Course Subject Title: Introduction of the PHILOSOPHY of the Human Person

Prepared by: Mr. Jun Junsay, LPT, MAEd

Core Subject Description: An initiation to the activity and process of philosophical reflection as a search for
a synoptic vision of life. Topics to be discussed include the human experiences of embodiment, being in the
world with others and the environment, freedom, intersubjectivity, sociality, being unto death.
Course objectives: At the end of the course, the student should be able to:
1. Reflect on their daily experiences from a holistic point of view
2. Acquire Critical and Analytical Thinking skills
3. Apply their critical and analytical thinking skills to the affairs of daily life
4. Become truthful, environment-friendly and service-oriented
5. Actively committed to the development of a more humane society
6. Articulate their own philosophy of life
Over-all Standard: The learner should be able to demonstrate a capacity for a critical and analytical reflection
from the perspective of a holistic and profound vision of life.
Nature of Philosophy:
1. As a mother discipline
2. Characteristic of a philosophic question
3. A second-order inquiry
Pythagoras-first used Philosophia
I. Mother Discipline- Start of Science- Inquiry *Mythologica -“Phusis” /nature- Emergence of Science
*Ionia happened/any investigation of nature falls “Phusis”
*Ancient Greeks ----- engrossed w/ intention of gods/goddesses
*Thales----- started to ask question----- “What underlying substance that reality is made of?”
“How do things come to be?”
st
*1 time Greeks go out from tradition ----- start of western philosophy this made Thales- father of
philosophy. He used symbol of water as reality----- it’s everywhere----- change liquid to solid
*He used man’s rational ability ----- to explain reality
*Suspected to have order, laws, logos, study to explain through the process of abstraction-----
indeed revolutionary
*Thales - 1st man recorded in history to veer mythological; We owe from him this discipline – now
we have ‘’ traditional philosophy”. Anaximenes – substance of reality is made up of AIR.
II. Characteristics of Philosophic Question
-Questions as philosophy - problem to address -What is beyond simple question?
3 characteristics of philosophic questions/problem
1. General/Broad ----- broad questions always ask in philosophy
2. Methodology----- subserversive/relative questions / subject to study or research/survey
3. Trivial ----- little value but other discipline could answer; little value/ importance
*Task of Philosophy----- to ask general questions to develop and discover the matter and
understand well, where the start of science of inquiry/criticisms later developed to methodology
III. 2nd order inquiry
Inquiry done by sciences as to inquiry done by philosophy
*What is the difference of philosopher/scientist?

1
 Scientist- studies in the laboratory/ experiments done, explain a conclusion and share the
study/discovery. He made science as 1st order inquiry.
Philosopher- asks questions, criticize, scrutinize the underlying assumptions- Pros and cons
/ you should justify, does 2nd order inquiry that lead to refinement of science and its methods.
Philosophy- a source from which all sciences draw their view and watch all over them----- becomes
mother
-----Philosophy is vision----- new way of looking at things, understanding and perspective.
Therefore philosophy leads us to be more open to look at things in a different perspective and to
allow us understand reality at its best.
Beginning of doing Philosophy
*Miletus – Asia Minor/ Turkey: Melting pots of ideas, people became opinionated, center of trade and
commerce and people full of insights
The three Milesians- Thales, Anaximander, Anaximenes – Triumverate/first thinkers
Hylozoist – Hylo:stuff, Zoe:Life

The Pre-Socratic Ancient Philosopher

1. Thales – Believed that reality is made up of WATER / Father of Philosophy / Mathematician
2. Anaximander – He claimed that fundamental substance of reality is the infinite or the Apeiron
3. Anaximenes – Fundamental substance must be “AIR” – air holds our soul together.
4. Pythagoras – He gave importance to the contemplative life.
5. Heraclitus - He was the first philosopher who first wrote the idea of change.
6. Parmenides - Change, for him is merely an illusion.
7. Anaxagoras – Acrdg. to him, nous or the mind has the greatest strength and power over all things.
8. Zeno of Elea - He has two main ideas against motion: Infinite divisibility and finite divisibility
9. Empedocles - He is regarded as a ‘pluralist’ and claimed to be immortal.

*Realists - They believed in one objective reality.

*Constructivists - They believed that reality is a construct of the mind.
*Mythology - It is an explanation about the universe based on or appearing in myths.
*Nuance - This refers to a subtle differences in or meaning and expression.
*Prejudice - The pre-convinced opinion that is not abased on reason or factual experience.
*Abstraction - The process of extracting a unifying explanation from multiplicity of the things.
Approaches in doing Philosophy
1.Analytical/Examine – analysis and definition, clear and resolute criticisms of belief
Ex. Egg and chicken – Who came first? Reproductive and development.
2. Speculative – Tries to find underlying explanation or general principle that could explain reality and its
entirety. Aims to reach general conclusion as to the nature.
Ex. The substance of reality is water
3. Reductionism – It refers to understanding complex ideas by reducing them to their parts
Ex. The machine can only be understood if an individual would its pieces apart.
4. Holistic/Holism – works on the assumption that all properties on given system can’t be broken by its
component alone but rather the system as a whole entity.
Ex. The whole is more than the sum of its part.