Module

Meaning and Process of

1 Doing Philosophy

INTRODUCTION
Philosophy is not only for philosophers. Every person has the capacity to find the value of
philosophy in his/her own life. However, without a formal introduction to the discipline, you may
not be aware that you have been engaging in philosophy. Notice, for example, the favorite
household conversation that we invoke against anything and anyone whom we disagree about;
"Philosopo Ka!"
This topic will acquaint you with some basic philosophical concepts and help you identify
philosophical questions that are personally meaningful to you. The lessons are designed to help
you distinguish a holistic perspective from a partial point of view, recognize human activities that
emanated from deliberate reflection, realize the value of doing philosophy in obtaining a broad
perspective in life, and doing a philosophical reflection on a concrete situation from a holistic
perspective (Camiloza & et. al., 2017).
Finally, since the search for answers to philosophical questions leads to the articulation of
various views, you will also be introduced to three dominant views that influenced the history of
philosophy.

MELCS:

• Realize the value of doing philosophy in obtaining a broad perspective on life

Explore: What’s Next?

What does Philosophy mean? How do we define Philosophy?

Self-Learning Module in Philosophy

Module 1 Page 1 of 14
 Pre-Assessment Activity

Fill out the given graphic organizer by answering the question What idea come to your
mind when you hear the word “doing philosophy” write at least 5 words that will define
doing philosophy.

1.

5. 2.

What is
doing
philosophy?

4. 3.

Self-Learning Module in Philosophy

Module 1 Page 2 of 14
Discovering Philosophical Reflection
Discussion
At some point in your life, you may have asked difficult questions though perhaps you
never discussed it to someone. The 5th question in activity 2: Mother and I is a good example of
such questions. To think about it is to engage in a philosophical reflection because it compels us
to look at a particular experience from a wider perspective. It is not an ordinary question, but a
truly difficult one.
To reflect philosophically is to think about an important question that does not have a
definite or ready answer. We are puzzled mostly about things we cannot fully understand
because we can ask. One of the things human beings ask are “Why am I here?” which is a
variation of the questions “Why was I even born?” "What am I here for?," or "What is the purpose
of my existence?" Many also ask "Why love when you only get hurt?" and "What if there is no
after-life?" Such questions usually come when we are going through a really difficult time in our
life. Perhaps when we are heartbroken, when we feel lost, or when we become conscious of our
personal struggles in this world.
The thing is no amount of research would be able to provide a definite and conclusive
answer to some questions that puzzle us. Yet they are the kind of questions that endure.
Sometimes when we find – found the answers - it even leads us to ask more questions. These
are difficult questions that do not have definite answers but they are important because these are
questions that matter most to us for they reflect our desire to understand or at least to make
sense of the experience.

Activity 2: The Allegory of the Cave

Read The Allegory of the Cave

The Allegory of the Cave

[Socrates is speaking with Glaucon]

[Socrates:] And now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or
unenlightened: --Behold! human beings living in a underground den, which has a mouth open
towards the light and reaching all along the den; here they have been from their childhood, and
have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them,
being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is
blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will
see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in
front of them, over which they show the puppets.

[Glaucon:] I see.

Self-Learning Module in Philosophy

Module 1 Page 3 of 14
And do you see, I said, men passing along the wall carrying all sorts of vessels, and statues and
figures of animals made of wood and stone and various materials, which appear over the wall?
Some of them are talking, others silent.

You have shown me a strange image, and they are strange prisoners.

Like ourselves, I replied; and they see only their own shadows, or the shadows of one another,
which the fire throws on the opposite wall of the cave?

True, he said; how could they see anything but the shadows if they were never allowed to
move their heads?

And of the objects which are being carried in like manner they would only see the shadows?

Yes, he said.

And if they were able to converse with one another, would they not suppose that they were
naming what was actually before them?

Very true.

And suppose further that the prison had an echo which came from the other side, would they not
be sure to fancy when one of the passers-by spoke that the voice which they heard came from
the passing shadow?

No question, he replied.

To them, I said, the truth would be literally nothing but the shadows of the images.

That is certain.

