PHILOSOPHY – AN INTRODUCTION
 Therefore, all of us are philosophers
 School of Athens by Raffaello Sanzio
 Agora
– marketplace for people to talk
– sciences, maths, polis, everything
PHILOSOPHY
 Science of all things
 Cause and principles of everything
 People have doubts, wonder, questions
?WHAT IS THE BASIC STUFF THAT MADEUP
EVERYTHING?
 Answered through myths
 After myths, people achieved through
reason/logos
 Thus starting PHILOSOPHY
PLATO – believed that there are two worlds:
 Physical world is imperfect
 World of ideas is perfect/the real one
 Idealism
 Our ideas belong to our “real” world
 Transcend from physical to ideas
ARISTOTLE – did not believe Plato
 This world is all that there is
 Realism
 Sciences slowly deviated from Philosophy
– math, physics, politics, history
DOING PHILOSOPHY
 Philosophy – deeper way of thinking or
understanding the things that happen all
around us or the things that we do
 Common meaning:
– belief, principle, or idea (Michael Jordan)
– reason, rationale, basis of something (Bridge)
– the study of the cause of something
(Education)
– Being philosophical [very profound or very
analytical] (Black Mirror)
– Philosopher v. Pilosopo
ETYMOLOGY
 Philo: love/philion
 Sophia: Wisdom
 Philosopher: love of wisdom
 Philosophus: Someone who searches for
truth
 A wise person should be able to admit
that he is wrong
 Philosophy usually contemplates simple things
 But the true intention is to assert that there is still
the element of unthought-of in everything
 Philosophy wants to instill is the never ending
desire to look at things again
PYTHAGORAS
 570-495 BCE
 The Greek philosopher who coined the term
philosophia
 He was a philosophus trying to search for
wisdom
 Aristotle “all men seek wisdom”
 Objective: to teach us how to reflect on our
own experiences, so that we may gain
wisdom
?How do we distinguish wisdom from knowledge?
 Knowledge is the acquisition of ideas,
information and theories, application
certain principles and formula, and mastery
of certain procedures
 Wisdom is the understanding of the
meaning, or causes of things; it is a more
general view and a degree of appreciation
of reality
 We attain wisdom the through reflecting
or daily experiences
PHILOSOPHY: ACADEMIC DEFINITION
 Philosophy is defined as the science of all
things
?Why is there something rather than
nothing?
– in their ultimate principles and cases
– as known by natural reason alone
 Constant search for truth and meaning of
life
 Rational investigation and interpretation of
reality
 Grasp reality through reason
 Examination of the fundamental grounds of
reality and ideas communicating beliefs
THE VALUE OF PHILOSOPHY
 Philosophy does not aim to produce useful
or material benefits that science and
technology can give
 Philosophy does not aim to satisfy the
material needs of man
 Its objective is to provide food for the mind
and nourishment for the spirit
 The value of philosophy is found in its ability
to provide what the mind or spirit needs
 Philosophy does not offer definitive and
exact answers to questions people ask
 The basic question of philosophy is “why?”
 Philosophy questions everything
 For philosophy, what is more important is the
question rather than the answers
 Philosophy nurtures the mystery further as an
essential part of reality
– “Unrestricted drive to know all that there is
to know” is seeded in a person’s mind
 However, the attempt is futile
 Philosophy encourages people to ask
questions to enable them to free their minds
from accepting anything without
questioning it (critical disposition)
 Only in challenging can we be a better
believer of our beliefs
 Philosophy keeps alive people’s sense of
wonder by sharing them familiar things in
their unfamiliar aspects
 “Philosophy is like love. It is better done
than defined.”
ART AND WONDER OF PHILOSOPHIZING
 The art of philosophy (like any art) is done
 To philosophize is to satisfy one’s wondering,
to search for the meaning and reason of
things
 Philosophy exist because people
continue to wonder
 To contemplate the reasons, causes, and
meanings of things and of man’s existence
through reason
TIPS TO PHILOSOPHIZE
1. Try to understand
2. Critical Evaluation
MORE ON PHILOSPHY
 Philosophical activity has two basic
components – reason and experience
 Knowledge can be classified to:
o Rational (from reason)
Ex. 1+1=2
o Empirical (from experience)
Ex. The boiling point of water is 100°C
 Reason enables people to reflect on or
