METHODS OF

PHILOSOPHIZING
 In today’s society, we encounter a lot of information

• Media and our interactions wit our friends, family, and

members of the community.
• Most of the information we received is helpful, but some
may mislead us or may even utterly false.
• Everyday we are confronted with news, claims and
announcements from our peers, family members, and
media.
• How do we know if they telling the truth?
 In today’s society, we encounter a lot of information

• Philosophers often wrestle with the concept of truth.

• Knowledge must be truthful to gain validity and acceptance.
• For example, when we answer a “ True or False” test, we judge if
the statement we read are true and false. This means that
statement may have truth or may not have truth
• Statement about the world or reality are called “PROPOSITIONS”
and these propositions may or may not carry truth. Propositions
are usually stated as short statements or sentences.
 WHAT IS TRUTH
AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
 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
KNOWLEDGE
• is the clear awareness and understanding of something. It
is the product of questions that allow for clear answers
provided by facts.
• Our knowledge is comprised of ideas and beliefs that we
know to be true.
KNOWLEDGE
I know that…
I know why…
I know how…

One important aspect of knowledge it is based on reality.

This simply means that what we know is what is observable
or evident in the real world.
 facts
are propositions or statement which are observe to be real
or truthful.

For example: “ I know that fish live in the water.”

How do we know?
Because fish really do live in water.
 claims
• 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.
• They require further examination to establish whether it
is true or false.
 claims
For example: “ I know that my school is the best
school in the city.”

You may know that reading is a better activity than

playing basketball
 claims
For example: “ I know that my school is the best
school in the city.”

You may know that reading is a better activity than

playing basketball but the truth of your statement will
be contested by other people.
How do we know if something is true?
• Ancient Greek Philosophers approached the problem of
truth by looking at the nature of knowledge and how
we know what we know.
• We assume that everything we know about this world
is true. But philosophers who pondered upon the
origins of knowledge doubted everything there is to
know about themselves and the world.
For example:
• I am alive.
• I have a body.
• I can breathe.
Doubt has very important purpose in philosophy

• As it drives our desire to discover truth. In philosophy,

systematic doubt is employed to determine truth. This
means that every statement, claim, evidence, and is
scrutinized and analysed.
• Nothing is taken as true unless there is sufficient reason
and evidence to prove that is indeed true.
For example:
• Am I alive?
• Do I have a body?
• Can I breathe?
 Now, examine yourself

• Do you have pulse? Can you feel your heartbeat?

• Do you have arms, legs, and feet?
• Try to take a deep breath, then exhale. Where you able
to do it?
• IF your answer is “yes” then you can conclude with
certainty that….
You can now say…
• I am alive!
• I have a body!
• I can breathe!
A BELIEF is true if…
it can be justified or prove
through the use of one’s senses.
For example:
• I am a Filipino.
Can we use our senses to prove this
statements as fact?
 We can look at a dictionary
• FILIPINO (noun):
A native of the Philippine Island.
A citizen of the Republic of the Philippines
 A BELIEF is true if…
it is based on facts.
• Are you now convinced that you are a Filipino?

If not...
 We can try the following

Ask your Look for

official
parents or
other
relatives.
& documents
that prove you
are a Filipino.

When all of your family members answered “Yes!”…

Then you are a Filipino.
A BELIEF is true if…
You get a consensus and people
agree on a common belief.
BUT
This approach has certain limitations.

Getting everyone agree on something

may not make that belief true.
A BELIEF is true if…
There are official documents/
supporting facts.
Looking at official documents

Birth certificate Since it is issued by

shows factual an institution that But, this also has a
information the documents are limitation
regarding your birth truthful.
EVIDENCE
Especially documents can be forged or falsified

A person may be issued with documents

But it may contain wrong information or
typographical error.
If your name is misspelled in your birth
certificate
DOES YOUR IDENTITY CHANGE?
BUT
This approach has certain limitations.

Getting everyone agree on something

may not make that belief true.
For example:
• I can ride a bike/ Can I ride a bike?
• I can fry an egg/ Can I fry an egg?
How will you prove that you can really cook an egg?

• The obvious answer would be, is to actually cook it.

