Lesson

Method of
2 Philosophizing

INTRODUCTION

The study of this subject is an initiation to the activity and process of

philosophical reflection as a search for a synoptic vision of life. At the end of the
course, you should be able to reflect on their daily experiences from a holistic point
of view, acquire critical and analytical thinking skills and should be able to apply this
critical and analytical thinking skills to the affairs of daily life and become truthful,
environment-friendly and service-oriented. Actively committed to the development of
a more humane society and articulate their own philosophy of life.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Objectives: After going through this module, you will be able to demonstrate various
ways of doing philosophy and evaluate opinions:
1. Distinguish opinion from truth PPT11/12-Ic-2.1
2. Realize that the methods of philosophy lead to wisdom and truth PPT11/12-
Id-2.2
3. Evaluate truth from opinions in different situations using the methods of
philosophizing PPT11/12-Id-2.3

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LEARNING CONTENT

Philosophical method (or philosophical methodology) is the study of how to do

philosophy. A common view among philosophers is that philosophy is distinguished
by the ways that philosophers follow in addressing philosophical questions. There is
not just one method that philosophers use to answer philosophical questions.

Philosophy is concerned with determining the concept of truth. Truth lies at

the heart of any inquiry.

Truth in metaphysics and the philosophy of language is the property of

sentences, assertions, beliefs, thoughts, or propositions that are said, in ordinary
discourse, to agree with the facts or to state what the case is. It is most often used to
mean being in accord with fact or reality, or fidelity to an original or standard. Truth is
also sometimes defined in modern contexts as an idea of "truth to self", or
authenticity.

Propositions is a statement about the world or reality. Propositions may or

may not carry truth.

Knowledge is the clear awareness and understanding of something. It is the

product of questions that allow for clear answers provided by facts.

Facts are propositions or statement which are observe to be real or truthful.

Claim is a statement that is not evidently or immediately known to be true.

This means that any claim can be proven by verification and experimentation.

Therefore, truthful statements can be considered as based on facts.

There are several views regarding truth. Philosophers emphasize the

importance of belief as a basis for determining truth. But as a philosopher, we do not
assume that every statement is true. Remember the famous French philosopher,
Rene Descartes traced the need to philosophize to doubt.

In philosophy, systematic doubt is employed to help determine the truth. This

means that every statement, claim, evidence, and experience is scrutinized and
analyzed.

Philosophers always engaged with the concept of truth. Philosophers consider

truth as a kind of quality or value. Knowledge is the clear awareness and

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understanding of something, since it is true knowing that we are able to determine
what is true.

Doubt has a very important purpose in philosophy as it drives our desire to

discover the truth. In philosophy, systematic doubt is employed to help determine the
truth.

A belief is true if it can be justified or proven through the use of one’s senses.
Another basis for determining truth is a belief or statement is true if it is based on
facts.

Getting consensus or having people agree on a common belief is another way

of determining what is true. Although this approach has certain limitations. Getting
everyone to agree on something may not take that belief true.

Philosophers also believe that claims and belief should also be subjected to
test to determine truth. In determining truth requires also that a person can prove a
statement through an action.

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 Lesson Distinguish Opinion from
2.1 Truth
PRELIMINARY ACTIVITY

Let us take a look at the following statements and determine which one states fact or
opinion.
 1. It takes me 15 minutes to walk from my home to school.
 2. Living near the school is better because we do not have to spend much
for transportation.
 3. My brother ate the last piece of pineapple pie.
 4. My younger sister is a selfish person because she ate the last piece of
pinapple pie and did not share it with me.
 5. The policeman firmly pushed the suspect to his knees and placed him in
handcuffs.
 6. The aggressive manner by which the policeman arrested the suspect is
an example of the brutality that characterizes our police force.
Source: book modified

Statements 1, 3, and 5 are more factual than statements 2, 4, and 6. Using the
philosophical tools we learned, they fit into the category of facts since they contain
ideas or information that are easily verifiable.