examine the underlying meaning or reasons
of things or realities
 Many of maths don’t need experience;
but you need both
 Experience provides then with the initial
data of their reflection or examinations
BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY
 Metaphysics
–The branch of Philosophy that studies the
nature of reality
 The ultimate branch
 What is being?
 “meta” – beyond
 Why is there something rather than
nothing?
 Epistemology
–The branch of Philosophy that studies the
nature and scope of knowledge
 How do I know that I know?
 How do I know if I am right?
 Value Theory
–Ethics: the branch of Philosophy that
studies and evaluates human conduct
 What is good?
 Why am I responsible for my actions?
–Aesthetics: the branch of Philosophy that
studies the nature of beauty
 What is beauty?
 Is there beauty?
 Logic
–The art of correct thinking
 “The toolbox of Philosophy”
 Other Branches of Philosophy
–Theodicy: questions the nature of a God
–Political Philosophy: What is the ideal state;
how to live in society
–Philosophy of Religion: studies our belief of
a supreme being; why do we seek a being
greater than us?
–Philosophy of the human person
PHILOSOPHY – METHODS OF PHILOSOPHY
 Death of Socrates
 He was killed by the Athenian Government
 Major critic of almost everything
 Young people kept flocking to see his
wisdom
 Government was threatened
 Accusation: corrupting the minds of young
people; establishing other gods
 Death by Hemlock
PHILOSOPHICAL REFLECTION
 Socrates: the unexamined life is not worth living
(469 BCE – 399 BCE)
 A more profound examination of the
underlying meanings and causes of the
problems regarding human existence
 The aim or end is to find the meaning and
reasons behind one’s experiences in life
 One benefit is critical thinking
TASK AND SIGNIFICANCE OF PHILOSOPHY
 The fundamental task of philosophy is to
clarify ideas or expose ambiguous
concepts, elucidate, problematic issues,
create logical explanations, amplify
solutions, re-evaluate or criticize another
philosophy, and synthesize diverse
perspectives without being simplistic
 “The problem may not be the situation,
but the people themselves – our
attitudes towards the situation.”
ELEMENTS OF CRITICAL THINKING
 Understand things
o Ability to grasp things
1. Understanding context – know
the origin
2. Know both sides – reality is
double-sided; weigh the good
and bad
3. Understanding issues related to
the topic – no one issue is isolated
 Thinking by and for oneself
o We are distinct entities
o We have the capacity to think on our
own
o Other people’s personalities affect us
in our childhood
o In thinking can we remove
superstition in our lives
o We learn to ask
 Thinking proactively
o Critical thinking
o Taking initiatives
o Not allowing to be passive
o Not giving up easily
o Anticipating consequences
o Ex. Nurse waiting for doctor to see
patient. Nurse taking initiative to
prepare instruments
 Being open-minded
o Different ideas are not reasons to not
be able to talk with others
 o We must open ourselves to another’s
ideas and respect it
o Listen to different stands
o This helps you to be educated
o A mature mental attitude
 Considering different perspectives
o Above factors must be considered
o Considering different paths to the
truth
o Someone who understands different
perspectives of people
o Balance other people’s perspectives
o Open all your lights for enlightenment
o Consider others for making choices
o Not everyone has the exclusivity to
the truth
o Not all perspectives should be
accepted
 Questioning and Challenging Different
Beliefs
o Associated with opposition
o Interpreted in a negative way
o Constructive: aims to seek
clarification to the issue
o Destructive: questioning/challenging
for the sake of challenging (does not
aim to find answer

 Critical thinking is a cognitive process by

thinking/weighing ideas to solve problems

PHILOSOPHY AND PROBLEM SOLVING

1. Define the Problem
 Recognizing that there is actually a
problem
 Maybe we are the problem
2. Generating Possible Solutions
 Divergent thinking – collects/gathers
different perspectives to answer different
problems
3. Evaluating Solutions
 Convergent thinking – narrow down the
possible solutions and evaluate the best
possible solution
4. Applying the Solutions
 Theoretical solutions make sense in
practice
5. Critiquing Given Solutions through Dialects
 Through dialogue: thesis, anti-thesis,
synthesis