PHILOSOPHY OF THE

HUMAN PERSON
PHILOSOPHY, THE QUEEN OF HUMAN
SCIENCES , INVESTIGATES THE ULTIMATE
CAUSES AND REASONS OF THE WHOLE
UNIVERSE OF FACTS AND PHENOMENA WHICH
PRESENTS ITSELF TO THE INQUIRY OF MEN’S
MINDS
IT IS A FREE SCIENCE, INASMUCH AS IT DOES
NOT PURSUE ANY UTILITARIAN END. IT SEEKS
NO OTHER GOAL BUT THAT OF KNOWLEDGE
FOR ITS OWN SAKE, AND DERIVES ITS
STIMULUS FROM NO OTHER SOURCE BUT THE
NATURAL DESIRE OF ALL MEN TO KNOW.
• discover philosophical reflections
• distinguish the universal and the
particular
• know the relation between truth
and dialectics
REVEALING THE WHOLE
LESSON 1
DISCOVERING PHILOSOPHICAL REFLECTION
TO THINK PHILOSOPHICALLY IS TO THINK ABOUT
AN IMPORTANT QUESTION THAT DOES NOT HAVE
A DEFINITE OR READY ANSWER.

PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTIONS ARE QUESTIONS

THAT MATTER TO US FOR THEY REFLECT OUR
DESIRE TO UNDERSTAND OR AT LEAST MAKE
SENSE OF OUR EXPERIENCES.
PHILOSOPHY ALLOWS US THE FREEDOM TO ASK
EVEN THOSE QUESTIONS THAT ALREADY HAVE
A DEFINITE ANSWER.

PHILOSOPHY, ON THE OTHER HAND, DOES NOT

DICTATE CONCLUSIVE OR FINAL ANSWERS.
THE UNIVERSAL AND THE PARTICULAR
UNIVERSAL
- PERTAINS TO THE WHOLE

PARTICULAR
-REFERS TO THE PART OF THE WHOLE
WHY AM I HERE?
ACCORDING TO MARTIN HEIDEGGER,
PHILOSOPHY IS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER
SCIENCES SIMPLY BECAUSE, PHILOSOPHICAL
QUESTIONS “LEADS INTO THE TOTALITY OF
BEINGS “ AND “INQUIRES INTO THE WHOLE”

(THE ESSENCE OF HUMAN FREEDOM, P. 9)

HUMAN FREEDOM ≠ WHAT MAN IS FREE TO DO
OR TO BECOME

WHAT HE IS FREE FROM

WHEN WE ASK PHILOSOPHICALLY ABOUT
FREEDOM, WE VENTURE INTO AN INQUIRY OF
THE WHOLE. IT IS NO LONGER A PARTICULAR
PROBLEM BUT A UNIVERSAL PROBLEM.
IN ANSWERING PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTIONS,
PHILOSOPHY HAD ITS OWN CRITERIA AND
METHODS OF PROCEEDING WITH ITS
INQUIRIES.

WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT EVERY

PERSON WHO ENGAGES IN PHILOSOPHICAL
QUESTIONS REQUIRE ADEQUATE
JUSTIFICATION OR RATIONAL BASIS SO THAT WE
CAN EFFECTIVELY PURSUE MEANING AND
TRUTH.
TRUTH AND DIALECTICS
PHILOSOPHERS RELY ON THE HUMAN FACULTY
OF REASON AS THEY PHILOSOPHIZE.

THE TECHNIQUE THEY USED TO RESOLVE

PHILOSOPHICAL QUESTIONS IS THROUGH

DIALECTICS
DIALECTICS IS AN ART OF REFUTATION

DIALOGUES ILLUSTRATES HOW DIALECTICS IS

AN EFFECTIVE MEANS OF EXAMINING AND
EVALUATING TRUTH CLAIMS. ERRORS OF CLAIM
ARE DEMONSTRATED USING RATIONAL
ABILITIES.

SOCRATES IS ONE OF THE MOST NOTEWORTHY

PHILOSOPHERS WHO USES THIS METHOD.
SOCRATES’ METHOD OF QUESTION AND
ANSWER ILLUSTRATES HOW VIEWS NEED TO BE
DEFENDED WITH CONSISTENCY AND CLARITY.

A CLAIM REQUIRES SUFFICIENT PROOF AND

LOGICAL ARGUMENT TO BE REGARDED AS
TRUE.