And now look again, and see what will naturally follow if the prisoners are released and
disabused of their error. At first, when any of them is liberated and compelled suddenly to stand
up and turn his neck round and walk and look towards the light, he will suffer sharp pains; the
glare will distress him, and he will be unable to see the realities of which in his former state he
had seen the shadows; and then conceive some one saying to him, that what he saw before was
an illusion, but that now, when he is approaching nearer to being and his eye is turned towards
more real existence, he has a clearer vision, -what will be his reply? And you may further imagine
that his instructor is pointing to the objects as they pass and requiring him to name them, -- will he
not be perplexed? Will he not fancy that the shadows which he formerly saw are truer than the
objects which are now shown to him?

Far truer.

And if he is compelled to look straight at the light, will he not have a pain in his eyes which will
make him turn away to take and take in the objects of vision which he can see, and which he will
conceive to be in reality clearer than the things which are now being shown to him?

True, he said.

And suppose once more, that he is reluctantly dragged up a steep and rugged ascent, and held
fast until he's forced into the presence of the sun himself, is he not likely to be pained and
irritated? When he approaches the light his eyes will be dazzled, and he will not be able to see
anything at all of what are now called realities.

Not all in a moment, he said.

He will require to grow accustomed to the sight of the upper world. And first he will see the
shadows best, next the reflections of men and other objects in the water, and then the objects
themselves; then he will gaze upon the light of the moon and the stars and the spangled heaven;
and he will see the sky and the stars by night better than the sun or the light of the sun by day?

Certainly.

Self-Learning Module in Philosophy

Module 1 Page 4 of 14
Last of all he will be able to see the sun, and not mere reflections of him in the water, but he will
see him in his own proper place, and not in another; and he will contemplate him as he is.

Certainly.

He will then proceed to argue that this is he who gives the season and the years, and is the
guardian of all that is in the visible world, and in a certain way the cause of all things which he
and his fellows have been accustomed to behold?

Clearly, he said, he would first see the sun and then reason about him.

And when he remembered his old habitation, and the wisdom of the den and his fellow-prisoners,
do you not suppose that he would felicitate himself on the change, and pity them?

Certainly, he would.

And if they were in the habit of conferring honours among themselves on those who were
quickest to observe the passing shadows and to remark which of them went before, and which
followed after, and which were together; and who were therefore best able to draw conclusions as
to the future, do you think that he would care for such honours and glories, or envy the
possessors of them? Would he not say with Homer,

Better to be the poor servant of a poor master, and to endure anything, rather than think as they
do and live after their manner?

Yes, he said, I think that he would rather suffer anything than entertain these false notions
and live in this miserable manner.

Imagine once more, I said, such a one coming suddenly out of the sun to be replaced in his old
situation; would he not be certain to have his eyes full of darkness?

To be sure, he said.

And if there were a contest, and he had to compete in measuring the shadows with the prisoners
who had never moved out of the den, while his sight was still weak, and before his eyes had
become steady (and the time which would be needed to acquire this new habit of sight might be
very considerable) would he not be ridiculous? Men would say of him that up he went and down
he came without his eyes; and that it was better not even to think of ascending; and if any one
tried to loose another and lead him up to the light, let them only catch the offender, and they
would put him to death.

No question, he said.

This entire allegory, I said, you may now append, dear Glaucon, to the previous argument; the
prison-house is the world of sight, the light of the fire is the sun, and you will not misapprehend
me if you interpret the journey upwards to be the ascent of the soul into the intellectual world
according to my poor belief, which, at your desire, I have expressed whether rightly or wrongly
God knows. But, whether true or false, my opinion is that in the world of knowledge the idea of
good appears last of all, and is seen only with an effort; and, when seen, is also inferred to be the
universal author of all things beautiful and right, parent of light and of the lord of light in this visible
world, and the immediate source of reason and truth in the intellectual; and that this is the power
upon which he who would act rationally, either in public or private life must have his eye fixed.

