INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON

Lesson No. 1 Doing Philosophy

Learning Objectives:

a) Distinguish a holistic perspective from a partial point of view

b) Recognize human activities that emanated from deliberate reflection
c) Realize the value of doing philosophy in obtaining a broad perspective in life
d) Do a philosophical reflection on a concrete situation from a holistic perspective

ETYMOLOGY OF PHILOSOPHY

 Philosophy comes from two Greek words, philo meaning “love” and sophia meaning
“wisdom”. Literally, philosophy means “love of wisdom”. Philosophy is the study of the
general and fundamental problems concerning matters such as existence, values and
reasons.
 Philosophy is also defined as the science that by natural light of reason studies the first
causes or highest principle of all things.
 Philosophy as a form of science follows a systematic way of providing answers to
questions and giving explanations to events. It employs procedures to establish a
principle. Some of the philosophical principles are the following:

a) Principle of Identity – everything is its own being and everything is what it is.
b) Principle of Non-contradiction – it is impossible for things to be and not to be at
the same time and respect.
c) Principle of Excluded Middle – everything must be either to be or not to be; being
or not being, there is no possible middle ground.
d) Principle of Sufficient Reason – nothing exists without an appropriate reason.

 Philosophy arises out of wonder, curiosity, and the desire to know and understand.
Philosophy is a form of inquiry – a process of analysis, criticism, interpretation, and
speculation.
 Philosophy is all about asking questions regarding anything. That is why philosophy is
said to be holistic or multidimensional because it is not limited to a particular object of
inquiry. According to Isaiah Berlin, the following are the characteristics of philosophical
questions:

a) Philosophical questions are broad and general.

b) No certain methodology or approach for answering these questions.
c) Answers to these questions seem to have no practical utility or purpose.

 Philosophy is a second-order inquiry while science is the first-order inquiry. Scientific

inquiries by nature are descriptive and factual, the reason why they are of practical use.
Philosophical inquiries, on the other hand, are explanatory and reasonable and act to
refine the assumptions of science.

Example:
o Scientific Question: What are the causes and effects of natural phenomena?
o Philosophical Question: What are your justifications for assuming that there are
causes and effects in nature?

 “Philosophy is vision.” This is according to an Austrian philosopher, Friedrich Waismann.

He explained that philosophy is a new way of looking on things. Philosophy will give us a
different and a broader perspective in understanding others if we are prepared to set
aside our biases and preconceptions of how things should be.
HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY

 There is no known factual evidence on when and where did philosophy first flourished.
However, many philosophers hold that there are three major centers of philosophy –
Greece, India, and China. All three are rooted on critical reflections of their life and
culture.
 Greek philosophy started in Miletus, Asia Minor. It started with the philosophical
questions of Thales, the Father of Western Philosophy, which deviates from the
mythological view of things. He wanted to know the underlying substance of reality and
for him it is water.
 Anaximander believed that the substance of reality is infinity. Though it is more
speculative and abstract than water, but this is one of the bases of the concept of time,
which is infinite and irreversible.
 Anaximenes thought that the fundamental substance of reality is air because he
believes that it holds our souls together and encompasses the whole world. He also
believes that the Earth is flat and round in shape, like a saucer floating on space.
 Pythagoras is another Greek philosopher and said to have “no knowledge” but in
“constant love of wisdom”. He is known of coining the word philosophy which considers it
as a way of life.
 Heraclitus believes that reality can be attributed to change. He believes further that the
only permanent thing in the world is change.
 Empedocles was the proponent of the notion that the reality is made up of four
elements (earth, water, air, fire). He believed of himself as immortal and to prove it he
jumped into the mouth of a volcano that led to his ultimate death. The lesson in this is
that somebody is willing to die for his belief. Are you?

 Indian philosophy is composed of philosophical traditions originating in the Indian

subcontinent.
 Buddha is the most famous philosopher in ancient India who is regarded to have
attained the state of enlightenment and labelled as the “The Awakened One” (liberation
from samsara, the endless cycle of rebirth, suffering and dying again) and taught “The
Middle Way” – a path of moderation away from the extremes of self-indulgence and self-
mortification.
 Patanjali is another famous Indian philosopher, linguist, and medical expert. He is the
authored of the 196 aphorisms on Yoga called the Yoga Sutra, Mahābhāṣya, an ancient
treatise on Sanskrit grammar and linguistics, and also the reputed author of a medical
text called Patanjalah.
 Kapila is the founder of the Samkhya (the rationalism) school of Hindu philosophy and
considered as the Vedic sage.

