Break the Ice!!!

When Is a Door Not a Door?

– It isn't every day that you have the time to take a leisurely stroll around the
neighborhood: a stroll without purpose or destination, a chance to stretch the
legs, let the mind wander, and get reacquainted with some old familiar sights.
On your way, perhaps you'd stop in at a cozy coffee shop, explore the paths of a
favorite park, or take the opportunity to do some window-shopping. Then there
are those days when it's enough just to let your feet decide your course....
– Picture yourself on a stroll through town. The day is beautiful and you're half-lost in
a daydream. You turn onto a street that you've never been down before, and as you
walk you pass a beautiful house set somewhat back from the street. Pausing a
moment to admire this lovely home, you notice the door is half-open. Why is the
door ajar?
– 1. The house is being burglarized.

– 2. The owner forgot to close it.

– 3. The owner is inside, sweeping out the entranceway.

– Doors have a twofold significance: they may be passageways, but they can be
barriers as well. In particular, the front door of a house represents its first line of
defense, all that stands between its inhabitants and the uncertainties of the
world outside. By imagining as open a door that should normally be closed, you
envision a scenario of vulnerability and exposure. On a subconscious level, the
reason you imagined for the door being open is linked to the ways that you
leave yourself open and expose your own weaknesses to others.
– 1. The house is being burglarized.
– You instantly assume the worst in any situation, and this trait is nowhere more evident than when
things actually do go wrong. You never get flustered in a crisis, but only because you're much too
busy panicking. So the next time disaster strikes, it's important to keep a clear head and remember
to take a few deep breaths first and count to ten. Then you can faint.
– 2. The owner forgot to close it.
– You aren't the type to get carried away in crisis situations. On the contrary, you're so relaxed that
you may not notice a crisis is occurring at all. The mistakes you make are caused more by oversight
than bad intentions, but the end results for you (and the people around you) are the same.
– 3. The owner is inside, sweeping out the entranceway.
– You may appear to be a laid-back sort, but you never let your guard down. Achieving that constant
state of relaxed alertness is what has made you into the mature individual you are. Of course, you
still have your human weaknesses; you just don't put them on display for all the world to see.
 What is
Philosophy?

Pilosopo, Socrates, Meaning of Life,

Ethics, Reality, Freedom, Wisdom,
Certitude, Understanding…
Definition of Philosophy

– “Philosophy is the science of all things in their ultimate causes and principles, as
known by the light of natural reason.” - Aristotle and Saint Thomas Aquinas
– “Philosophy is a discipline in which questions are more important than answers,
because answers themselves will in turn become questions.” - Karl Jaspers
– “The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point,
however, is to change it.” – Karl Marx
Defining Philosophy

– Love of Wisdom
– Philos = Love & Sophia = Wisdom
– Faith Seeking Understanding: The Handmaiden of Theology
– Philosophy and religion combined.
– Search for Certitude
– Falsification, Dialectics, Paradigm Shifts etc.
– Search for Clarity
– Emphasizes on linguistic and logical analysis of terms used in a discourse.
How did Philosophy start?

– Philosophy starts when a person asks questions.

– Not just about one’s existence but asking questions about everything.
– Why does evil exist in the presence of God?
– Is euthanasia morally correct?
– Is the death penalty a suitable punishment for criminals?
– But during the ancient times, different civilizations concentrated on specific
questions…
 Greece, China, and India

– Greece:
– “Where am I?”
– Cosmocentric - is the philosophical position regarding cosmos rationally ordered, harmonious; all
actual reality was explained via cosmos.

– China:
– “What am I?”
– Anthropocentric - is the philosophical position putting humans into the center of philosophical
research.

– India:
– “Who am I?”
– Psychocentric - Exclusively or primarily concerned with the mind or spirit, especially as opposed to the
body; treating the mind or spirit as dominant.
Philosopher = Pilosopo?

– “You should finish your food. There are people all over the world who are
starving!”
– “If I finish my food, will there be less hungry people in the world?”
– “If the use of the words ‘po’ and ‘opo’ is a sign of respect and we use these
words only to elders, does it mean only elders need to be respected?”
Pilosopo Tasyo

– Pilosopo is “someone who takes things literally in a sarcastic way.”

– Don Anastacio from Jose Rizal’s novels.
– Despite his intelligence, he was a ridiculed madman by his fellow citizen.
– He was someone who thinks outside the box.
Being Philosophical = Having Philosophies?

– Having a philosophy does not necessarily mean being philosophical.

– Being philosophical has something to do with a certain way of thinking rather
than having a code or having a point of view or having a purpose.
– Being philosophical has some thing more to do with the manner by which
philosophers thought and are thinking about questions throughout roughly the
3000 years of its history.
– To philosophize is to have a certain method of thinking and challenging different
perspectives.
– Philosophical questions do not have a definite answer because there are
numerous ways of answering and understanding these questions.
Having Philosophies
- Having a personal motto or guideline about life
- An institution being guided by its mission-vision
which states its purpose, method, and output.
- Having a particular way of looking at things or
thinking about things.
Being Philosophical
- Refers to the way philosophers throughout time
have thought.
- Involves philosophy as a discipline and/or an
activity one undergoes.
- The disciplined, continuous, careful way of
approaching questions of oneself and issues.
- The disciplined , continuous, careful way of asking
questions and/or answers such that assumptive
and underlying unquestioned certainties are
brought to light.
Branches of Philosophy
Branch of Philosophy Concern Question

Ethics Study of action What I ought to do?

Metaphysics Study of existence What is being?

Epistemology Study of knowledge What can I know?

Aesthetics Study of art What is beautiful?

Logic Study of reasoning What is correct inference?

Politics Study of power What makes a just society?

“Cogito, ergo sum.”
“All I know is that I know nothing.”
“Do unto others as you would
have them do unto you.”

– 551 BC - 479 BC
“Tat tvam asi.”

– Uddalaka
Resources

– Calano, M. J., Pasco, M. O., & Ramoya, M. C. (2017) Philosophizing and Being
Human: A Textbook for Senior High School. Quezon City: Sibs Publishing House.
– Honer, S., Hunt, T., Okholm, D., Safford J,. (2006) Invitation to Philosophy: Issues
and Options. 10th ed. Belmont, U.S.A.: Thomson Wadsworth.
Suggested Readings

– Gaarder, J., Sophie’s World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy.

– Miriam Defensor-Santiago: Our Modern Day Pilosopo Tasyo
https:www.getrealphilippines.coom/2012/06/Miriam-Defensor-Santiago-our-
modern-day-pilosopo-tasyo/
– Garvey, J., & Stangroom, J., (2012) The Story of Philosophy: A History of Western
Thought. Great Britain: Quercus.