The Universal and the Particular

Discussion
A distinction between the universal and the particular will further clarify the nature of
philosophical questions. In philosophy, we distinguish between the particular (partial point of
view) and the universal (holistic perspective). One of the simpler ways of distinguishing one from
the other is by saying that the particular refers to a part of the whole, while the universal pertains
to the whole.
We can say that the question “Why am I here?” seems to be a particular question
because it is simply one among others that may be asked. It is a specific question and so,

Self-Learning Module in Philosophy

Module 1 Page 5 of 14
particular. But when you start thinking about the question, you realized that it is neither confined
nor limited to just one person nor a specific situation. Rather, it is a question that involves many
other questions. Philosophical questions cannot be taken up in isolation, that is, separate from
the very experience from which they arise.
The question "Why am I here?" if interpreted as a question of purpose for existing, we see
how the totality of existence is actually involved. The purpose is like a thread that is woven
through everything that happens. Inevitably, we will have to include the aspect who determines
our purpose aside from what is our purpose. Thus, to philosophize is to look at life from a holistic
perspective.
Such is precisely what makes philosophy different from science according to a German
philosopher Martin Heidegger. For Heidegger, a scientific question is always confined to the
particular, whereas a philosophical question “leads into the totality of beings” and “inquires into
the whole” (Heidegger 2002, The Essence of Human Freedom, 9).
Furthermore, you have to understand that every person engaged in a philosophical
question require adequate justification or rational basis. Answers that sound right or seem right
will simply not do. Philosophers have taught us that we can be misled if we are not careful. There
are numerous sources we can go to for answers such as books, teachers, parents, the Internet,
television, and others but philosophical questions as earlier said do not have ready or definite
answers. Plato has warned as early as 360 B.C.E. that there are things that deceive, confuse, or
mislead in this world. To know what is real requires much intellectual effort and rational ability.
Moreover, a person is responsible for the answers he/she holds on to. This means we are to
blame in case we are fooled into believing a falsehood.
So how do we guard against deceptions? God did not give us a life manual but He gifted
us with intellect or mind (faculty of reason) to figure things out on our own. In doing so, we are
given dignity and autonomy. This faculty of reason or rational capacity allows us to pursue our
questions so we can come nearer to the truth. It is the best tool we have that enables us to deal
with problems. Our mind goes beyond our instincts and pays attention to our emotions so we can
effectively pursue meaning and truth.

Explore: The web

To equip learning and understanding about this topic, click the given link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RWOpQXTltA&t=169s&fbclid=IwAR2T0IYDgHZ
VDDfathSSCcAoU89vCVyh10EUyljkP5QckotI3UZnPKQQSEg

Process Question:

• Which aspect of your life can greatly benefit from doing Philosophy?

• What is the main message of the Allegory of the Cave

• In your personal life what are the things you consider real, true or unchanging?

Self-Learning Module in Philosophy

Module 1 Page 6 of 14
Activity 3: Revealing the Whole
Express your thoughts on the following statements. Write your answer on the “THOUGHT”
column.

Statement Thought (Agree or Disagree)

1. The topping is not the

pizza.

2. Spaghetti is not about

the sauce.

3. The earth is not just

land.

4. The class is not only the

students.

5. Academic life is not just

about the exams.

Points to Remember

• The particular refers to a part of the whole, while the universal pertains to the whole.
• A scientific question is always confined to the particular, whereas a philosophical question
“leads into the totality of beings” and “inquires into the whole.”
• God did not give us a life manual but He gifted us with intellect or mind (faculty of reason)
to figure things out on our own.

Truth and Dialectics

Philosophers rely on the human faculty of reason as they philosophize. Through this rational
capacity, they arrived at a technique to resolve philosophical questions. This is called dialectics.
Dialectics is an act of refutation that dates back to the ancient Greeks. Philosophical discovery is
seen as the result of collaboration with partners in dialogue or conversation. This is the reason
why ancient Greek philosophers wrote the dialogue .Dialogue illustrates how dialectics is an
effective means of examining and evaluating truth claims.
Socrates is most noteworthy in his use of dialectics. His method of question and answer
illustrates how views need to be defended with consistency and clarity. The series of questioning
and answering was effective in drawing underlying assumptions. A claim or proposition requires
sufficient proof and logical argument to be regarded as true. One has to give good reasons as
bases for any claim and the claim must be able to withstand further scrutiny and examination.
When our views are challenged we are compelled to defend those very views.
The rational way to defend the claim is to give GOOD REASON and welcomes questions that
probe into the core. In the process, we learn more about our position/view – what it assumes,
what it truly means, and what it entails.
The dialectics of the ancients later developed in the modern era into a thesis, antithesis, and
synthesis. The exchange or confrontation between differing positions (one as thesis and the other
as antithesis) culminates to a synthesis that is a resolution of opposing views. G.W.F. Hegel
(1770-1831) and Karl Marx (1818-1883) were German philosophers who proposed that there is a
dialectical pattern even in history as reflected in resolutions of contradictions through time.
Dialectics is indispensable since it leads us closer to the truth. Finding the truth, in a way,
involves a kind of "truth-ing," and dialectics is one of its earliest and tested forms. When we
inquire about philosophical questions in partnership with another, in some form of debate, we
learn more because we are challenged to think about the question rigorously and exhaustively. A