THE RATIONAL WAY TO DEFEND THE TRUTH IS

BY GIVING GOOD REASONS.
DIALECTICS IS INDISPENSABLE SINCE IT LEADS
US CLOSER TO TRUTH.

IT IS THROUGH DIALOGUE, IN SOME FORM OF

DEBATE, THAT WE LEARN MORE

PHILOSOPHY TEACHES US TO BE OPEN AS WE

STRIVE TO KNOW BETTER. DEBATING WITH
SOMEONE ALLOWS US TO DISCOVER MANY
THINGS AND REVEALS OUR BELIEFS AND
CHALLENGES US TO DEFEND THEM.
PLATO
LIFE
• born in Athens, 427 B.C.
• son of Aristo (father) and Perictione/Potone (mother)
• real name was Aristocles
• nicknamed Plato coming from “platod” meaning broadness
• studied arts, particularly poetry
• began the study of philosophy under Cratylus, a pupil of Heraclitus
• student of Socrates
• founded a school in Athens which he named as “The Academy” in 387 B.C.
• died at Athens in 347 B.C.
WORKS
DIALOGUES
• written after the death of Socrates (Apology, Charmides, First
Book of Alcibiades, the Hippas Minor, Protagoras)
• Dialogues characterized by ethical themes (Gorgias, Meno,
Cratylus)
• dialogues of his mature age (Banquet, Phaedo, The Republic,
Phaedrus)
• Dialogues of his old age (The Republic – political in theme,
Theaetetus, Philebus, Parmenides –
questions of the sensible world
Timaeus – Plato’s cosmology)
THE IDEAS
THE DOCTRINE OF IDEAS CONSTITUTES THE
CENTER OF PLATONIC THOUGHT.

USING SOCRATES AS HIS MOUTHPIECE, PLATO

RECALLS HIS DESIRE TO KNOW THE CAUSE OF
SENSIBLE REALITY.

PLATO AFFIRMS THAT THERE ARE TWO ORDERS

OF REALITY – ONE WHICH IS SENSIBLE AND
MATERIAL; ANOTHER WHICH IS IMMATERIAL AND
INVISIBLE AND WHICH CAN ONLY BE GRASPED
BY THE INTELLECT
NATURE OF IDEAS
IDEA, FOR PLATO, MEANS BEING OR THE TRULY
REAL.
IDEAS EXIST BY THEMSELVES AND IN
THEMSELVES

IDEAS ARE IMMUTABLE/UNCHANGEABLE.

PLATO AFFIRMS TWO DISTINCT LEVELS OF

REALITY – SENSIBLE AND INTELLIGIBLE

IDEAS ARE THE CAUSE OF THE SENSIBLE: THEY

EXIST IN THE SENSIBLE AND MAKE THEM TO BE
WHAT THEY ARE
MAN AND HIS SOUL
THE DUALISM OF PLATO IS ALSO EVIDENT IN HIS
PHILOSOPHY OF MAN – SENSIBLE AND
INTELLIGIBLE

PLATO AFFIRMS THAN MAN IS ESSENTIALLY HIS

SOUL; MAN IS SOUL AND BODY – SOUL
BELONGS TO THE LEVEL OF THE INTELLIGIBLE
AND BODY TO THE LEVEL OF THE SENSIBLE
THE SOUL IS WHAT ESSENTIALLY CONSTITUTES
HIS NATURE

SIMILAR TO HIS THEORY OF IDEAS, THIS

DUALISM IS A SOURCE OF MANY INSIGHTS
ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE
THE WELL KNOWN ALLEGORY OF THE CAVE
WHICH APPEARS IN THE REPUBLIC, IS A
GRAPHIC REPRESENTATION OF PLATONIC
THOUGHT.

THE ALLEGORY REPRESENTS THE DIFFERENT

DEGREES OF REALITY/ DEGREES OF
KNOWLEDGE
TO ARRIVE AT THE CONTEMPLATION, ONE MUST
FREE HIMSELF FROM THE CHAINS THAT BINDS
HIM FROM KNOWING THE TRUTH.

