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"Philosophy" Means, "Love of Wisdom.": Philosophy Handouts I. Lesson 1 A. Philosophy
"Philosophy" Means, "Love of Wisdom.": Philosophy Handouts I. Lesson 1 A. Philosophy
I. Lesson 1
A. PHILOSOPHY
* coined based on Thales of Miletus’s response when asked on whether he was a wise man to
which he said modestly that he was just a ‘lover of wisdom’
* allows us the freedom to ask even those questions that others believe to already have a
definite answer.
PHILOSOPHICAL
They are questions that matter to us for they reflect our desire to understand or at least
make sense of our experiences.
When we ponder on a philosophical question, we are engaged in a philosophical reflection.
Always contains a bigger problem.
B. METAPHYSICS
One of the main branches of philosophy and deals with the so called “being of beings”.
Ta Meta (beyond)
Physika (the physical)
UNIVERSAL & PARTICULAR concepts
C. MARTIN HEIDEGGER
E. PLATO
There were things that deceive, confuse, or mislead in this world. To know what is real
requires much intellectual effort and rational ability.
Person is responsible for the answers he/she holds onto. This means we are to blame in case
we are fooled into believing a falsehood.
As a moralist Plato disapproves of poetry because it is immoral, as a philosopher he
disapproves of it because it is based in falsehood.
Philosophy is better than poetry because philosopher deals with idea/truth, whereas poet
deals with what appears to him/illusion.
He believed that truth of philosophy was more important than the pleasure of poetry.
F. REASONS
G. DIALECTICS
H. DIALOGUES
Illustrate how dialectics is an effective means of examining and evaluating truth claims.
J. KARL MARX
Introduced the concept “historical materialism” which embodies his theory that societies
rise and fall as a result of class struggles.
II. Lesson 2
A. WONDER
C. Three Views
Philosopher Ideas
Thales Water is the underlying principle of all things
Anaximander Boundless
Anaximenes Air is the fundamental principle because it can be better account for change and
for life
Pythagoras All relationships can be expressed in numbers; Pythagorean theorem
Atomists “atoms” tiny, indivisible entities, invisible to the naked eye that make up
everything
Socrates Absolute truth exists within everyone; Socratic method
Plato Government should be divided into three groups, ruled by philosopher-kings; men
and women should have equal education and employment
Aristotle “golden rule”; use senses to make observations like a scientist; analyzed
governments and decided that the best was a mixture of government by a few and
democracy
essentially “monotheistic”
the world became secondary to God (theos in Greek) and Christianity greatly
influenced philosophy
Philosopher Ideas
Avicenna The existence of beings can be traced to another being responsible for existence. The
(Muslim being which is the starting point of the entire chain of existence is God.
philosopher)
St. Thomas Summa Theologica is most remarkable for its exhaustive explanation of the Christian
Aquinas faith. It is also the source of the famous “five ways” of proving the existence of God.
Was a result both of the rise of modern science and the diminished authority of the
church in the 17th century
D. BERTRAND RUSSELL
Explained that progress in the scientific field made man realize the practical utility of science
as a technique rather than of a doctrine that explained the nature of the world (Russell,
1996)
E. RATIONALISM
is committed to the view that knowledge is acquired through reason independent of sense
perception
view held by the foremost modern philosopher Rene Descartes
mathematics is the paradigm of knowledge
regards reason as the chief source and test of knowledge
methodology or a theory in which the criterion of the truth is not sensory but intellectual and
deductive.
F. RENE DESCARTES
G. EMPIRICISM
is a theory that states that knowledge comes only or primarily from sensory experience.
emphasize the role of empirical evidence in the formation of ideas, over the idea of innate
ideas or traditions
H. John LOCKE
claimed that the human mind at birth is like a blank sheet of paper (tabula rasa) that is later
filled through sense experience.
III. Lesson 3
B. Argumentum ad hominem
IV. Lesson 4
A. Reality as phenomenon
He claimed that the data we get from sensory experience (empiricism) are not things-in-
themselves or things as they really are, but are instead things as-they-appear to us. Our
mind then uses its categories (rationalism) to understand phenomenon.
His revolutionary contribution lies in the position regarding the empiricist and rationalist
debate-the synthetic a priori knowledge
V. Lesson 5
A. EPISTEMOLOGY
B. PLATO
KNOWLEDGE
o is certain
o is seeing things as they really are
OPINION
o is not certain
o based on appearances and not reality
Reason
Emotion
Appetite
D. ARISTOTLE
SYLLOGISM
o a deductive argument of a certain form where a conclusion is inferred from two
premises)
VALID SYLLOGISMS
o proof or demonstration of truth
VALID ARGUMENTS
o are those that begin with premises that are knowable and guarantee the truth of a
conclusion
PREMISES
o serve as explanation as to why the conclusion is valid or acceptable
o Example: Socrates is mortal (valid conclusion from the premises) All men are mortal
and Socrates is a man, therefore Socrates is mortal
E. Rene Descartes
notion of indubitability considered the most important contribution in the modern period.
Statements that are false, doubtful, or uncertain, cannot be basis for knowledge.
MEDITATION uses the method of doubt as a test to distinguish the indubitable from the
dubitable.
Clear and distinct ideas alone can become the foundation of all knowledge
OPINIONS are those that can be doubted and are often confused in our thought.
F. CONTEMPORARY PERIOD
best seen as a reaction against the views of modern period.
known for their denial of philosophical viewpoints held between the 16th and mid-20th
centuries regarding reality, truth, knowledge, human nature and language.
Postmodernism i
o they criticized modern period for its emphasis on reason, logic, and science for
these have led to knowledge that some postmodernists would describe as
oppressive for truth seemed to be dictated by those in power.
o regarding human nature, they claimed that much of who we are is socially
determined.
JACQUES DERRIDA
developed DECONSTRUCTION which challenged traditional views in
philosophy by looking at structures of language to open up limitless
interpretations.
theory of deconstruction significantly influenced contemporary
thought.
VI. Lesson 6
A. CORRESPONDENCE THEORY
the oldest model of truth for it can be traced back to Plato and Aristotle.
it is also the simplest to understand because this is how we often verify truths.
according to this theory, true propositions (statements) are those that correspond with
reality
B. PHENOMENOLOGY
is a philosophical theory which believes that the essence of every object can be thought of,
investigated, and understood, more than the usual way of understanding it.
‘back to the things themselves’ is a motto employed in phenomenology
Invites us to think again
VII. Lesson 7
B. PHILOSOPHICAL ANALYSIS
Emphasizes clarity, rigorousness and argument.
Proceeds by analyzing statements or propositions using logic.
The idea is that an analysis of language reveals thought.
Use logical terms to resolve what is meant by statements and tested their truth by reducing
the to basic facts.
Useful in clarifying thought.
C. PHENOMENOLOGICAL-EXISTENTIAL METHOD
Epoche (bracket or suspend the usual ideas that you know the thing or object); and
Do the reduction proper. (Look for the essences or ideas that remains in your consciousness
in relation to the object you are conscious of. This involves a long process of a kind of
meditation; it takes you beyond the ordinary knowledge that you have learned in natural
science and in simplistic psychology.)
‘steps’ are taken to be more as ‘moments’