MANAGEMENT OF MAN IN PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE

DPA 617
Topic 1. The meaning of philosophy
Why philosophy, what is philosophy, what philosophy is not,
Why study philosophy.
Topic 2. The Historical Profile of Man

Reporter : FERLIE C. ANCHETA

Professor : ROLANDO A. TUMAMBING, DPA
 TOPIC 1
The meaning of philosophy
Why philosophy, what is philosophy,
MANAGEMENT what philosophy is not, Why study philosophy.
OF MAN IN
PHILOSOPHICAL
PERSPECTIVE Learning Outcome
Basic tenets of philosophy and the
importance of human existence
 The first known Western philosophers lived in the ancient Greek
world during the early 500's B.C. These early philosophers tried to
discover the basic makeup of things and the nature of the world
and of reality. For answers to questions about such subjects,
people had largely relied on magic, superstition, religion, tradition,
Origin of or authority. But the Greek philosophers considered those sources
Philosophy of knowledge unreliable. Instead, they sought answers by thinking
and by studying nature.
 Philosophy has also had a long history in some non-Western
cultures, especially in China and India. But until about 200 years
ago, there was little interchange between those philosophies and
Western philosophy, chiefly because of difficulties of travel and
communication. As a result, Western philosophy generally
Origin of
developed independently of Eastern philosophy.
Philosophy
 Defining philosophy is as difficult as trying to define love . . .

In today's world there is a popular use of the word philosophy. Philosophy is a term applied
to almost any area of life. Some questions expressed are: what is your philosophy of
business? or your philosophy of the use of money?

If this popular misuse of the word were to prevail, one can say that anyone who thinks
seriously about any subject is a philosopher. If this very general definition is accepted,
everyone becomes a philosopher. Paradoxically, when everyone is a philosopher, no one
is a philosopher.
What is
Because of this inadequacy, we have to look elsewhere for a definition of philosophy.
Philosophy
We can consider several definitions of philosophy to include the historical approach,
philosophy as criticism, philosophy as the analysis of language, philosophy as a
program of change, philosophy as a set of questions and answers, and philosophy as
a world-view.
 Defining Philosophy. . .

A. The Historical Approach

According to this approach philosophy is really the study of historical figures who
are considered philosophers. One may encounter the names of Socrates, Plato,
Aristotle, Augustine, Thales, Philo, Plotinus, Aquinas, Kant, Erigena, Hume, Marx,
Hegel, Russell, Wittgenstein and many more.

What holds them together since they are so diverse in many of their views?
What is
Philosophy One answer lies in their common set of problems and concerns. Many were
interested in the problems of the universe, its origin, what it is in its nature, the
issue of man's existence, good and evil, politics, and other topics.

The argument under this approach is that no real understanding of philosophy

can be had unless one understands the past.
 Defining Philosophy. . .

B. Philosophy is the Analysis of Language

The analysis-of-language-emphasis accepted the simple, but useful modern

standard of scientific verification. Their central thesis is that only truths of logic
and empirically verifiable statements are meaningful. If you can validate or
reproduce an experiment or whatever, you can say it is true. If there is no way to
reproduce or validate the experiment in the context of science, there was then no
claim for truth.
What is
Philosophy
Analytic philosophers concluded that anything not verifiable is nonsense.
Language analysis as the definition of philosophy changes philosophy from being
a subject matter into a tool for dealing with other subject matters. It becomes a
method without content.
 Defining Philosophy. . .

C. Philosophy is a Program of Change

Karl Marx declared that the role of philosophy is not to think about the world, but
to change it.

Philosophy is not to be an ivory tower enterprise without relevance to the world of

human conditions.
What
Philosophy D. Philosophy is a Set of Questions and Answers

Philosophy has a long list of topics it has been interested in. Some of these are
more interesting and up-to-date than others.

Many other questions could be incorporated here. Some questions have several
proposed solutions. Other questions cannot be answered decisively; can only be
answered in terms of a probability situation. No scientific proof can decide the
question either way. Some questions have been answered to the satisfaction of
many philosophers for a long period of time only to be raised again
 Defining Philosophy. . .