Self-Learning Module in Philosophy

Module 1 Page 7 of 14
development or progress in thought thus occurs. The philosophical question is clarified and so it
contributes to a better understanding of the question itself, or of the kind of answer that would
qualify as plausible/reasonable.
Philosophy teaches us to be open as we strive to know better. Debating amiably (that is, a
confrontation without aggression) with someone allows us to discover many things. It reveals our
beliefs and challenges us to defend those beliefs. This rational activity teaches us to hold on only
to those beliefs we can defend, and to remain open so we can revise our views through time and
in collaboration with others.
Some Philosophers
Plato (427-347 B.C.E.)

• A Greek Athenian philosopher, Plato was a student of Socrates and a teacher of Aristotle.
• He founded a school in Athens known as the Academy which served as the model of
universities.
• He wrote numerous dialogues in which Socrates is the main character. His most famous
works are the Apology (where he gives an account of Socrates’ trial) and the Republic
(where he presents his famous Theory of Forms).

Socrates (469-399 B.C.E.)

• Socrates’ life is a puzzle because even three recognized sources (Plato, Xenophon, and
Aristophanes) on his life presented differing accounts. However, they agreed that
Socrates was strange and ugly and he philosophized in the marketplace.
• He left no writings, but conversed with people from all walks of life using question and
answer as a concrete living out of his famous advice – “Know thyself.” His commitment
to philosophy was the reason he was condemned to reason.

G.W.F. Hegel (1770-1831)

• Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel was born in Stuttgard, Germany.

• He belongs to the period in philosophy known as “German idealism” which shared Plato’s
view that ideas are real as opposed to matter.
• Hegel’s first major work. The Phenomenology of the Spirit is linked to historical
progress.

Karl Marx (1818-1883)

• Born on May 5, 1818 in Trier, Germany, Karl Marx was trained in philosophy but later
turned to economics and politics.
• Marx introduced the concept of "historical materialism" which embodies his theory that
society rises and falls as a result of class struggles.

Martin Heidegger (1889-1976)

• Born in the town of Messkirch in Germany, he initially published articles in Catholic

journals as a result of his education in the seminary.
• His writings in philosophy were influenced by his readings of G.W.F Hegel, Friedrich
Nietzche, Max Scheler to name a few. His most influential book is Being and Time which
was published in 1927.
• He is responsible for the term “hermeneutics of facticity” which simply means that people
interpret things as they encounter them in different ways.
Activity 4: Table Completion
Complete the table below. Write your answer on the space provided.

ACTIONS WHAT MUST BE DONE BEFORE THE ACTION?