While statements 2, 4, and 6 could be considered as opinions. These

statements go beyond providing facts. It also provide conclusions or perspectives
regarding certain situations. Opinions are also the bases for making arguments and
convincing people that a certain claim is a fact.

Fact is something concrete that can be

proven. You can find facts in legal
records, scientific findings,
encyclopaedias, atlases, etc. In other
words, facts are the truth and are
accepted as such
Opinion is less concrete. It's a view formed
in the mind of a person about a particular
www.Dreamstime.com
issue. In other words it is what someone
believes or thinks, and is not necessarily
the truth. Also, note in the examples below
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how facts are the same for everybody, but
opinions can differ quite widely.
 www.literacy.com

Examples of an opinion:

 Ana can have the opinion that Filipino food tastes best, while Pablo has
the opinion that Korean food is ideal.
 Angel can have the opinion that watching basketball is boring, while
Mark can have the opinion that basketball is fun.
 Pia can have the opinion that hot coffee is better, while Tim can prefer
iced coffee.

www.storythat.com

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www.pinterest.com

LEARNING CONTENT
 Opinions are statement that go beyond providing facts.
 A conclusion is a judgment based on certain facts.
 Beliefs are statements that expresses convictions that are not
easily and clearly explained by facts.
 Explanations are statements that assume the claim to be true and
provide reasons why the statement is true.
 Arguments are series of statements that provide reasons to
convince the reader or listener that a claim or opinion is truthful.
 Fallacies are arguments based on faulty reasoning.
 Bias is disproportionate weight in favor of or against an idea or
thing, usually in a way that is closed-minded, prejudicial, or unfair.

The facts that form the bases of a conclusion may not be disputed but the
conclusion itself could still be contested or questioned. To judge the truthfulness of
belief, we must also consider things such a person’s experiences and views.

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 Facts are statements that are observed to be real or truthful. Claims are
statements that require further examination to determine their truthfulness. Some
arguments may contain fallacies. We must be aware of the various kinds of fallacies
as these affect the validity of arguments. Opinions are often influenced by bias. We
must be aware of bias so that we can objectively and critically examine points of
view.

Opinion is something intermediary between knowledge and ignorance. While

Public opinion is the intermediate faculty which seizes the things that float between
the two extremes (Plato)

Opinion applies to what, being true or false, may be other than it is: in fact,
opinion is the apprehension of an immediate and unnecessary premise (Aristotle)

Opinion, founded in the probable, perhaps also the name of knowledge (Leibniz)

Opinion is a belief that is conscious of being insufficient both subjectively and

objectively (Kant)

An opinion gives for truth something that has been said, although sometimes
they are absurd words, which mean nothing, impossible to understand (Hobbes)

Public opinion is the convergence of the opinions of the greatest number of

people in a community, so that they form a common and dominant feeling, exerting
diffuse pressure
(Freund)

The following are the examples of fallacies.

Fallacy Characteristics
Ad hominem attacking the person presenting the argument instead of
the argument itself.
Appeal to force using the threat of force or an undesirable event to
advance an argument.
Appeal to emotion using emotions such as pity or sympathy.
Appeal to the the idea is presented as acceptable because a lot of
popular people accept it.
Appeal to tradition the idea is acceptable because it has been true for a long
time.
Begging the assuming the thing or idea to be proven is true; also known
question as circular argument.
Cause-and-effect assuming “cause-and-effect” relationship between
unrelated events
Fallacy of assuming that what is true of a part is true for the whole
composition

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 Fallacy of division assuming that what is true for the whole is true for its parts.

The following are the examples of biases.

Bias Characteristics
Correspondence bias tendency to judge a person’s personality by his or her
or attribution effect actions, without regard for the external factors or influence.
Confirmation bias tendency to look for and readily accept information which
fits one’s own beliefs or views and to reject ideas or views
that go against it.
Framing focusing on a certain aspect of a problem while ignoring
other aspects.
Hindsight - the tendency to see past events as predictable, or to
ascribe a pattern to historical events.
Conflict of interest a person or group is connected to or has a vested interest
in the issue being discussed.
Cultural bias analyzing an event or issue based on one’s cultural
standards.

