SOC SCI

Greek words- philo (love) and Sophia (wisdom). Literally, the word philosophy means the love
of/for wisdom.
Philosophy has grown and evolved throughout the past 2500 or so years and can be roughly
divided into three branches.
Metaphysics (literally, “what is beyond physics or nature”) deals with the nature of the world
and everything that exists.
Thales (624-546 BCE), who is often considered the first Greek philosopher, proposed that
everything was made of water.
Heraclitus (535-475 BCE) claimed that everything was in a state of flux or perpetual movement,
and that everything would start and end with fire.
Epistemology is the branch of philosophy which deals with knowledge and knowing.
Value Theory deals more with how we live and act and, as the name implies, place value on
certain things.
It was Aristotle (384-322 BCE) who once said that man is a rational animal.
In its simplest form, Logic is the use of arguments—also called premises—correctly.
Deductive arguments are often said to start from the general and end with the specific.
Inductive arguments, meanwhile, are characterized more by their predictive power.
Plato, there is a World of Pure Forms above and beyond man’s knowledge.
1. Aesthetics – A branch of knowledge that deals with the principles of beauty and artistic
taste
2. Allegory – A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden
meaning, typically of moral or political nature
3. Deductive Argument – An argument characterized by or based on the inference of
particular instances from a general law
4. Epistemology – A branch of philosophy that deals with the study of knowledge
5. Ethics – A branch of knowledge that deals with moral principles
6. Inductive Argument – An argument characterized by or based on the inference of
general laws from particular instances
7. Logic – Reasoning conducted under strict rules of correctness and validity
8. Metaphysics – A branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of reality
9. Value Theory – A branch of philosophy that deals with how and why people value
things and ideas
e term Philosophy was coined by Pythagoras, it is usually attributed to the ancient philosopher, Socrates.
He was regarded as a true philosopher – a true lover of wisdom.

Socrates’ method of asking questions, providing an answer, asking further questions, and so on is known
as the Socratic method or the Socratic Dialogue. The Socratic Dialogue, which is considered as a form of
dialectics, is a two-way process that works between two parties discussing a central idea. It is an active
process that allows people to exchange their views, and arguments to arrive at the truth they would
believe.

The thesis is one’s prevailing idea or situation. It is our current perception of the world and all its aspects
that affect us. It is a proposition that claims to be true. The antithesis is the idea that opposes the thesis.
These are the problems we encounter in the situations we find ourselves in. Through a constant
dialogue, the problems (antithesis) are resolved which results to synthesis. The synthesis is the product
of struggle between the thesis and antithesis. Eventually, the synthesis becomes the new thesis which
would find itself an antithesis and produce a synthesis. It is a cycle that is in constant flux and is
continuously evolving.

1. Antithesis – the direct opposite of a thesis

2. Authenticity – the virtue of being true to one’s character or personality
3. Dialectics – the method of philosophical discussion through a dialogue
4. Existentialism – a 20th century school of thought that focused on individual existence
5. Introspection – the act of reflecting about oneself; an inspection of the self
6. Synthesis – the product of presenting the antithesis towards the thesis to attain a
higher form of truth
7. Thesis – a prevailing idea or proposition
In Epistemology, there are three different kinds of knowledge: personal, practical, and
propositional knowledge.
Personal Knowledge is the type of knowledge that we acquire as we experience the world.
Practical Knowledge, also known as Procedural Knowledge, is a type of knowledge that is
particular for skills, like knowing how to cook, how to ride a bicycle, how to play the guitar.
Propositional Knowledge is the type of knowledge that makes a claim: it proposes something to
be true. For example, your classmate tells you that there is a ghost on the third floor of the
building.
THREE MAIN CRITERIA that must be met in order for a certain proposition or claim to be considered as
‘knowledge’.

1. BELIEF
2. TRUTH
3. JUSTIFICATION

Simple Apprehension is the first logical process of the mind.

The second logical process of the mind is called Judgment.

The third logical process of the mind is called Reasoning.

A Syllogism, therefore, is a form of an argument that attempts to prove the claims of Propositions.

In Logic, errors or mistakes in reasoning are called fallacies.

the Fallacies of Irrelevance are committed when the conclusion does not have a connection or a
‘relevance’ to the premises of the argument.
Fallacies of Presumption are committed when our arguments make a jump to a certain
conclusion even without a strong evidence.
the Fallacies of Ambiguity are fallacies that we commit due to our limitations in language.
Argumentum ad Hominem is a Latin phrase that translates to “an argument to the man” or “an
attack to the man”.
Argumentum ad Baculum translates to “an appeal to the stick”. The stick is used as an
instrument to punish a child in order to force him to behave in ways his parents want him to.
Argumentum ad Ignorantiam or “an appeal to ignorance” is a fallacy being used to argue the
non-existence of something due to a lack of knowledge.
Argumentum ad Misericordiam is “an appeal to misery”. This is usually in a form of verbal
and/or physical crying.
Tu Quoque Fallacy or “an appeal to hypocrisy” is a fallacy we commit by justifying our wrong
actions because somebody has done it as well.
1. Epistemology - the study of knowledge
2. fallacy - an error in reasoning
3. Judgment - the process of the mind that connects two ideas
4. Logic - the study of correct reasoning
5. logical atomism - a 20th century concept that brings language to its atomistic state to
be analyzed
6. naturalistic fallacy - a fallacy committed when the atomistic terms are attempted to be
defined
7. Propositions - the verbal expression of a judgment
8. rational - a characteristic of a being that can think and reason out
9. Reasoning - the process of the mind that uses propositions to create arguments
10.sentient - a characteristic of a being that can sense
11.Simple Apprehension - the process of the mind in grasping a concept / idea
12.Syllogisms - the verbal expression of reasoning
13.Terms - the verbal expression of an idea
14.vegetative - a state of being that is limited to producing and consuming
René Descartes- father of Modern Philosophy

Abstract Knowledge – The ability to respond or follow a given command using one’s body
Accidental Qualities – Qualities that, if changed, have no bearing on the essence or kind
of thing something is
Cartesian Doubt – A systematic or methodical progress way of doubting such that one
believes only the things that cannot be doubted
Embodied Knowledge – Innate or inherent knowledge brought about by constant interaction
with one’s world
Essential Qualities – Qualities that, if changed, would mean that a thing is no longer what it is
Existentialism – a 19th and 20th century philosophical movement that focused on individual
existence