 Chinese philosophy begins during the Western Zhou Dynasty and the following periods
after its fall when the "Hundred Schools of Thought" flourished. The origin of the East
Asian (China, Korea, and Japan) philosophy is usually credited to the “The Three Sages”
from China.
 Laocius or Lao-Tzu (The Old Master/The Ultimate Sage) was an ancient Chinese
philosopher and writer. He is the reputed author of the Tao Te Ching, the founder of
philosophical Taoism, and a deity in religious Taoism and traditional Chinese religions.
 Confucius or Kong Fuzi (The Teacher/The First Sage) was a Chinese teacher, editor,
politician, and philosopher of the spring and autumn period of Chinese history. He is the
famous author of the Five Classics of China, the Analects, and the Silver Rule.
 Mencius or Mengzi (The Disciple/The Second Sage) was a Chinese philosopher who
asserted the innate goodness of the individual, believing that it was society's influence –
its lack of a positive cultivating influence – that caused bad moral character.

WESTERN AND EASTERN PHILOSOPHY

Western Philosophy (Occidental Philosophy): “A Way of Thinking”

 The basic task of Western Philosophy is to satisfy their curiosity. Philosophy is a search
of reality and truth through their way of thinking.

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  They have veered away from mythological tradition in order to explain the nature of
things around them through man’s recognized rationality and his ability for coherent
thought.
 The philosophers of the west did not believe that the gods or supernatural forces caused
natural events; instead, they sought a natural explanation for natural phenomena.
 The Western philosophers saw the universe as a set of and connected and unified
phenomena for which thought could find an explanation.
 The greatest known philosophers of the ancient west were Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle.
All of our thoughts in metaphysics, science, logic, and ethics originated from their
thoughts.
 Western philosophers believe that the world is just a subject of humans’ mental functions
and capacities.

Eastern Philosophy (Oriental Philosophy): “A Way of Life”

 There are two main traditions in Oriental philosophy, Chinese and Indian. Both
philosophies are basically religious and ethical in origin and character. They are
removed from any interest in science. Eastern people conceived of philosophy as a way
of life, not as a mere intellectual activity. They look at man as being one with the world.
Eastern philosophers believe that doing philosophy is the same as practicing your
religion.
 Traditionally, Chinese philosophy has been largely practical, humanistic, and social in its
aims. It developed as a means of bringing about improvements in society and politics.
Chinese philosophy typically called for efforts to participate in the life of the state in order
to improve worldly conditions.
 The major traditional philosophies in China are Taoism and Confucianism, which later
became a formal religion in the region. These philosophies aimed to help people live
better and more rewarding lives by discipline and by instruction in the proper goals of
life.
 Traditionally, philosophy in India has been chiefly mystical rather than political. It has
been dominated by reliance on certain sacred texts, called Vedas, and the teachings of
Buddha, which are considered inspired and true and therefore subject only for
commentary and not for criticism. Much of Indian philosophy has emphasized withdrawal
from everyday life into the life of the spirit.
 In India, philosophic thought was intermingled with religion, and most Indian philosophic
thought has been religious in character and aim. The Indian word for these studies is
darshana, which means vision or seeing.
 The main aim of Indian philosophy was freedom from the suffering and tension caused
by the body and the senses and by attachment to worldly things. The main philosophies
developed in India were Hinduism and Buddhism, which were also religions.

Western View Eastern View

Known Knower Known

Knower

BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY

 Metaphysics is the study of the most general feature of reality like existence, time,
objects, causation, mind and body. It includes cosmology, the study of the world and
ontology, the study of being.

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 o Major metaphysical points of views are Realism, which holds that there are
entities that exist independently of their mental perception and Idealism, which
holds that reality is mentally constructed or otherwise immaterial.

 Ethics is the study of the nature of moral judgement. Moral philosophy considers what
are good and bad conduct, right and wrong values, and good and evil. Its primary
investigations include how to live a good life and identifying standards of morality.

o Major ethical point of views are Consequentialism, in which actions are judged
by the potential results of the act and Deontology, in which actions are judged
by how they adhere to principles, irrespective of negative ends.

