Philosophy

Philo – Love, Sophia - Wisdom (Greek roots)

1st meaning of Philosophy

- an academic course or degree

- refers to ideas, views, principles, perspectives, beliefs
- the activity of reasoning
2nd meaning of Philosophy

“pilosopo” (Filipino word) the literal Filipino translation of the term “philosopher”
– one who engages in reasoning for the purposes of covering up an obvious truth,
annoying someone, and engaging someone in an unwelcome argumentation.
3rd meaning of Philosophy

- It refers to an academic subject or course that is taught usually in colleges, universities,

and seminaries.
Philosophy involves the activity of reasoning, but philosophy distinguishes between correct
and incorrect forms of reasoning.
” The science which studies all things in their deepest causes, reasons, and principles known of
human reason alone” - St. Thomas Aquinas

The term “philosopher” was first used by PHYTAGORAS (Ancient Greek Thinker) known
for his mathematical formula the Phytagorean theorem.
PHYTAGORAS preferred to be called a “philosopher” than a Sophist-which literally
means a “wise man” or “one who knows”
PLATO AND SOCRATES – noted for their early usage of the term “philosopher” to mean
“lover of wisdom”
Sophists – group of intellectuals who taught oratory (or the art of public speaking) for a
fee to individuals aspiring to have a successful career in politics.
PROTAGORAS – a leading sophist
PLATO, SOCRATES, AND PHYTAGORAS called themselves “philosophers” partly
because they don’t agree with this view of the Sophists.
Wise Person
Characteristics of a Wise Person
1. Knowing what one knows and what one does not know
2. Having justified true beliefs
3. Knowing things that are valuable in life
4. Having the ability to put knowledge into practice
5. Knowing what should be done and acting accordingly
Asking Framework Questions

- Sometimes described as umbrella discipline

- Sometimes called the queen of the sciences for the different sciences, both natural and
social
- “empirical” or “natural” sciences today used to be called “natural philosophies.”
- “Scientists” used to be called “natural philosophers”

Rudolf Carnap – made a distinction between internal and external questions concerning a
framework further clarifies the nature of philosophical questions as framework questions.
Thomas Nagel – distinguished the questions asked by philosophers from those asked by
nonphilosophers
BRIEF HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY
Ancient Greece - Cradle of Western Philosophy
Asia - Birthplace of Oriental Philosophy
Europe - Birthplace of ideas such as existentialism, feminism, and prism and rationalism.
America

4 Periods of History

1. Ancient (Cosmo centric)

2 Parts
Pre-Socratic Age - natural philosophers have flourished.
THALES OF MILETUS - Everything is water (Essential to life). From TURKEY
ANAXIMANDER - The basic material of cosmos is the apeiron/boundless (we
can’t perceive but it’s there)
ANAXIMENES - The basic material of the cosmos is the air.

Socratic Age - golden age of Greek philosophy.

SOCRATES - The most famous of all philosophers. He did not write anything, but
Plato wrote about him God-fly of Athens. He keeps on challenging
the status quo of the government. He neglected his family.
- The Oracle at Delphi pronounced him the wisest of Greeks.

'The only thing I know is that I know nothing.' - knowing one's ignorance
'Know thyself.' The unexamined life is not worth living. Highest knowledge
we can have is knowing oneself.
He was put to death because he was accused of poisoning the
minds of the Athenian youths. He was a threat that must be eliminated.
He was to drink a poison known as hemlock.
PLATO AND ARISTOTLE
Plato - student of Socrates.
He thought that democracy must be destroyed.
Idea of forms 2 worlds.