BUT, some would argue that the proof is not only in the
act but also in the product.
• This means that you should not only show that you can
fry an egg but that also you make a delicious eggs.
A BELIEF is true if…
A person can prove a statement through
action.

Philosophers argue that BELIEF is true if…

It is subject to test to determine the truth
Let us take a look at the following statements and determine which
one states fact or opinion.
1. It takes me 30 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 sister ate the last piece of pizza pie.
4. My sister is a selfish person because she ate the last piece of pizza 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.
1. It takes me 30 minutes to walk from my 2. Living near the school is better because
home to school.
3. My sister ate the last piece of pizza pie.
5. The policeman firmly pushed the
suspect to his knees and placed him in
handcuffs.
we do not have to spend much for
transportation.
4. My sister is a selfish person because she
ate the last piece of pizza pie and did not
share it with me.
6. The aggressive manner by which the
policeman arrested the suspect is an
example of the brutality that characterizes
our police force.
Directions: Copy the following situations in a separate sheet of paper. Identify
whether the following situations is opinion or truth by checking the box
provided. Support your answer.

1. My sister gave birth to her baby girl at exactly 8:22pm on January 22, 2021,
through caesarean delivery. Opinion Truth
Why?_________________________________________________________
_____________
______________________________________________________________
_________
2. 2. My sister delivered her baby girl through caesarian delivery because she
believes that it is safer way of delivering a baby. Opinion Truth
Why?_________________________________________________________
_____________
 How can philosophy guide us in
distinguishing truth from opinion?
 OPINION
• Comprised of statement which not only give facts but also
provide conclusion or perspectives regarding certain situations.
• They may advance a belief about certain things ot provide
explanation.
• The bases for making arguments and convincing people that a
certain claim is a fact. They are often influence by bias
 facts
is something concrete that can be proven. You
can find facts in legal records, scientific findings,
encyclopedias, atlases, etc. In other words, facts
are the truth and are accepted as such.
 Beliefs
Example: “ I believed that God put me on this
Earth to spread his message of love.”
 Beliefs
Opinion is less concrete. It's a view formed in the
mind of a person about a particular issue. In
other words it is what someone believes or
thinks, and is not necessarily the truth. Also, note
in the examples below how facts are the same fo
 explanation
• are statements claiming to be true and provides reasons
to make the statements true.
• Example: My sister is selfish because….
 Arguments
• Arguments are series of statements that provide reasons
to convince the reader or listener that a claim or opinion
is truthful.
• They are often take the form of statements that are
either claims of facts and are phrased in such a way that
they seem reasonable.
• Example: Encounter in formal debates.
 logic
• Arguments are series of statements that provide reasons
to convince the reader or listener that a claim or opinion
is truthful.
• They are often take the form of statements that are
either claims of facts and are phrased in such a way that
they seem reasonable.
• Example: Encounter in formal debates.
Difference Between Fallacy and
Bias
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 evidence.
General idea comes first before the specific or
idea.
Types of Reasoning
Inductive Reasoning
In this type of reasoning, supporting data, facts,
examples, and evidence comes first followed by
the main points and conclusion will be the last
part. This is vice versa of the deductive reasoning
because idea comes first before the general idea. .
Types of Reasoning
Types of Reasoning
Every day in our experiences, we argued on so many
things. In our family we often argued on who is right and
is wrong, who is smart and who is not, who is handsome
and who is not or who is the best mother of the father.
What then is argument?

Arguments are series of statements that provide

explanations to convince the listener or a reader that the
opinion is truthful.
Types of Arguments
Fallacy or Fake
arguments are group of statements that appear to be arguments
to support the conclusion.

Example: there is no hope in the Philippine government, because

it is tropical country.

What makes the statement fallacious? It is fallacious because

climate has nothing to do with hope of Philippine government.
Types of Arguments
Bias
refers to tendencies or influences which affect the views of the
people when looking at an opinion you must be aware of bias so
that you can objectively and critically examined points of view.
Types of Arguments
A fallacy
is a defect in an argument other than it is having false premises.
To detect fallacies, it is required to examine the argument's
content. Here are some of the usually committed errors in
reasoning and thus, coming up with false conclusion and worse,
distorting the truth.
Types of Fallacy
Types of Fallacy