E. Philosophy is Criticism

Socrates is one of the earliest to engage in philosophic criticism. For Socrates,

criticism referred to critical thinking involving a dialectic in the conversation. A
dialectic is a running debate with claims, counter-claims, qualifications,
corrections, and compromises in the sincere hope of getting to understand a
concept.
What is Critical Thinking – founded on reason, experience, reflection, intuition,
Philosophy meditation, imagination and speculation which also embraces questioning,
analyzing, criticizing, evaluating and judging is the science that investigates all
things in their ultimate causes, reasons, and principles through human reason
alone

Criticism as a definition of philosophy also may be criticized. Philosophy must be

critical, but it seems to turn philosophy into a method of going about thinking
rather than the content of the subject. Criticism will help one acquire a philosophy
of life, but criticism is not the philosophy itself.
 Defining Philosophy. . .

F. Philosophy is a World-View (Weltanschaüung)

A world-view, or Weltanschaüung is the attempt to come to a total view of the

universe as it relates to the make-up of matter, man, God, the right, the nature of
politics, values, aesthetics, and any other element in the cosmos that is important.

Aristotle has a sentence that is widely quoted about this :

Looking at the universe as a whole involves questions which cannot be ignored.
What is The questions are not to be isolated from one another, but should be put together
Philosophy to form an integrated whole, or total view of the world. It is this integration that
makes this definition of philosophy better than the previous one or questions and
answers.

A world-view will include views on man, social responsibilities and politics

consistent with the view of man. Any discipline having a bearing on the meaning
of man will have relevance for a world-view. This will include biology,
anthropology, psychology, sociology, theology, and other related disciplines.

A world-view is an attempt to think coherently about the world in its

completeness
 The
Meaning
of
Philosophy
 The
Meaning
of
Philosophy
 Philosophy
- is a study that seeks to understand the mysteries of
existence and reality. It tries to discover the nature of truth and
knowledge and to find what is of basic value and importance
in life. It also examines the relationships between humanity
The and nature and between the individual and society.
Meaning
of Philosophy arises out of wonder, curiosity, and the desire to
Philosophy know and understand. Philosophy is thus a form of inquiry--a
process of analysis, criticism, interpretation, and speculation.

The term philosophy itself comes from the Greek philosophia,

which means love of wisdom. In that sense, wisdom is the
active use of intelligence, not something passive that a person
simply possesses.
 Philosophy
- is an activity of thought, a type of thinking. Philosophy is critical and
comprehensive thought, the most critical and comprehensive manner of
thinking which the human species has yet devised. This intellectual
process includes both an analytic and synthetic mode of operation.
The
Meaning Philosophy as a critical and comprehensive process of thought involves
resolving confusion, unmasking assumptions, revealing presuppositions,
of distinguishing importance, testing positions, correcting distortions,
Philosophy looking for reasons, examining world-views and questioning conceptual
frameworks.

It also includes dispelling ignorance, enriching understanding, broadening

experience, expanding horizons, developing imagination, controlling
emotion, exploring values, fixing beliefs by rational inquiry, establishing
habits of acting, widening considerations, synthesizing knowledge and
questing for wisdom.
Purpose of
Philosophy
 Concept Chart
Metaphysics Study of Existence What's out there?

Branches Epistemology Study of Knowledge How do I know about it?

of
Ethics Study of Action What should I do?
Politics (Subset of Ethics) Study of Force What actions are permissible?
Philosophy Esthetics Study of Art What can life be like?

There is a hierarchical relationship between these branches as can be seen in

the Concept Chart.

At the root is Metaphysics, the study of existence and the nature of existence.
Closely related is Epistemology, the study of knowledge and how we know about
reality and existence.
Dependent on Epistemology is Ethics, the study of how man should act. Ethics is
dependent on Epistemology because it is impossible to make choices without
knowledge. A subset of Ethics is Politics: the study of how men should interact
in a proper society and what constitutes proper.
Esthetics, the study of art and sense of life is slightly separate, but depends on
Metaphysics, Epistemology, and Ethics.
 1. Metaphysics - responsible for the study of existence. It
is the foundation of a worldview. It answers the question
"What is?" It encompasses everything that exists, as well
as the nature of existence itself. It says whether the world
is real, or merely an illusion. It is a fundamental view of
the world around us.
Branches
of Metaphysics is the foundation of philosophy. Without an
Philosophy explanation or an interpretation of the world around us,
we would be helpless to deal with reality. We could not
feed ourselves, or act to preserve our lives. The degree
to which our metaphysical worldview is correct is the
degree to which we are able to comprehend the world,
and act accordingly
 2. Epistemology – investigates knowledge and truth
LOGIC
Epistemology is the study of our method of
acquiring knowledge. It answers the question, "How do we
know?" It encompasses the nature of concepts, the
constructing of concepts, the validity of the
Branches senses, logical reasoning, as well as thoughts, ideas,
of memories, emotions, and all things mental. It is concerned with
Philosophy how our minds are related to reality, and whether these
relationships are valid or invalid.