 World of sensible things - composed of material things in the world

 World of forms/ideas - composed of the ideas of the things in the sensible
world. The soul never dies and the body that we have is just a prison cell.
Establishes the Academy. The government should be ruled by philosophers
Plato - The ideal state is a state that is governed by someone called a
philosopher king and queen.
The Human Person is composed of 3 Parts
1. The rationale - Located in the head. Leaders. Wisdom must be
attained.
2. The affective/emotional - Located in the chest/heart. Warriors.
(emotions can't rule because it might cloud
judgment)
3. The appetitive - Located within the stomach area. Masses
The rationale part must govern the 2 other parts.
The appetitive must practice the value of temperance.
The affective part must practice the virtue of courage.
ARISTOTLE - Plato's student. Teacher of Alexander the Great. Pioneer in
Biology. He is very intelligent. The world that we have here is not real world. The real
world is in the world of forms.
PLATO -The real world is in the material world.
ARISTOTLE - Founded a school known as the Lyceum.
VIRTUE ETHICS
Eudaimonia - the ultimate end of goal of humans is to be happy/flourished.
Happiness is achieved through virtue.
Virtue is achieved through excellence.

Excellence requires habit/constant practice.

The principle of the golden mean.
The good character trait is that which lies in between two extreme traits relevant to the
situation.
 1. Excessive form
2. Deficient form. Both are considered vices.

The golden mean is the virtue. Overconfidence and cowardice. The balance of
the extremes is courage.
Courage is knowing the battles that you must fight. stinginess and extravagance.
virtue: generosity.
2. Medieval
Medieval Period - the center of thought is the existence of god called theocentric
Scholastics.
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS - Based on Aristotelian Philosophies.
2 Books.

 Summa Contra Gentiles

 Summa Theologica

5 Ways of Proving God's Existence or Quinque Viae (Latin for “Five Ways”)
1. The argument from motion. There exists an Unmoved Mover.
2. " efficient cause. There must be a First Cause.
3. " to necessary being. There must exists at least one thing that is not
dependent and so is a Necessary Being.
4. " gradation. There must exists that is a Absolutely Good Being.
5. " design. There exists a Great/Grand Designer.
ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO - Dealt with the problem of evil. Evil is a deficiency
of goodness. The parent of evil is man because he
has free will.

3. Modern/ Contemporary Period

Modern and Contemporary Period - The center of thoughts and philosophical

ideas is anthropocentric meaning man-centered

RENE DESCRATES. Known for Rationalism. Father of Modern Philosophy

'Methodic Doubt'. Hyperbolic and used only as philosophical tool. No same person has
ever seriously doubted that he is not exiting. 'Indubitable Doubt'. Doubt everything until
you can't doubt anymore.

Cogito Ergo Sum - I think therefore I am. The indubitable doubt is the fact that
you are thinking. Doubting that you are thinking is you are already thinking.

DAVID HUME - Known for Empiricism.

IMMANUEL KANT- Known for his Categorical Imperative. Wrote an essay

entitled, "An answer to the question: What is enlightenment?' Enlightenment is the
separation from immaturity. Immaturity means letting other people think for you.
 FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE - Most notable philosopher in the Modern. Atheist.
Ubermensch. An over/superman. An individual that has the will to power and can
overcome struggles without divine providence. God is Dead! Disregarded religion as the
basis of morality. Called religion as the morality of the slaves. Through suffering, we can
push our limits. Use your envy to achieve something. Surviving is more meaningful
because we lived through all the sufferings.

MARTIN HEIDEGGER - An existentialist. Known for his work, Sein und Zeit
(Being and Time) Dasein - being there; Das Nichts - nothing Contemporary.

ALBERT CAMUS - Known for his works, The Stranger and The Myth of
Sisyphus. Known for absurdism.

JEAN-PAUL SARTRE - One of the most notable contemporary philosophers with

ideas centered on existentialism. For him “Man is condemned to be free; because once
thrown to the world, he is responsible for everything he does.”
- Wrote the l'être et le néant (Being and Nothingness)

SIMONE DE BEAUVOIR - Known for her work, The Second Sex which
pioneered the idea of modern philosophy. SARTRE And SIMONE are companions.

LUDWIG WITTGENSTEIN - Known under the philosophy of language. His ideas

are all about the philosophy of language and how language affects how we see reality.
Wrote the Philosophical Investigations.