RICASATA, Chloe Katryn C.

Section: MHC
2020-11159
Assignment 1: Introduction – Philosophy, Ethics and Values

To Think and To Do

While the common person may not know philosophy in an academic level, all human

beings have their own philosophy. We are free moral agents, which mean that we are able to

discern what is right from wrong. We do this based on the values that we learn from society,

from the people around us, and many other influences.

When we decide on an action or judgment, there is a thought process. We ask which

choice is good – and this good can mean different things to different people – and choose the

choice that is in line with our values. Our values may be different to others due to a variety of

factors but just the same, these values are what we use as guides in making judgments. What we

deem as good can also change as we experience different things in our lives. This process of

thinking, analyzing, and deciding what is good or has value is essentially the same process that

philosophers do, albeit in a more systematic manner.

Philosophers analyze human nature and attempt to create comprehensive and systematic

theories in order to better understand humans as a thinking, acting being. These theories are then

used to help us make better judgments. We choose our own values the same way, by analyzing

and understanding. We think about what is good or bad, and why they are considered good or

bad so that we may be able to choose what we believe to be the best choice. If philosophy is

analyzing one’s beliefs or reasons for their actions and judgments and reconstructing it in a more

comprehensive and systematic manner, the purpose or end goal of philosophizing must be to

help people live better lives through having a better understanding of themselves and the world.

To choose our own values is perhaps the most important part of ethics and philosophy.

After all, what is the point of philosopizing if it ends only in theory and not practice? To decide
to choose your own values is to analyze and apply the analysis in real life, and therefore, to

philosophize.