Fundamental characteristics

1. Unity (every being exist in virtue of its own nature- wholesome (simple, Complex)
2. Outstanding- he has the power of “self-determination”
3. Integrity- wholeness in a person (Goodness is promoted)
Branches of Philosophy
1. Metaphysics – the study if the nature of reality, including the relationship between mind and
body, substance and accident, events and causation
2. Epistemology- concerned with the nature and scope of knowledge and whether knowledge is
possible.
3. Ethics (moral philosophy) – concerned with questions of how persons ought to act or if such
questions are answerable.
4. Political Philosophy – the study of government and the relationship of individuals and
communities to the state.
5. Aesthetics – deals with beauty, art, enjoyment, sensory-emotional values, perception and
matters of taste and sentiment.
6. Logic- the study of valid argument forms
7. Philosophy of mind- deals with the nature of the mind and its relationship to the body and is
typified by disputes between dualism and materialism.
8. Philosophy of language- inquiry into the nature, organism and usage of language
9. Philosophy of religion- a branch of philosophy that asks questions about religion
Value of Philosophy
- Overcoming narrow-mindedness by contemplating the whole of the universe impartially
- Discovering unsuspected possibilities by becoming uncertain about those that are given
4. Goodness- there is wholeness. It is integrated academically spiritually. Ot os harder to build
stronger/solid whole
Evil- something willed, easier to do.
5. Truth- spoken of in relationship
Being is recognized(openness)
Optimistic being a positive
Characteristics
1. Integration
2.Integrity- unity w/wholeness
3. Clarity
Beauty- embodiment of all the traits
Elements of philosophical search
1. The OBJECT of the SEARCH is of real value to the SUBJECT.
2. It CONSUMES the whole person his attention, concentration, interest and effort
3. It is CONTINUED w/out let up until the:
a. the answer is found
b. the answer is not yet found but the connection is reached
Value of Philosophy
- to understand and appreciate one’s culture and the values that shape aspirations and
motivate actions.
- To build cooperation among people by healing deep tensions and promoting peace and
cooperation
- To understand other culture and to develop a positive yet critical appreciation there of
Experience- the interactive process itself, the human self in dynamic relation w/ the range of the others
Philosophical Inquiry- man’s effort to integrate this experience as responsible agent
Steps in inquiry
1. Man function as the responder
2. Man may be aware of the inadequacy of past habits in dealing with a problem w/c gives rise to
hesitancy and uncertainty
3. The uncertainty is a positive and pervasive quantity of the interactive process itself. It is this
incoherence that call for inquiry.

Coherence- orderly
Inquiry- whole process by w/c man’s experience of himself as responder to actions on him, transferred
from man coherent state to one whose elements hang together, from a state of tension and discord to
one that is resolved and integrated.

Scope of inquiry:
1. Human experience is shared experience
2. This shared experience has a double impart
a. it’s role, as shared in the creation of community
b. the lack of adequacy is now projected to experience as a whole
3. Use of common sense
- This becomes inadequate when it comes to using his surroundings as means or onstrument to
satisfy his needs
What is man? Who is man?
Man- destined to lived in the spiritual world (summoned by God) and to live in the physical world
(material)
Human nature(natus- born)
- To anything excessively human w/c man intrinsically possesses right at his birth. Universal
and static. Immutable (not change)
Substance of Human Nature
- Material and spiritual elements
- Body and soul
o But if the accident-(body) are considered, can be entertained (every 7yrs.)
Three fold level of human nature
1. Somatic level- refers to the body substance, constitutional to the bodily structure and colour of man
w/c are condition by man’s culture and environment. Nothing in one human body is foreign to another.
Capable of sensation
2. Behavioural- refers to the mode of every man. If behave differently from others in a given situation;
because of the influence of culture or environment. Every man, irrespective of his culture, religion or
race has behaviour distinctly unique from others.
3. Attitudinal- refers to the mental reaction of every man to given stimulus; the position of every
individual man concerning his opinion, feeling or mood. Not statics but universal. This lies on the heart
of every man’s uniqueness; this caters towards life.

Decision and responsibility (mission)

In this lies his value:
- There is no Filipino, French or American h.n in the somatic and behavioural levels
- There is but one human nature
- There is Filipino, French among other, distinctively in the attitudinal level.
- H.N changes only in terms of its accidental continents.
Pre-Socratic
Thales- says that water is the world-stuff and through deductive reasoning we provide the scientific
linking position that man has 80% water in his brain and 70% water in his body.

Anaximenes- claims that air is the world-stuff

Heraclitus- treats fire as the world-stuff. He maintains that everything is in constant change

Anaximander- according to him man is the being that has evolved from animals of another species which
are lower than his.