Epistemology is the explanation of how we think. It is required

in order to be able to determine the true from the false, by
determining a proper method of evaluation. It is needed in
order to use and obtain knowledge of the world around us.
 3. Ethics – the study on the morality of human actions or
Moral Philosophy

Ethics is the branch of study dealing with what is the proper

course of action for man. It is the study of right and wrong in
human endeavors. It is the method by which we categorize
Branches our values and pursue them
of
Philosophy Ethics is a requirement for human life. It is our means of
deciding a course of action. Without it, our actions would be
random and aimless.. To the degree which a rational ethical
standard is taken, we are able to correctly organize our goals
and actions to accomplish our most important values
 4. Politics is ethics applied to a group of people.

Politics tells you how a society must be set up and how

one should act within a society.

Branches 5. Esthetics is the study of art. It includes what art consists

of of, as well as the purpose behind it.
Philosophy
It also studies methods of evaluating art, and allows
judgments of the art.
 WHAT PHILOSOPHY IS NOT

In order to better appreciate what something is…it is often

helpful to look at what it is not. Getting to know what
philosophy is can be discovered (at least in part) by revealing
what it is not.

Here are some important things to consider about the nature of

philosophy, specifically some common misconceptions and
what it is not . . . .
 Philosophy is not a quest for the meaning of life.
If you ask a philosopher about the meaning of life she is very likely to
respond that you have made something like a category mistake, or that
you have asked the wrong sort of question.

Philosophy is not the search for the paranormal.

Although many bookshops would have you believe otherwise, magic,
WHAT UFO sightings and abductions, Transcendental Meditation, astral
PHILOSOPHY projection, and "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance" are not
generally considered parts of Philosophy.
IS NOT
Philosophy is not just musing about what could be or might be. Yes,
this can be part of pursuing Philosophy. However, some believe that that's
all Philosophers do - muse, ponder, make wild speculations, etc. This is
not so, and is a degrading assumption.
 Philosophy and Religion are not the same thing.
Many people are under the illusion that all philosophers are concerned
primarily, if not absolutely, with the question of God's existence (i.e., trying
to prove that God does, or does not, exist). While the Philosophy of
Religion has been very important in the history of Western thought, it is
probably an accident of history more than anything else. It is also
important to note that while Theology is related to Philosophy, they are
WHAT distinct academic disciplines.
PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy is not one of the Social Sciences.
IS NOT Properly speaking, the Social Sciences, in fact all the sciences, are
directly descended from Philosophy and should be considered parts of it.
It is necessary for us to have specializations, and it is impossible for
anyone to have even a cursory knowledge of everything (a rather recent
phenomenon.
 .
Philosophy is not a "Way of Life" . Every person does not have his or
her own "Philosophy". Philosophy is not simply a theory about
something. Nor is Philosophy a belief or a wish.
Philosophy is an activity: a quest after wisdom. Philosophy is an activity
of thought. Philosophy is a particular unique type of thought or style of
thinking.

WHAT Philosophy is not a picking and choosing what body of thought one

PHILOSOPHY
would like to call one's own or would like to believe in; a choice
based upon personal preferences or feelings.
IS NOT Philosophy is a pursuit. One can choose to be philosophical. One can
choose to be a philosopher. One can NOT choose a Philosophy.

Philosophy is not to be confused with its product. What a philosopher

provides is a body of philosophic thought NOT a Philosophy. A
philosopher enacts a Philosophy, a quest after wisdom.
.
 Philosophy is not simply whatever one believes about a matter.
Everyone can have a “philosophy” about something, of course, but this is not
the same as philosophy as a discipline, activity or practice (i.e., approaching
something philosophically).

