Introduction to the Philosophy of the

Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600

Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
Human Person
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph Grade Level/Section: Grade11/12
Module 1 – Philo Subject Teacher:

PHILOSOPHY AND ITS NATURE

Welcome students! We will begin our journey to the course that allows you engage in
contemplating about life, its nature and beauty, the evils that thrive within, and ultimately,
the nature of truth and reality. Thinking is the main activity in this subject. On our first module,
we will examine the meaning, nature, etymology, and importance of philosophy as well as
the characteristics and examples of philosophical questions.

Learning Objectives:
A. define philosophy;
B. describe the nature of philosophy;
C. distinguish philosophical and non-philosophical questions; and
D. realize the importance of philosophy.

WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?

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From a distance, Philosophy seems irrelevant, old-school, boring, and utterly confusing. But
when you look at its etymological meaning, “love for wisdom,” it can be intriguing and
interesting. Why would someone have a strong desire for wisdom? What is wisdom after all?
We already have science, why waste your time in philosophy? People who are devoted to
wisdom and engage in the practice of philosophy are called philosophers. They do not only
seek knowledge; they want to know the correct application of that knowledge.

Being wise is attempting to apply what you have learned in life

in order to live and die well. In pursuit of wisdom, one must
examine oneself and seek fundamental truths about the world;
and this is where philosophy shines. Philosophy is basically an
activity concerned with answering or reflecting on the biggest
questions about life and reality; questions that are complex,
general in point-of-view and can be highly controversial. These
are the questions that people find ridiculous and stupid, since
they cannot be answered directly by common sense and even
science itself. We call these questions as philosophical questions.

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 Introduction to the Philosophy of the
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
Human Person
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph Grade Level/Section: Grade11/12
Module 1 – Philo Subject Teacher:

PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTIONS

Philosophical questions are questions that do not have a definite answer since they are
broad or general in scope, lack single method for answering, and have no practical
purpose. Answering these questions are beyond the collection of physical evidence and
empirical research. They only make sense through the use of reason or rational thinking. Due
to the nature of these questions, it is normal for philosophers to have conflicting views and
perspectives. As you go over this course, you would encounter multiple schools of thought
and insights about a particular topic or issue.

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At first glance, these questions are somewhat heavy and mind blowing to the point of
compelling you to stay away from doing philosophy. Think of the question “Can money buy
happiness?” We all know that when we buy new clothes or pair of shoes to make ourselves
attractive, buy a new car, visit an Instagram-worthy place, or eat your favorite meal with
your friends, we are happy. But is this really happiness? Will this emotion last? Can you
consider it happiness if it is temporary? What really is happiness? You see, philosophy helps us
look at this old-aged question in new ways like connecting emotions with money.

Another intriguing question is “Why are we so afraid of

death? When we think about it, we are surrounded by
death. The air we breathe is produced by plants that
have been fertilized by dead creatures. Our clothes are
covered with dead plants and animals. Our cars are
powered by creatures long dead and we call these
“fossil fuels.” We are transported by the bones of dead
dinosaurs. The earth you’re standing on right now has
accumulated so many dead creatures all over the
years. Your teeth, skin, bones, muscles – your whole
body is slowly decaying. Our stomach is a cemetery – a
cemetery of dead pigs, of dead chickens, of dead
cows, of dead insects, of dead plants that were fruits
and vegetables. Why are we scared of death when in
fact we are always surrounded by the dead? We inhale
the dead; we consume the dead. And yet we are still afraid of death. When we think about
it, life is only possible because of the dead. These facts give us an impression that living is so
cruel; that in order to live, some creatures have to die. It feels like when you are
contemplating about these kinds of questions, you may feel emptiness or extreme confusion.

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 Introduction to the Philosophy of the
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
Human Person
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph Grade Level/Section: Grade11/12
Module 1 – Philo Subject Teacher:

It is significant to note, however, that you may have encountered and tried to answer these
questions in the past. Sometimes, you do not know that you are already engaging in
philosophy! When you argue with your parents as to whether or not raise your allowance, or
when you discuss with your friends if it is good to cheat to have higher grades, you are
already experiencing philosophy.

NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY

Philosophy is similar to science in that it exhibits critical thinking

and open-mindedness. Contrary to popular belief, Philosophy is
not about giving careless opinions. Rather, like science, it involves
systematic procedures and methodology in formulating answers
and perspectives using reason or rational thinking.

Philosophy investigates things, not by using any other laboratory

instrument and investigative tools, neither on the basis of
supernatural revelation, otherwise it becomes theology; instead,
the philosopher uses his natural capacity to think or simply, human
reason alone or the so-called unaided reason.

This sets the distinction between philosophy from other sciences.

All other sciences, concern themselves with a particular object of
investigation. On the other hand, philosophy deals with questions
about everything and it tries to examine the principle or
judgement behind everything, including their existence!

Philosophy is not just an activity, but also a discipline. It is an overarching field of study which
investigates “anything under the sun.” Unlike other disciplines like mathematics and the
sciences which deal with specific topics – biology with living things, physics with forces and
energy, chemistry with chemical components of things – philosophy deals with a broad
spectrum of topics ranging from an analysis of the meaning of sort-of familiar terms like
important to the inquiry into meaning of life itself. Philosophy, in one way or another, ends up
touching upon nearly every aspect of human life and has something to say when it comes to
science, art, religion, politics, medicine, and a host of other topics. As said, philosophy is as
broad as life and as deep as human understanding.