Pythagoras- depicted in Pythagorean views is that soul is immortal, divine and is subjected to
metempsychosis

Plato- moral value

Necessary for the “health of the soul”
- He founded the “ACADEMY” at the age of 40
- Man is a soul using a body. Body is material, mutable and destructible. Soul is immaterial
can exist apart from the body.
Soul parts:
Rational- head (brain)
Appetitive- abdomen subject to death (appetitive and Spiritual)
Spiritual- chest
Reason- controls spirit and appetite
Aristotle
Kinds of soul:
Vegetative- it feeds itself, it grows and it reproduces
Animals/ sensitive souls- it feeds itself, it grows, it reproduces and it has feelings (pain and pleasure)
Rational soul- thinking, reasoning and willing capable of judging aside from sensing and growing.
Soul causes the body to live. Body is the matter to the soul and the soul from the body. Therefore, body
and soul are INSEPRABLE.

Polymath- a person who has considerable knowledge about almost everything.

Stoic “Indifferent once”- they teach resignation (acceptance) and determination.

Moksa- refers to liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth

- A person who attain moksa gets freedom from all sorts of suffering and pain
2 kind of moksa
Jivan mukti- it could be attained while still alive
Para mukti- it could be attained after death

Atman- the inner most self

- Soul
Brahman- the ultimate reality
- God
Mother Teresa
- Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu
- Born: Aug. 26, 1910
- Died: Sept. 5, 1997
- Place of birth: Skopte, Macedonia
1982- went to India an d taught a convent school in Calcutta
1931- first religious vow
1937- final vow
1948- left the convent to work alone adopted Indian citizenship received some medical training in Patna
1950- founded the Missionary for Charity
1952- Kalignat home for the Dying
1971- Pope john XXIII awarded her peace prize
1979- nobel peace prize
1980- Bharat Ratna
Oct. 19,2003- she was Beatified as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta
Steps to Sainthood:
1. Venerable
2. Beatification
3. Canonization

Buddha
- Siddharta Gautama
- Spiritual teacher/ military Conqueror
- Age of 35- attained enlightenment
- Place of birth: Nepal
Passing site
1. old man
2. sick man
3. corpse
4. acetic (monk)
Rahula- fetters (shackles)
Great departure- no guard noticed his departure

1. fasting fig tree (ficusiveligiose)- underneath Buddha attained enlightenment

2. enduring pain Buddhism- started in India
3. holding breath

4 noble truths
1. suffering is part of your existence
2. suffering is craving for sensual desires/ pleasure
3. suffering can be stopped
4. 8 fold paths
- Right thinking
- Right mindfulness
- Right understanding
- Right actions
- Right speech
- Right concentration
- Right livelihood
- Right effort
Karma- action and speech
Hinayana- Buddha is prophet
Mahayana- Buddha is a God
Reincarnation
Nirvana- peace
Symbol

Gandhi’s 7deadly sins

- Mohandas Karamchand Ghandi: considered these traits to be the most spiritually perilous to
humanity
o Wealth w/o work
o Pleasure w/o conscience
o Science w/o humanity
o Knowledge w/o character
o Politics w/o principle
o Commence w/o morality
 o Worship w/o sacrifice
Confucius
- Kong- Fu-Tse (master King)
- Born: June 19, 551 B.C
- Place: Shang-Ping in Lu
- Died: 479 BC
578 BC- Lost of his Father
519 BC- started teaching of ancient rituals
Confucianism or Ju- teaching of Confucius
2 main idea
1. being true gentleman (five characteristics)
- integrity - altruism -loyalty
- goodness - righteousness
2. having proper conduct
Teaching:
1. conservatism 2. Harmonism
3. Virtue Ethics 4. Golden Rule
5. Analects- a collection of sayings of Confucius
a. forget injuries do not forget kindness
b. Don not do unto others what you do not want others do unto you
c. a true man is a noble man
1. A man of “jen” human heartedness in consideration and loving others
2. Righteousness (yi)- to do what is right and proper w/o regard of personal profit
3. Ritual or Propriety (li)- humbling oneself, to pay respect of to others
4. Wisdom (chi)- understanding of the other three virtue.

517 BC- fled along w/ prince of Lu to the neighboring state

500 BC-appointed as Minister of Justice of Lu
495 BC- left his post as well as the state of Lu
483 BC- returned to the state of Lu
479 BC- he died at the age of 79

Mencius
- Lived in the 4th century BCE during the Zhou dynasty. He is said to have studied under
Confucius grandson Zisi.
- Man is originally good
o Ren – benevolence, humanness
o Li- observance of the rites
o Yi- propriety
o Zhi- wisdom
1. Confucianism and Taoism
 - Chinese P.nature of man- God
Confucius (literally means teacher “Kung”)- his teachings viewed education not merely as the
accumulation of knowledge but as a means of self-transformation. Emphasizes moral conduct and right
relationships. Confucianism is a “code of conduct” and has a tremendous impact on how the Chinese
live their lives. Correct personal behaviour attitudes and individuals duties to society. Founded on
equilibrium harmony, dynamism and unity, self-control, contentment, education and living a single
virtuous life. (Belief in harmony between man, heaven and truth)