Philosophy is not just concerned with thoughts and ideas. Actions and
behavior are important! Philosophy is not just interested in “reflection” or
WHAT “contemplation.” It also values putting things to the (practical) test.
PHILOSOPHY
Philosophy is not all the same in terms of quality. Scholarship and
IS NOT intent matters. Philosophical activity should be rigorous and be led with the
intent of following reason where reason guides us and getting closer to the
truth about a matter. As is the case with any discipline…there are better and
worse instances of philosophy.
 Philosophy is not simply fancy speech or technical writing. The ability to
present an argument clearly and concisely requires a person to have a certain
level of command over her speaking (or writing). This may or may not involve
“fancy words or “technical speech.” But even if it does, this does not mean
that philosophy is nothing more than its speech or writing. In the end, one
should remember that a goal of philosophy (regardless of one’s particular
style) should be to make the unclear more clear (not the opposite).
WHAT
PHILOSOPHY Philosophy is not propaganda and rarely what we see on t.v. There are
many cases in pop culture (some propagandistic, others not) where activities
IS NOT are incorrectly referred to as ‘philosophical’ or ‘representative of the discipline
of philosophy’…but are not really cases of either (e.g., they might lack the
scholastic rigor or have the goal of persuading audiences regardless of an
interest in the truth about a matter).
 Philosophy is not concerned with answers. While questions can certainly
arise as a result of a discussion about a matter (hence leading to more
questions than answers), the “north star”(or guiding light) of philosophy is still
always reason and getting closer to truth about a matter (an answer)
still always a (the) motivating factor.

Philosophy is not interested in telling people what to believe. Instead,

what is of paramount import is helping people discover for themselves what
WHAT they believe and why (and whether what they believe is justified).

PHILOSOPHY Philosophy is not the same as debating or arguing. While

IS NOT philosophy involves debate and argumentation, it is not equivalent to such
activities. Getting closer to the truth about a matter is an imperative of
philosophy. Arguing a position just for the sake of arguing (i.e., engaging in
discussion simply to “showcase one’s talents of rhetoric” or without regard to
getting closer to the truth about something) is not the same as engaging in
philosophy or philosophical discussion.
 Philosophy is not irrelevant to matters of everyday living.
Philosophy is, at its core, grounded in the here and now, not some
otherworld. Its aims include getting closer to the truth about such matters as
justice, rights, knowledge, virtue, and happiness…and translating this into
action.

Philosophy is not opposed to passion, feelings,

emotion and imagination. Philosophy values the use of reason. It is the
WHAT driving force behind philosophical thinking. the process of reasoning itself —
as many researchers have discovered — is extremely emotional,
PHILOSOPHY creative, and highly complex. All of these play an important role in critical
IS NOT thinking.

Philosophy is not just another name for logic. While philosophy uses
logic it is not the same as logic. Logic is a tool of philosophy that supports
the application of reason. Logic helps us to distinguish good reasoning from
bad reasoning and is used in critical thinking.
 Philosophy is not just another name for critical thinking. True…critical
thinking is the central component of philosophy. But there is more to it than
this. Philosophy is also an art….and way of life. This means, that in addition
to critical thinking, we must also embrace (in our approach to matters of
thought and experiences in life) certain character-related attributes (or
dispositions).

WHAT Philosophy is not just for the classroom. Many people hold the
PHILOSOPHY unfortunate view that philosophy’s usefulness is confined to the walls of
academia. But this is simply not the case. . Its methods and attributes help
IS NOT us gain clarity, insight, distinguish good from bad arguments, gain
perspective, make more informed decisions, and better understand ourselves
and experiences.
WHY STUDY PHILOSOPHY?

By studying philosophy, people can clarify what they believe, and they can
be stimulated to think about ultimate questions. A person can study
philosophers of the past to discover why they thought as they did and what
value their thoughts may have in one's own life.

Philosophy has had enormous influence on our everyday lives. The very
language we speak uses classifications derived from philosophy

Every institution of society is based on philosophic ideas, whether that

institution is the law, government, religion, the family, marriage, industry,
business, or education. Philosophic differences have led to the overthrow
of governments, drastic changes in laws, and the transformation of entire
economic systems
WHY STUDY PHILOSOPHY?

Philosophy as a process functions as an activity which responds to

society's demand for wisdom, which is bringing together all that we know
in order to obtain what we value. Viewed in this way Philosophy is part of
the activity of human growth and thus an integral, essential part of the
process of education.
Systems of education follow a society's philosophic ideas about what
children should be taught and for what purposes. Democratic societies
stress that people learn to think and make choices for themselves.
Nondemocratic societies discourage such activities and want their citizens
to surrender their own interests to those of the state.

