INTRODUCTION TO THE

PHILOSOPHY OF THE
HUMAN PERSON
 Ying Yang

The Thinker is a bronze

sculpture by Auguste Rodin

Alpha and Omega

PHILOSOPHY
-comes from the Greek words:
philo - to love sophia – wisdom

Is the knowledge of all things through their ultimate

causes, acquired through the use of reasoning.
As an activity in pursuit of wisdom.
the study of the ultimate nature of existence, reality,
knowledge and goodness, as discoverable by human
reasoning (Penguin English Dictionary)
Is the rational attempt to formulate, understand and
answer fundamental questions.
Knowledge
is the accumulation of facts and data that you have learned about or
experienced. It’s being aware of something, and having information.
Knowledge is really about facts and ideas that we acquire through study,
research, investigation, observation, or experience.

Wisdom
is the ability to discern and judge which aspects of that knowledge are
true, right, lasting, and applicable to your life. It’s the ability to apply that
knowledge to the greater scheme of life. It’s also deeper; knowing the
meaning or reason; about knowing why something is, and what it means
to your life.

Insight
is the deepest level of knowing and the most meaningful to your life.
Insight is a deeper and clearer perception of life, of knowledge, of
wisdom. It’s grasping the underlying nature of knowledge, and the
essence of wisdom. Insight is a truer understanding of your life and the
bigger picture of how things intertwine.
Knowledge is knowing how to manage your money,
budgeting, spending, saving.
Wisdom is understanding how money impacts the quality of
your life and your future.
Insight is realizing that money is simply a tool to be used,
that it has no inherent meaning beyond its usefulness.

 Knowledge is learning how to paint and using that skill to

cultivate a livelihood.
 Wisdom is expressing your passion through painting and
understanding that art is a form of communication that
touches the lives of others.
 Insight is perceiving that all things can be art and that
creating your art contributes to the understanding and the
expression of the essence of the world around you.
Four Things to consider:
1. Science
2. Natural light of reason
3. Study of all things
4. First cause or highest Principle – a principle is that from which
something proceeds in any manner whatsoever.

Nature of Philosophy
1. Philosophy is a set of views or beliefs about life and the universe, which
are often held uncritically.
2. It is a process of reflecting on and criticizing our most deeply held
conceptions and beliefs.
3. It is rational attempt to look at the world as a whole.
4. The logical analysis of language and clarification of the meaning of
words and concepts.
5. It is a group of perennial problems that interest people and for which
philosophers always have sought answers.
Famous words of Socrates
Epistemology explains: (1) how we know what we claim to know, (2) how we
can find out what we wish to know, (3) how we can differentiate truth from
falsehood.
a. Empiricism – the view that knowledge can only be attained through
sense experience.
b. Rationalist – the view that real knowledge is based on logic, laws and
methods that reason develop.
c. Pragmatism – the meaning and truth of idea are tested by its practical
consequences
 ETHICS
- Is the branch of philosophy that explores the nature of moral virtue and
evaluates human actions.

- Study of moral judgments

According to Socrates: To be happy, a person

should live a virtuous life. True knowledge means
wisdom, which turns into virtue.
 LOGIC
-refers to the branch of philosophy that is broadly defined as
the study of reason.
- It answers the question. “what is correct reasoning?
- It attempts t distinguish a fact from fallacy.
- According to Aristotle, understanding truth means the
agreement of knowledge with reality.
- Truth exists when the ideas correspond with things in the
objective world.
FILIPINO THOUGHTS
Three Dimensions:

1. Loob – Kagandang-loob, kabutihang-loob, and kalooban

are terms that show sharing of one’s self to others.
2. Filipino Philosophy of Time
3. Bahala Na.
4. Filipino Thought and values: Positive and Negative Aspects
ASSIGNMENT:
Examine the quotes from the famous philosophers. Explain
in your own words on how you understand each statements
and identify from among the branches of philosophy it is
most related to.

1. “The unexamined life is not worth living”

2. “I think therefore I am
3. “Nothing exists except atoms and empty space; everything
else is opinion.”
4. ”It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain
a thought without accepting it.”
5. “To be is to be perceived.” Or, “If a tree falls in the forest
and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?”
Summary:

Metaphysics, which deals with the fundamental

questions of reality.

Epistemology, which deals with our concept of

knowledge, how we learn and what we can know.

Logic, which studies the rules of valid reasoning and

argumentation

Ethics, or moral philosophy, which is concerned with

human values and how individuals should act.

Aesthetics or esthetics, which deals with the notion of

beauty and the philosophy of art.
QUESTIONS:

1.Is it ok to covet another woman’s husband

because of love for the other?
2.Is the world really round?
3.What do we mean when we say something is
"real"?
4.Are the paintings of Vincent Van Gogh
meaningful/meaningless?
5.Is drinking citrus drinks can really prevent
colds?