ONE MUST BE FREE IN ORDER TO SHOW

OTHERS THE TRUTH AND EXPOSE THEM THEIR
ERROR
THE PHILOSOPHICAL ENTERPRISE
LESSON 2
WONDER, KNOWLEDGE, IGNORANCE
HUMAN BEINGS WANT TO UNDERSTAND THE
WORLD AND TO KNOW THE TRUTH

PHILOSOPHY BEGINS WITH WONDER FOR IT

STIMULATES US TO VENTURE ON OUR
EXPERIENCE

PHILOSOPHY = PHILO (LOVE) + SOPHIA

(WISDOM)

PHILOSOPHY IS AN ACTIVITY IN PURSUIT OF

WISDOM
WISDOM IS OF TWO KINDS – THEORETICAL AND
PRACTICAL

TO POSSESS THEORETICAL WISDOM IS TO

KNOW NECESSARY TRUTHS AND THEIR
LOGICAL CONSEQUENCES

PRACTICAL WISDOM DEALS WITH KNOWLEDGE

IN THE REALM OF ACTION
TO HAVE PRACTICAL WISDOM IS TO KNOW
TRUTHS THAT HAVE TO DO WITH OUR DEALING
WITH FELLOW HUMAN BEINGS.

THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL WISDOM ARE

BOTH DESIRABLE AND VALUABLE
PHILOSOPHY USES REASON IN ORDER TO
OVERCOME OUR IGNORANCE AND FREED US
FROM NARROW VIEWS SO THAT WE CAN
EXPERIENCE BEST SORT OF EXISTENCE
PHILOSOPHICAL THOUGHT IN THREE VIEWS
SEARCH FOR PHILOSOPHICAL CAN BE SEEN IN
THREE VIEWS – COSMOCENTRIC,
THEOCENTRIC, AND ANTHROPOCENTRIC

ANCIENT PHILOSOPHY MAY BE CHARACTERIZED

AS A PERIOD THAT HELD THE COSMOCENTRIC
VIEW (STUDY OF THE UNIVERSE)

THE QUESTIONS CONCERNED DURING THIS

TIME WAS THE ORIGIN OF THE UNIVERSE –
ARCHE (STARTING POINT)
IN THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD, THE CHURCH
SUSTAINED MAN’S INTELLECT AND THE WORLD
BECAME SECONDARY TO GOD THUS,
PHILOSOPHY BECAME THEOCENTRIC (STUDY
OF GOD)

THE MODERN PERIOD IS CHARACTERIZED

SUBJECTIVITY AND INDIVIDUALISM, HENCE,
CENTERED ON MAN/ANTHROPOCENTRIC
(STUDY OF MAN)
THE REFLECTIVE LIFE
CHAPTER 2
THE VALUE OF PHILOSOPHICAL
REFLECTION
LESSON 3
A. SOCRATIC LEGACY
THERE ARE DIFFERENT VIEWS ON THE VALUE
OF PHILOSOPHICAL REFLECTION

SOCRATES NOTED THREE THINGS:

1. KNOW THYSELF
2. THE UNEXAMINED LIFE IS NOT WORTH LIVING
3. VIRTUE IS KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND BAD
SOCRATES PROFESSED THAT PHILOSOPHICAL
REFLECTION IS NECESSARY IN THE LIFE OF
EVERY PERSON
THE SERIES OF QUESTIONING AND ANSWERING
THAT SOCRATES EMPLOYED IN ENGAGING IN
PHILOSOPHICAL REFLECTION CAME TO BE
KNOWN AS THE SOCRATIC METHOD

IT IS TRUE THAT WE NEED TO BE COMPELLED

TO REFLECT ABOUT WHAT WE BELIEVE OR
CLAIM TO KNOW BECAUSE WE ARE
RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR THOUGHTS
WHAT WE BELIEVE TO BE TRUE BECOMES THE
BASIS FOR OUR ACTIONS. IF WE KNOW
SOMETHING, IT IS WORTH SHARING TO OTHERS

A LIFE WORTH LIVING IS A LIFE THAT EXAMINES

WHAT ONE THINKS. AN EXAMINATION OF
BELIEFS OR THOUGHTS PROVIDES US WITH
OPPORTUNITY TO KNOW OURSELVES BETTER
WE NEED TO KNOW OURSELVES BETTER
BECAUSE WE MAKE CHOICES DAILY

THE CHOICES WE MAKE, IN TURN, CREATE WHO

WE ARE

SOCRATES WAS AN EXCELLENT TEACHER

BECAUSE HE WAS EFFECTIVE IN MAKING HIS
STUDENTS THINK FOR THEMSELVES
HE AWAKENED THOSE WHO WERE ASLEEP BY
ENGAGING THEM IN A CROSS-EXAMINATION OF
THEIR VIEWS WHICH WILL REVEAL NOT ONLY
WHAT A PERSON KNOWS BUT ALSO WHAT A
PERSON HAS YET TO FIGURE OUT