 Epistemology is the study of knowledge. Epistemology is concern with the putative

sources of knowledge, including intuition, a priori reason, memory, perceptual
knowledge, self-knowledge and testimony. Putative knowledge includes propositional
knowledge (knowledge that something is the case), know-how (knowledge of how to do
something) and acquaintance (familiarity with someone or something).

o Rationalism is the emphasis on reasoning as a source of knowledge. It is

associated with a priori knowledge, which is independent of experience, such as
math and logical deduction. Empiricism is the emphasis on observational
evidence via sensory experience as the source of knowledge.

 Aesthetics is the critical reflection on art, culture and nature. It addresses the nature of
art, beauty and taste, enjoyment, emotional values, perception and with the creation and
appreciation of beauty. It is more precisely defined as the study of sensory or sensori-
emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste.

 Logic is the study of reasoning and argument. An argument is "a connected series of
statements intended to establish a proposition." The connected series of statements are
"premises" and the proposition is the conclusion. For example:

o All humans are mortal. (premise)

o Socrates is a human. (premise)
o Therefore, Socrates is mortal. (conclusion)

 Basically, there are two types of reasoning. Deductive reasoning is looking at the
generality of things to specific while inductive reasoning examines specific things to
make a more general idea.

VALUE OF PHILOSOPHY

 Philosophy develops personal outlook in life. Through studying philosophy, people can
clarify what they truly believe in life.
 Philosophy influences our daily life and our lifetime. Simple decision-making like
choosing to walk or to ride your way to school and major decision-making like choosing
a course in college are all functions of your personal outlook in life.
 Philosophy serves as the basis of all the institutions in the society whether it is the law,
government, religion, family, business, and education.

“The study of philosophy serves to develop intellectual abilities important to life as whole,
beyond the knowledge and skills required for any particular profession. Properly pursued, it
enhances analytical, critical, and interpretative capacities that are applicable to any subject
matter, and in any human context. It cultivates the capacity and appetite for self-expression and
reflection, for exchange and debate of ideas, for life-long learning and for dealing with problems
for which there are no easy answers.” (http://www.philosophy.umn.edu/undergrad/ugfaq.html)

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FILIPINO WAY OF THINKING

1. Loob: Holistic and Interior Dimension

 Kagandahang-loob o kabutihang-loob are terms that show sharing of one’s self
to others.
 The use of intermediaries, loyalty, hospitality, camaraderie, conformism, and
respect to authority are Filipino values that relate to persons.
 Filipino generally believes in the innate goodness of human being and Filipino
ethics has an internal code and sanction that flow from within itself.
 Filipino looks himself as a person conscious of his freedom, proud of his human
dignity and sensitive to the violation of these two (Mercado, 2000 in Ramos,
2016)

2. Filipino Philosophy of Time

 Filipino strongly believes in gulong ng palad (wheel of fortune) and hence, looks
at life as a series of ups and downs (Timbreza, 1992, in Ramos, 2016).
 This philosophy of life makes the Filipino unmitigated optimism. When the so
called wheel of life is on the downtrend, he looks to the future with hope because
life’s wheel cannot stay down forever.

3. Bahala Na
 The pre-Spanish Filipino people believed in a Supreme Being called Bathala.
 The Filipino subconsciously accepts the bahala na attitude a part of life. Bahala
na literally means to leave everything to God who is Bathala in the vernacular.
 The bahala na philosophy puts complete trust in the Divine Providence; it
contains the element of resignation (Mercado, 2000 in Ramos, 2016)
 It is in one aspect also perceived as courage to take risks.

4. Filipino Thoughts and Values

 Filipinos strongly believe in reciprocating debts of gratitude or utang na loob.
However, we must consider it as a duty to help uplift the life not only of our own
family but of others as well.
 The Filipino gives great value to endurance and hard work as means of
economic self-sufficiency.
 Bayanihan is another moving spirit of Filipino people. For Filipino psyche, there
exists the belief that whatever good one has done will redound to one’s benefit
because a Supreme Judge will dispense just compensation.
 Filipino emotional and spiritual resiliency is another salient feature of Filipino
philosophy. Filipinos have the power to stand up and move after horrible
aftermaths of natural disasters.

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