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 Introduction to the Philosophy of the
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
Human Person
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph Grade Level/Section: Grade11/12
Module 1 – Philo Subject Teacher:

IMPORTANCE OF PHILOSOPHY | WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY FOR?

1. We are vulnerable to errors of common sense

Public opinion – or what gets called ‘common sense’
– is sensible and reasonable in countless areas. It’s
what you hear about from friends and neighbors, the
stuff that’s just assumed to be true, the stuff you take
in without even thinking about it. The media pumps it
out by the gallon every day. But in some cases,
common sense is also full of daftness, error and the
most lamentable prejudice. Philosophy gets us to
submit all aspects of common sense to reason. It wants us
to think for ourselves, to be more independent. Is it really
true what people say about love, about money, about
children, about travel, about work? Philosophers are
interested in asking whether an idea is logical – rather
than simply assuming it must be right because it is popular
and long-established.

2. We are mentally confused

We’re not very good at knowing what goes on in our own minds. We know we really like a piece of
music. But we struggle to say quite why. Or someone we meet is very annoying, but we can’t pin
down what the issue is. Or we lose our temper, but can’t readily tell what we’re so cross about. We
lack insight into our own satisfactions and dislikes. That’s why we need to examine our own minds.
Philosophy is committed to self-knowledge – and its central precept – articulated by the earliest,
greatest philosopher, Socrates – is just two words long: Know yourself.

3. We have muddled ideas about what will make us happy

We’re powerfully set on trying to be happy, but go wrong in our search for it on a regular basis. We
overrate the power of some things to improve our lives – and underrate others. In a consumer society,
we make the wrong choices because, guided by false glamour, we keep on imagining that a
particular kind of holiday, or car, or computer will make a bigger difference than it can. At the same
time, we underestimate the contribution of other things – like going for a walk, tidying a cupboard,
having a structured conversation or going to bed early – which may have little prestige but can
contribute deeply to the character of existence. Philosophers seek to be wise by getting more
precise about the activities and attitudes that really can help our lives to go better.

4. Our emotions can send us in dangerous and

unwanted directions
We are inescapably emotional beings but
regularly forget this uncomfortable fact.
Occasionally certain emotions – certain kinds
of anger, envy or resentment – lead us into
serious trouble. Philosophers teach us to think
about our emotions, rather than simply have
them. By understanding and analyzing our
feelings, we learn to see how emotions impact
on our behavior in unexpected,
counterintuitive and sometimes dangerous
ways. Philosophers were the first therapists.

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 Introduction to the Philosophy of the
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
Human Person
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph Grade Level/Section: Grade11/12
Module 1 – Philo Subject Teacher:

5. We panic and lose perspective

We are constantly losing a sense of what

matters and what doesn’t. We are – as the
expression goes – constantly ‘losing
perspective’. That’s what philosophers are
good at keeping a hold of. Across history,
philosophers made repeated attempts to
address ways in which we are unwise. So,
for example, in ancient Athens, Socrates
paid special attention to the problem of
how people get confused in their minds. He
was struck that people didn’t quite know
what they meant by key ideas – like
courage or justice or success – even
though these were the main ideas they
used when talking about their own lives.
Socrates developed a method (which still
bears his name) by which you can learn to
get clearer about what you mean by
playing devil’s advocate with any idea.
The aim isn’t necessarily to change your
mind. It is to test whether the ideas guiding
your life are sound.

The overall task of studying philosophy is to absorb these and many other lessons and put them to
work in the world today. The point isn’t just to know what this or that philosopher happened to say,
but to aim to exercise wisdom at an individual and societal level – starting now. The wisdom of
philosophy is – in modern times – mostly delivered in the form of books. But in the past, philosophers
sat in market squares and discussed their ideas with shopkeepers or went into government offices
and palaces to give advice. It wasn’t abnormal to have a philosopher on the payroll. Philosophy was
thought of as a normal, basic activity – rather than as an unusual, esoteric, optional extra. Nowadays,
it’s not so much that we overtly deny this thought – we are always getting snippets of wisdom here
and there – but we just don’t have the right institutions set up to promulgate wisdom coherently in the
world. In the future, though, when the value of philosophy is a little clearer, we can expect to meet
more philosophers in daily life. They won’t be locked up, living mainly in university departments,
because the points at which our unwisdom bites – and messes up our lives – are multiple and urgently
need attention right now.

REFERENCES:
• Dela Cruz, M. (2010). Introduction to Philosophy. Retrieved from:
https://www.scribd.com/doc/41261921/Unit-1-Introduction-to-Philosophy-Lesson-1
• Dela Cruz, Rafael. (2015). Introduction to Philosophy and its Branches. Retrieved from
https://www.scribd.com/document/273188933/An-Introduction-to-Philosophy April 5, 2020
• Sioco, M. & VInzons, I. (2016). Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person. Quezon City:
VIbal Group, Inc.
• Ramos, Christine Carmela. (2016). Introduction to the Philosophy of Human Person. Manila,
Philippines: Rex Book Store
• School of Life (2014). What is Philosophy for. Retrieved from:
https://www.theschooloflife.com/thebookoflife/what-is-philosophy-and-whats-it-for/

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