SOCRATES INTERRUPTED PEOPLE IN THEIR

DAILY LIVES BECAUSE HE TRULY BELIEVED
THAT THE ONLY WAY TO FIND OUT WHO WE ARE
IS TO PAUSE, TO REALLY THINK, AND THEN
SHARE OUT OUR THOUGHTS BY CONVERSING
WITH OTHERS IN THE HOPE HAT WE LEARN
MORE
EVERY PERSON MUST CONFRONT THE
QUESTION “WHO AM I?” BECAUSE KNOWLEDGE
OF ONE SELF IS CRUCIAL IN LIFE WHERE WE
MAKE CHOICES DAILY

THE THIRD CLAIM THAT “VIRTUE IS KNOWLEDGE

OF GOOD AND EVIL” PROVIDES US WITH
ANOTHER USEFUL LIFE ADVICE
VIRTUE IS KNOWLEDGE BECAUSE TO TRULY
KNOW WHAT IS GOOD NECESSARILY LEADS TO
THE ACTUAL DOING OF WHAT IS GOOD

ONE WHO PRETENDS TO KNOW WHAT IS GOOD

DOES NOT CHOOSE WHAT IS GOOD THUS
HIS/HER IGNORANCE IS REVEALED IN HIS/HER
ACTIONS
UNEXAMINED LIFE WOULD NOT
BE A GOOD LIFE
B. “PILOSOPO” AS A SOCIAL CRITIC
PILOSOPO
CONTRARY TO LOVERS OF WISDOM, IT REFERS
TO SOMEONE WHO REASONS POORLY

OFTEN TIMES, “PILOSOPO’S” FAULTY

REASONING IS EVEN FOUND ENTERTAINING

EXAMPLE: WHY AM I HERE?

PILOSOPO: BECAUSE I AM NOT THERE

THIS ERRONEOUS KIND OF REASONING IS
CALLED FALLACY AND IS STUDIED IN LOGIC

“PILOSOPO”, IN THIS SENSE, IS INDEED A

DANGER TO PHILOSOPHY

ONE KIND OF FALLACY IS EQUIVOCATION

EXAMPLE: WRITE SOMETHING ON YOUR PAPER.

EQUIVOCATION IS AN INFORMAL FALLACY
RESULTING FROM THE USE OF A PARTICULAR
WORD/EXPRESSION IN MULTIPLE SENSES
THROUGHOUT AN ARGUMENT LEADING TO A
FALSE CONCLUSION

ANOTHER KIND OF FALLACY IS ARGUMENTUM AD

HOMINEM OR ATTACK AGAINST THE PERSON
SOMETIMES THEY VIEWED IT AS A FOOL FOR
THEY ARE UNCOMMON IN SOCIETY SINCE THEY
PROCLAIM THOUGHTS THAT ARE UNSETTLING
AND RADICAL

THE PHILOSOPHERS OR PILOSOPO OBSERVES,

THINKS, SEES CLEARLY, AND SPEAKS THE
TRUTH.
THE COMMON RUN OF PEOPLE ARE NOT IN
SEARCH OF TRUTH BECAUSE THEY ARE
CONTENT WITH WHAT THEY THINK THEY KNOW
AND LOOKING FOR TRUTH IS INCONVENIENT

THE WORLD NEEDS PEOPLE WHO SPEAK THE

TRUTH AND HELP IN MAKING NECESSARY
REFORMS SO WE CAN ALL HAVE A BETTER
FUTURE. WE NEED THE PILOSOPO TO ENGAGE
OTHERS TO FIND THE TRUTH AND TO LIVE BY IT
AN EXERCISE OF TRUTH-MAKING
LESSON 4
A. REALITY AS PHENOMENON
TO PHILOSOPHIZE IS TO THINK ABOUT
SOMETHING – A REALITY

REALITY, OBJECTS WE TRY TO FIGURE OUT,

COULD BE PHYSICAL OR NONPHYSICAL

PHILOSOPHICAL REFLECTION ALWAYS

INVESTIGATES A PHENOMENA; THE WORLD IS
CONSTITUTED AS LIVED, EXPERIENCED
THOUGHT OF, AND INVESTIGATED
ONE EXAMPLE OF PHENOMENA IS LOVE