1. Buying new clothes

Self-Learning Module in Philosophy

Module 1 Page 8 of 14
 2. Choosing friends

3. Eating food

4. Deciding where to study for Senior

High School

5. Attending classes in the

afternoon

6. Going to school

7. Visiting a friend

8. Joining an organization in
school

9. Playing computer games

10. Buying a new gadget

11. Asking permission if you would

like to go out with friends

12. Helping a stranger

13. Traveling without your family

14. Going to mass or any religious

activities

15. Watching movies that are not

allowed for your age

16. Posting your opinion or

feelings in social media

17. Communicating with your

siblings about a conflict

18.Giving opinions

19. Going out with the opposite

sex

20. Confronting a person who

Self-Learning Module in Philosophy

Module 1 Page 9 of 14
 verbally hurt you

Activity 5: Question and Answer

The Value of Philosophical Reflection

Socrates professed that philosophical reflection is necessary for the life of every person. His
pronouncements of "know thyself" and "the unexamined life is not worth living" are to be
understood this way. The series of questioning and answering that Socrates employed in
engaging in philosophical reflection came to be known as the Socratic method. It is true that we
need to reflect on what we believe or claim to know because we are responsible for our thoughts.
What we believe to be true becomes the basis for our actions. Moreover, if we know something, it
is worth sharing with others. If we are ignorant about something, we need to learn from others
who know.
A life worth living is a life that examines what one thinks. An examination of beliefs or thoughts
provides us with the opportunity to know ourselves better. We need to know ourselves because
we make choices daily. The choices we make, in turn, create who we are. Philosophical reflection
is indispensable because we do not realize what we truly believe in until we are challenged to
defend them.
Every person must confront the question "who am I" because knowledge of oneself is crucial in
life where we make choices daily. If we do not know ourselves, we are bound to make wrong life
decisions. We would pursue things that are not suitable for us and would not truly make us
happy. We will have many regrets. If we do not ask ourselves who we are which essentially
contained some other questions like what are our strengths, our weaknesses, what satisfies us,
what goals we have, we will end up feeling miserable without understanding why. Philosophical
reflection enlightens us and makes us better persons.

Explore: The web

To equip learning and understanding about this topic, click the given link and do some
exercises on the link given https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=What+is+Philosphy

Performance Task 1: Reflection Paper

Write a philosophical reflection confronting yourself with the question “Who AM I.”

Self-Learning Module in Philosophy

Module 1 Page 10 of 14
RUBRICS for REFLECTION PAPER
Your reflection paper must satisfactorily fulfill the standards set on the rubric.

LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE
CRITERIA Beginning Developing Satisfactory Outstanding

Content (4) (6) (8) (10)

Knowledge
Student has no Student has a Student has a Student
grasp of the clear grasp of the clear grasp of the demonstrates full
topic and has topic but with topic and with knowledge about
no bearing on limited bearing on bearing on the the topic and
the topic. the topic topic but not elaborated
elaborated appropriately
appropriately

Personal The reflection is The reflection The reflection is The reflection is

Reflection poor in terms of slightly promotes value-laden. stimulating and
its value a positive value. Personal value-laden.
content. Personal experiences, self Personal
Personal experiences, self discoveries, and experiences, self
experiences discoveries, and insights are discoveries, and
are not insights are integrated insights are well
integrated present integrated

Organization (2) (3) (4) (5)

There is no Sequence of Presents Present

proper information is information in information in
sequence of present but jumps logical sequence logical and
information in around at some interesting
the instances sequence which
presentation captures reader’s
attention

Mechanics / Student makes Student commits Student commits Student commits

Technicalities more 15 8-14 grammatical 1-7 grammatical no grammatical
grammatical errors and errors and error and
errors and misspelled words. misspelled words. misspelled word.
misspelled
words.

Less than 100 100-199 words 200-299 words 300-500 words

words

With more than With 3 – 4 With 1 – 2 Without erasure.

5 erasures. erasures. erasures.

Total Points 40

Summative Assessment(Please answer the Summative Assessment 1 in the LMS

Self-Learning Module in Philosophy

Module 1 Page 11 of 14
 Let’s reflect on this…
In our discussion we were able to know about Philosophy. How do you understand the
idea about “man is the measure of all things”?

Self-Learning Module in Philosophy

Module 1 Page 12 of 14
 Name: ________________________
To end our class Grade & Section: _______________

Date Accomplished: _____________

Your Reflection from Time to Reflect! :

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

What are the important things you learned from this lesson?

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________

Which part/s of the lesson did you find to be difficult? Why?

_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

Self-Learning Module in Philosophy

Module 1 Page 13 of 14
Resources

Camiloza, L.G., Garnace, E.B., Mazo, R.M., and Perez, E.D. (2017). Philosophy of the
Human Person: An Introductory Text for Senior High School. Quezon City: Phoenix
Publishing House, Inc.

Porras, J.C. (n.d.). Philosophy of the Human Person. Power Point Presentation.

Rivera, A.O. (n.d.). Meaning and Nature of Philosophy. Based on the presentation of Mr.
Alexander Rodis. Cavite, Philippines.

Additional Reading Materials

The Nature and Function of Philosophy

https://sccollege.edu/Faculty/JGranitto/TheNatureandFunctionofPhilosophy/Pages/default.
aspx

Self-Learning Module in Philosophy

Module 1 Page 14 of 14