a comprehensive view of all that exists. It is
concerned with such problems as the relation of mind to matter, the nature of change, the
meaning of “freedom,” the existence of God, and the belief in personal immortality.
 EPISTEMOLOGY

Traditionally, most of those who have offered answers to these questions can be placed in one of
two schools of thought—rationalism or empiricism.

The rationalists hold that human reason alone can discover the basic principles of the universe.

The empiricists claim that all knowledge is ultimately derived from sense experience and, thus, that
our knowledge is limited to what can be experienced.

It should be clear that there is a necessary relation between metaphysics and epistemology. Our
conception of reality depends on our understanding of what can be known. Conversely, our theory
of knowledge depends on our understanding of ourselves in relation to the whole of reality.
 VALUE THEORY

Value theory is the branch of philosophy that studies values. It

can be subdivided into ethics, aesthetics, and social and political
philosophy.

In broad terms ethics concerns itself with the question of

morality. What is right and what is wrong in human relations?
Within morality and ethics there are three major areas:
descriptive ethics, normative ethics, and metaethics. Descriptive
ethics seeks to identify moral experience in a descriptive way. We
seek to identify, within the range of human conduct, the motives,
desires, and intentions as well as overt acts themselves.
 ETHICS

❏ Descriptive ethics consider the conduct of individuals, or personal morality; the

conduct of groups, or social morality; and the culture patterns of national and racial
groups.
❏ A second level of inquiry is normative ethics (what ought to be). Here philosophers
try to work out acceptable judgments regarding what ought to be in choice and
value. “We ought to keep our promises” and “you ought to be honorable” are
examples of normative judgments— of the moral ought, the subject matter of ethics.

❏ Third, there is the area of critical or metaethics. Here interest is centered on the
analysis and meaning of the terms and language used in ethical discourse and the
kind of reasoning used to justify ethical statements. Metaethics does not propound
any moral principle or goal (except by implication), but rather consists entirely of
philosophical analysis. What is the meaning of “good?” and Can ethical judgments be
justified? are typical problems for metaethics.
 AESTHETICS

Concerns the theory of art and beauty. Questions of art and beauty are
considered to be part of the realm of values because many philosophical
problems in aesthetics involve critical judgments.

There are wide differences of opinion as to what objects call forth the
aesthetic response, and what beauty really is. Our concepts of beauty may
differ not because of the nature of beauty itself, but because of varying
degrees of preparation in discerning beauty. Therefore, if we cannot perceive
beauty in objects that others find beautiful, it may be wise to withhold
judgment until we are capable ourselves of making a competent analysis of
the aesthetic experience.
 SOCIAL AND POLITICAL
PHILOSOPHY

Social and political philosophy investigates value judgments concerning society,

the state, and the individual’s relation to these institutions.

The following questions reflect the concerns of social and political philosophy:

● Why should individuals live in society?

● What social ideals of liberty, rights, justice, equality and responsibility are
desirable? Why should anyone obey any government?
● Why should some individuals or groups have political power over others?
● What criteria are to be used in determining who should have political power?
● What criteria are to be used in determining the scope of political power, and
what rights or freedoms should be immune from political or legal control?
● To what positive goals should political power be directed, and what are the
criteria for determining this?
Thanks!