The values and skills taught by the educational system of a society thus
reflect the society's philosophic ideas of what is important.
 WHY STUDY PHILOSOPHY?
Intellectual curiosity: philosophy is essentially a reflective-critical
inquiry motivated by a sense of intellectual “wonder.” What is the
world like? Why is it this way not another? Who am I? Why am I
here?
Motivations of
Philosophy as Interest in cultural and intellectual history: as a discipline,
Intellectual Activity philosophy pays a great deal of attention to its history, and to the
broader cultural and intellectual context in which this history
unfolds.

Sharpening thinking skills: the study of philosophy is suited to the

development of a variety of intellectual skills involved in the
analysis of concepts, the critique of ideas, the conduct of sound
reasoning and argumentation
 WHY STUDY PHILOSOPHY?
Sharpening writing skills: the writing of philosophy is especially
rigorous insofar as it demands a high level of clarity, precision,
and organization.

Motivations of Philosophy might affect future career prospects like earn a PhD in
Philosophy as philosophy, become professors of philosophy and devote
Intellectual Activity professional lives to research and teaching in philosophy.

A philosophy concentration is not limiting: the skills it develops

and sharpens are transferable to a wide variety of professional
activities like to the practice of law; journalism, investment
banking, writing, publishing, and so on; putting one’s
philosophical education to work in business entrepreneurship,
political and social activism, and even creative arts.
TOPIC 2
The Historical Profile of Man
 The
Historical
Profile of
MAN
 The
Historical
Profile of
MAN
 The
Historical
Profile of
MAN
 What is the Most Fundamental Essence of Humanity?
The essence of humanity is to strive towards the freedom of the will based on
real knowledge of the world and of itself– a subjectivity and the dialectical unity
of the opposites of the objectivity of blind Nature (and as a part of Nature itself);
in this infinite, eternal and ever-changing universe.

The This essence is an acquired ability that allows man to effectively change the
Fundamental conditions of his physical, mental and social existence based on the positive
Essence of knowledge of the world and of himself (as a social being); in such a way as to
Humanity progressively reduce the contradiction between subjective man and objective
Nature, between humanity and the world, but never completely eliminating it.

This necessarily is a complex of historical processes of “being” and “knowing”;

mediated by dialectical chance and necessity and taking place in a temporarily
life-harbouring celestial body where the subjectivity of life can evolve through
discrete evolutionary leaps from blind non-living matter to the highest
developed product of matter, namely the thinking brain of man.
 The fundamental essence of life is that each human being is not
separate and alone, but permanently interwoven with and in the
universal and eternal presence of God or Spirit — we are the
very thread that binds the weave, and each woven from it,
ourselves.

The Every thread is unconsciously tasked to hold its undeniable

Fundamental and inimitable place among the greater whole. And each
Essence of frayed strand weakens the entire cloth — a dullness, a tear, a rip
Humanity that obliges the threads surrounding to strain all the more to
hold life together and in place. But every thread — each
life, yours! — may within itself strengthen and grow, reaching
ever widely, positively touching the lives of others in deep and
meaningful ways, thus binding the weave ever-tighter.

We are all connected far beyond our ordinary

comprehension, our simple sight and fingers’ touch!
Philosophy
of Man
REFERENCES:

The Importance of Philosophy in Human Life. http://www.unexplainable.net/info-theories/the_importance_of_philosophy_in_

human_life_1182.php

Introduction to the Five Branches of Philosophy. http://www.importanceofphilosophy.com

Philosophy: What and Why?. What is Philosophy?

https://www.brown.edu/academics/philosophy/undergraduate/philosophy-what-and-why.

What is Philosophy? https://www.emporia.edu/socsci/research-and-teaching-links/philosophy-book/chp1.html

What Philosophy is Not. https://thephilosophyclub.com.au/2013/02/01/what-philosophy-is-not/

What Philosophy is Not. http://www.mesacc.edu/~barsp59601/text/whatphilosophyisnot.html

What is Philosophy. http://www.qcc.cuny.edu/SocialSciences/ppecorino/INTRO_TEXT/Chapter%2012Conclusion/What_is_

Philosophy.htm

What Philosophy Isn’t. https://merlinccc.org/how-we-can-help/what-philosophy-isnt/