Methods of Philosophizing

Conceptual Analysis

Philosophy is a conceptual discipline because It analyses concepts. Science analyzes facts through observation,
experimentation and sense experience. Facts are known but concepts are understood.

Example: It is a known fact that the Philippines was discovered (or rediscovered) by Magellan. *An ordinary person
cannot understand the facts about Magellan unless he understands the concept of discovery.

Logical Analysis

It is a method of determining whether the assertion offered as reason for accepting the assertion justify that
acceptance in the way the speaker intended. When a speaker asserts a thing, it becomes an argument. An argument
consists of two or more statements, one of which is a conclusion and the others are premises.

When we say logical analysis, the speaker has to establish relationship between premises and conclusions in
arguments which reasoning may either be in deductive or inductive argumentation.

Logic and Critical Thinking

Inductive Reasoning

It is a kind of reasoning that is based on observations to create generalizations. This is also often applied in prediction,
forecasting or behavior.

Every quiz has been easy. Therefore, the test will be easy.

Deductive Reasoning

It is a kind of reasoning that draws out conclusion coming from a broad definition or judgement.

All students in this class play guitar. Vincent is a student of this class. Therfore, Vincent plays guitar.

Systematic Doubt

This doubt is not a casual doubt, which is handed to us by our parents, teachers, relatives and friends. The "doubt" as
a method of philosophy is called the methodological doubt or indubitable or sometimes referred to as Cartesian
doubt advocated by Rene Descartes (1596-1650), a French philosopher.

He said that when we begin to think philosophically, the first thing we should do is to doubt everything of which we
cannot be absolutely certain. Since, there are many beliefs (true or false) that surround us, the person must distance
himself from the whole mixture of beliefs and then as a fresh start, he may begin intellectually by reasoning the most
solid foundation against this method, it is certainly an effective way of overcoming unreflective body of traditional
beliefs.

Phenomenological Method

This method of philosophy was associated with Edmund Husserl (1859-1938), a German philosopher who postulated
transcendental phenomenology. The word phenomenon is derived from a Greek word phaenesthai, which means "to
appear".

In phenomenological method, we describe ourselves and the world around us on the basis of subjective experience,
which is often referred to as "lived experience".

Philosophical Dialogue

A person who employs this method must employ the other methods listed here in order to conduct the conversation.
A spoken dialogue is much more effective in giving life to ideas.

The usefulness of this method is that it brings a philosopher into contact with many ideas in a short period of time,
especially when there are more than two opinions being argued.
Historical Method

In this method, there is value in explaining the implications of an argument in a society. However, negative
Implications do not simply imply an absence of truth nor do positive ones imply its presence.

It involves the study of documents, records and archives, chronology (establishing the dates of past events), the study
of publications, epigraphy (study of ancient inscriptions)

Comparative Descriptive Method

This serves as a valuable learning tool, since it requires us to come to understand concepts and relate it to what we
already know.

However, this approach is not much useful, since it does not really generate any new knowledge.

Its other purpose is to document where similarities and differences between Western and Other philosophies exist
and, through such documentation, improve mutual understanding of people and cultures.

Comparative-Constructive Method

This is a very useful method for creating new ideas, which are extremely important to the process of truth seeking.

 Constructivism is the theory that says learners construct knowledge rather than just passively take in information. 

Deconstructive Method

This method is useful in specific situations. Its value is that it allows a thinker to challenge his own cultural
preconceptions and thus gain a somewhat, more objective point of view.

This approach is most commonly used when looking at situations regarding ethics.

It involves breaking something down into smaller parts. Deconstruction looks at the smaller parts that were used to
create an object.

The smaller parts are usually ideas.

FALLACY

Appeal To Pity

Appeal to pity is a specific kind of appeal to emotion which someone tried to win support for an argument by
exploiting his or her opponent’s feelings of pity or guilt.

Example: A student figured in a vehicular accident and stayed for some weeks in the hospital. When he reported to
his class he argued that he deserves at least a passing grade because a failing grade would be too much to bear after
what he has suffered due to the accident.

Appeal to Ignorance

Whatever has not been proven false must be true, and vice versa.

Example: No one has ever come back and tell us that there is such a place as hell. Ergo, there is no hell.

Equivocation

There is a logical chain of reasoning of a term or a word several times, but giving the particular word a different
meaning each time

Example: Human beings have hands; the clock has hands He is drinking from the pitcher of water; he is a baseball
pitcher.

Composition

Compositions infers that something is true of the whole. The reverse of this fallacy is division.

Example: I cannot buy a car; I cannot buy a mansion; Therefore, I cannot buy anything.
Division

One reasons logically that something true of a thing must also be true of all or some of its parts.

Example: The Carolinians donated 3000 pesos to the flood victims. Ernest is a Carolinian. So, he donated 3000 pesos
to the flood victims.

Against the Person

This fallacy attempts to link the validity of a premise to a characteristic or belief of a person advocating the premise.

Example: We, Filipinos never learn from our past. Our colonial mentality is very strong.

Appeal to Force

It is an argument where force, coercion, or the threat of force, is given as a justification for a conclusion

Example: You better think twice before giving that student a failing grade. Remember, he’s the nephew of the
university president.

Appeal to People

It is an argument that appeals or exploits people’s vanities, desire for esteem, and anchoring or popularity.

Example: A political candidate who tries to win the sympathy of the poor people saying in his speech: “I am the poor
man’s candidate”

Hasty Generalization

It is a conlusion that is not logically justified by sufficient evidence.

Example: Sister Felicity decided not to buy a box of oranges. Because she found a few rotten oranges in the box, she
concluded that all of those in the box are rotten.

False Cause

It is referred to as coincidental correlation.

Example: The rooster crows always before the sun rises, therefore the crowing rooster causes the sun to rise.