Lao Tzu
- He was a mystic philosopher of ancient China and best known as the author of the Tao Te
Ching w/c led him to be the founder of Taoism
Tao Te Ching
- It was decided into part I and II. Part I begins w/ the word Tao, and part II begins with the Te
meaning virtue.
Taoism
- Is the essentially a philosophy that advocates what is natural and spontaneous, simple and
necessary.
In the Lao-Tzu book, it is said:
- :” I do not know whose son it is. It might appear to have been before God”
- “the Tao produced one; one produced Two; Two produced Three; Three produced all
things”
- “he who knows the Tao does not speak about it; he who speaks about it does not know it”
- “reversal is the movement of the tao”:to go further and further means to revert again”
Taoism speaks of the two levels of knowledge:
1. the lower level, w/c is the finite point of view, when man sees distinctions like these between right
and wrong
2. the higher level, w/c is the higher point of view, when man sees things in the light of heaven, that is
from the point of view of the tao

Record of the grand historian by Sima Qian

Li (plum) Ar(ear)
Lao Tzu (old Master) yin-female elements (passive)
Lao Dan (old Long Ear) yang-male element (active)
Wu Wei- non-acting/action human- no special place in the Tao
Yin Si- Asked Lao Tzu to write a record of his wisdom
Taoism- “Proper way to go”, “way of nature”, “law of life”, “universal law”
“Man of Tao”- a sage
“Undifferentiated one”- remain when distinction are forgotten
knowledge w/c is not a knowledge
- For the Taoist
- Knowledge based distinction
3 treasures/ Virtues:
1. Simplicity
2. Modesty
3. Kindness

St. Augustine of Hippo/ St. Augustine the Blessed

- Aurelius Augustinus
- Born: Nov. 13 354 BC
o Municipium of Thagaste (Sauk Ahres Alegria provincial city of North Africa)
- Death: Aug. 28, 430 BC
o Hippo Regius, Numidia (annaba, Algeria)
Teaching Philosophy
- Theory of 3 different categories of students
o The students who has been well-educated by knowledgable teachers
o The students who has no education
o The students who has had a poor education but believes himself to be well educated
- An idea of teachers responding positively to the questions they may receive from their
students no matter if the students interrupted his teacher
- The restrained style of teaching
- Agreed to use punishment as an incentive for children to learn
- He believed people tend toward
Medieval/Theocentric period
St. Augustine- 1st great x-ain philosopher
- Man- “image of God”
- Soul- Gives life to the body
o God is the life of the Body’s of life
- God is the Creator, “Good”
- Body-mortal; soul-immortal
- God gave freedom to the man “gift”
- Salvation- sacrament and church
St. Thomas Aquinas
- Known as Doctor Angelicus, Angelic Doctor or Angelic Thinker
- Born: Aquino, 1225
- A Dominican theologian and philosopher
- Studied in Paris then taught in Colonge
- 1250- priest
- 1257- Earned degree for doctor of theology
- Died: March 7,1274 (49y/o)
Summa Theologica
1. God
 - God is unmoved mover
- God is uncaused cause
- God is perfect
- God is infinite
2. Ethics
- Wisdom (being wise/ practical knowledge)
- Temperance (self- Moderation)
- Justice (being just, knowing what is right)
- Patience (suffering w/o complaint)
3. Christ
- Left unfinished because he died
Holy Sacraments
- Baptism
- Confirmation
- Eucharist
- Penance/ Reconciliation
- Anointing of the sick
- Matrimony
- Holy orders
Cannonized: July 18,1323
Commited the Bible in his mind (angelic thinker)

“Five Ways” For the existence of Dog

- Argument from motion- unmoved mover
- Efficient Causality- uncaused cause
- Possibility and necessity- must have a source of its existence; purely necessary
- Degrees of perfection- perfect
- Governance of the world- infinite
Nicholas of Cusa (1401- Aug.1, 1464)
- Nicholas Cusanus, Nicholas of Kues
- Cardinal of Catholic Church- Germany (Holy Roman Empire)
- Polymath- 15th Century (philosopher, theologian, mathematician and astronomer)
- University of Heidelberg (1416)- cleric of the diocese of Trier- liberal arts
- University of Padua- doctorate- canon law
- Secretary of Otto Ziegenhain
- Council of Basel (1431-1449)
- Was suspected by some of holding PANTHEISTIC BELIEFSs
William of Ockham
- Most influential philosopher of the 14th century
- Born: 1285 in Ockham ( near Ripley, Surrey) England
- Died: April 9, 1348 in Munich, Bavaria (Germany)