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Lesson Methods of Philosophy
2.2 Lead to Wisdom and
Truth

INTRODUCTION

The methods of philosophy will help to learn the process of doing philosophy
in a systematic way. On the other hand, philosophizing is to think or express oneself
in a philosophical manner.

Although philosophy is an organized body of knowledge, the subject matter of

philosophy is questions, which have three major characteristics;

1. Philosophical questions have answers but the answers remain in dispute.

2. Philosophical questions cannot be settled by science, common sense, or
faith.
3. Philosophical questions are of perennial intellectual interest to human
beings.

The methodology or method that philosophers use to address philosophical

question is critical thinking.

Critical Thinking is the careful, reflective, rational and systematic approach to

questions of very general interest.

Critical thinking means understanding if philosophy and refraining from merely

giving claims but through careful thought, one reasons through to argumentation.

The scientific method also leads to wisdom and truth because it uses an
evidencebased approach to come up with its conclusion. In this method, all truths
are supported by facts that can easily be tested or proven again through
experiments, logical reasoning, or observation

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 PRELIMINARY ACTIVITY

Instructions: Give a brief answer to the following question. Write your answer
on the space provided.
1. How will knowing truth help us become more wise in discerning individuals?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
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______________________________________________________________

LEARNING CONTENT
An understanding of opinions and facts and the mean to distinguish one from
the other can further improve our understanding and appreciation of varied views
and ideas.

The ability to determine truth goes hand in hand with the holistic perspective
and enables us to make wiser decisions, especially in choosing then ideas and views
which we find acceptable.

A critical mind aided by philosophy can help us from our own personal point of
view that can guide us in making decisions and actions when we faced with a
problem.

Philosophy can help us determine ideas that are truthful and acceptable,
which we can use to form our own views regarding certain matters

For Maboloc and Pascua (2008) critical thinking is a lifelong process of

selfassessment that further consists of:

 Defining, analyzing and devising solutions,

 Arriving at reasonable and informed conclusions
 Applying understanding and knowledge to new and different
problems. Willingness to say “I don’t know.”

The attributes of a critical thinker include;

 Looks for evidence to support assumption and beliefs

 Adjusts opinion
 Looks for proof
 Examines the problem
 Rejects irrelevant and innocent information

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 Lesson Evaluate Truth from Opinions

2.3
in Different Situations Using
the Methods of Philosophizing

INTRODUCTION
A method of philosophizing is a process of determining the truth or drawing

conclusions from a statement using various philosophical methods, such as Socratic,

dialectic, scientific, and historical.

When you evaluate information, it is very important to distinguish between fact

and opinion. How do we know if something is true?

Philosophers emphasize the importance of belief as a basis for determining

truth. It is said that there are instances when we have to unlearn something so that
we may learn anew. Philosophers questioned what they knew and even analyzed
their methods of knowing in order to understand themselves and the world much
better.

The discussion on truth is part of philosophical studies on knowledge where

philosophers explore the nature of knowledge and the ways of knowing.

LEARNING CONTENT

Both the Socratic and dialectic method are based on a discussion between
two or more people who may carry differing views but wish to pursue the truth by
seeking an agreement with one another. Meanwhile, the scientific method is a
process of determining truth or knowledge through experimentation, inductive and
deductive reasoning, and hypothesis or theory testing.

The scientific method, also called empirical method, is a process of

determining truth or knowledge through experimentation, inductive and deductive
reasoning, and hypothesis or theory testing. Logic is the truth based on reasoning
and critical thinking. It includes analysis and construction of arguments. It serves as
path to freedom from half-truths and deception.

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 TYPES OF REASONING

Deductive Reasoning - In this type of reasoning, conclusion comes first, followed

by main points, and the last will be the supporting data, facts, examples, and
evidences. General idea comes first before the specific or particular idea.