LOVE IS A NONPHYSICAL PHENOMENON WITH

PHYSICAL MANIFESTATIONS

SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY BOTH SEEK TO

UNDERSTAND THE WORLD, THE ONLY
DIFFERENCE IS HOW THEY PROCEED TO TREAT
PHENOMENON
IN SCIENCE, TO ARRIVE AT A CONCLUSION,
OBSERVATIONS THROUGH EXPERIMENTS AND
CALCULATIONS MUST BE DONE

THE SPECIFIC PHENOMENON IS ISOLATED TO

YIELD VALUABLE INFORMATION

IN PHILOSOPHY, PHENOMENON OR RAW

EXPERIENCE IS BEING USED

PHENOMENON, IN PHILOSOPHY, IS STUDIED BY

EXAMINING ITS RELATION WITH OTHER
PHENOMENON
WHEN WE SPEAK OF REALITY, WE ARE IN NO
WAY CLAIMING OUR THOUGHTS/VIEWS ARE THE
ONLY CORRECT VIEW FOR WE ARE NOT OF
SUPREME INTELLIGENCE TO KNOW THINGS AS
THEY REALLY ARE

ACCORDING TO IMMANUEL KANT, THE DATE

THAT WE GET FROM SENSORY EXPERIENCE
ARE NOT THINGS-IN-THEMSELVES OR THINGS
THEY REALLY ARE BUT INSTEAD THINGS-AS-
THE-APPEAR TO US
OUR MIND USES ITS CATEGORIES TO
UNDERSTAND PHENOMENA

IT IS OUR NATURE TO FIND TRUTH AND

MEANING AND AT THE SAME TIME BE INTRIGUED
BY PERFECTION, BEAUTY, IMMORTALITY, AMONG
OTHER THINGS

OUR HUMANITY BECOMES OUR GREATEST

ENDEAVOR BECAUSE OUR LIFE IS DIRECTED TO
KNOWING OURSELVES BETTER AND
UNDERSTAND OUR HUMANITY
B. SEEING THE WORLD IN A NEW
PERSPECTIVE
ONE OF THE MOST OUTSTANDING HUMAN
ACHIEVEMENTS IS THE INTERNET

THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR IGNORANCE NOW

SINCE INFORMATION HAS BECOME AVAILABLE
EASILY AND WITH UNLIMITED ACCESS

BUT, CAN WE SAY THAT WE ARE BETTER OFF

NOW THAN BEFORE THE INTERNET EVER
EXISTED?
DESPITE THE VASTNESS OF INFORMATION WE
CAN READILY HAVE, WE DO NOT
AUTOMATICALLY BECOME KNOWLEDGEABLE OR
EVEN WISE

IT IS NOT ENOUGH TO HAVE INFORMATION IF

WE DO NOT KNOW HOW TO MAKE SENSE OF
THAT INFORMATION

TOO MUCH INFORMATION, ON THE OTHER

HAND, CAN ALSO BE A BAD THING SINCE IT CAN
GET THE WAY OF MAKING GOOD DECISIONS
GETTING RELEVANT INFORMATION IS ONE OF
THE BASICS IN KNOWING OR LEARNING

THERE IS ALWAYS A GAP FILLED BY HUMAN

MINDS AS WE PERCEIVED DATA AND CAN BE
FILLED BY SCIENCE, ARTS, RELIGION, SOCIETY
OR PHILOSOPHY – THESE MAKE UP OUR
HUMANITY

HUMANITY THAT IS EXPLORED AND DEEPENED

IN PHILOSOPHY IS THE ONLY THING CAPABLE
OF SEEING
WHENEVER WE GET INFORMATION, WE SHOULD
ALWAYS BE REMINDED THAT SOME OF THEM
ARE CORRECT, SOME ARE INCORRECT, SOME
ARE RELIABLE, SOME ARE UNRELIABLE

IN ORDER TO LEARN, ONE HAS TO BE MORE

INVOLVED AND MORE STIMULATED. WE LEARN
BEST BY DOING SOMETHING CORRECTLY.

WE CREATE WHO WE BECOME THROUGH THE

DECISIONS OR CHOICES THAT WE MAKE
WE NEED WISDOM TO GUIDE US IN LIFE.
SEARCHING FOR TRUTHS ABOUT OURSELVES IS
MEANT TO BE A LIFETIME ENDEAVOR