Inductive Reasoning - In this type of reasoning, supporting data, facts, examples,

and evidences come first followed by the main points and conclusion will be the last
part. This is the vice versa of the deductive reasoning because particular idea comes
first before the general idea.

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LEARNING ACTIVITY
Let`s Have Fun!

Activity 1:

Instructions: Read the conversation below and answer the following

question. Write your answer on the space provided.

Lover’s Quarrel

Vivian: Did you know about what happened between Dianne and her
boyfriend?

Ben: What happened to then?

Vivian: They got a huge fight last week. Diannel called me up. She was crying
and she said that Miko hit her.

Jonathan: Wait, what? That’s not right? Miko came by my place last week and
he was pretty shaken up. He had scratch marks on his arms and a bite on his
left hand. He said Dianne just attacked her and was accusing him of seeing
another girl.

Vivian: No! Dianne said it was Miko who started to hit her and she had to
defend herself!

Question: If you are one of the friends of Dianne and Miko, how will you react
to their situation?

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________

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Let`s Answer!

Activity 2:

Instructions: Fill in the blanks. Choose your answer from the box and write your
answer on the space provided
Critical Thinking OPINIONS DOUBTS
FALLACY FACTS BIAS

1. ___FACTS__ are. Prepositions or statements which are to be real or truthful.

2.___DOUBTS___ it has a very important purpose in philosophy as it drives our
desire to discover the truth.
3.___FALLACY_ are arguments based on faulty reasoning.
4.____BIAS____ disproportionate weigh of favour of or against and idea or
thing, usually in a way that is closed-minded, prejudicial or unfair.
5. _CRITICAL THINKING_ careful, reflective, rational and systematic approach
to questions of very general interest.

ASSESSMENT
Let`s Do This!

Our lesson has ended, let us now check what you have learned.

Instructions: Cite an example of each word. Write your answer on the space
provided below.

1. Fact

______________________________________________________________
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2. Opinion

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______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
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______________________________________________________________

3. Appeal to emotion

______________________________________________________________
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4. Ad Hominem

______________________________________________________________
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______________________________________________________________

5.Cultural Bias

______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
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_____________________________________________________________

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ANSWER KEY

Correct answer Correct answer Correct answer Correct answer

but not in a written in a written in a sentence written in a sentence
sentence sentence but no with 1 supporting with 2 supporting
supporting detail detail from the text details from the text
1 2 3 4
Rubrics for Short Answer

REFERENCES:

BOOK RESOURCES

Abella, R., (2016). Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person. C & E
Publishing, Inc.

Valmores, C,. (2020). Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person Alternative
Delivery Mode Quarter 1 – Module 2: Methods of Philosophizing First Edition,
2020,Department of Education

ONLINE RESOURCES

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophical_methodology Truth-philosophy-and-
logic https://www.britannica.com/topic/truth-philosophy-and-logic
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth Bias https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bias
Methods-of-philosophy
https://www.powtoon.com/online-presentation/fBoYdDSqWuT/realize-the-
methods-ofphilosophy-that-lead-to-wis/?mode=movie Opinion
https://www.the-philosophy.com/opinion-philosophical-definitions
https://examples.yourdictionary.com/opinion-examples.html
https://study.com/academy/lesson/facts-vs-opinions-examples-games-activities.html
http://www.ufh.ac.za/library/InfoLit/fact.html
https://study.com/academy/lesson/facts-vs-opinions-examples-games-activities.html
https://hickslibrary.weebly.com/librarians-blog/facts-vs-opinions
https://gillemanalo.wordpress.com
http://images.slideplayer.com/28/9351128/slides/slide_2.jpg
https://www.slideshare.net/arielgilbuena7/

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https://www.teachstarter.com/au/teaching-resource-collection/fact-and-opinion/
https:// www.Dreamstime.com/
https:// www.literacy.com/
https:// www.storythat.com/
https:// www.pinterest.com/
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Browse/prek-12-subject-area/test-
preparation/Typeof-
Resource/RubricsShort story author: Lovella D. Tompong

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