Methods of

Philosophizing:
Historical
Objectives
 At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
 define and explain the historical method of philosophizing,
 compare the Socratic method, dialectic method, scientific method,
and historical method as methods of philosophizing,
 distinguish an opinion from truth by analyzing the given situations,
and
 justify
the validity of the statement “The historical method leads to
wisdom and truth.”
Methods of Philosophizing
 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.
 The Historical Method
 The term "history" is from the Greek word iotopia which means “to investigate" or "to find out.”
 The historical method is the process of gathering evidences, examining them, and formulating ideas
about the past to come up with present truths.
 In this approach, it is believed that history has a “divine order” or a large “cyclical or progressive”
pattern that enables events to repeat themselves and record information through historical accounts or
archaeological findings.
 The process of learning the truth is simply through looking at past records to validate the present
hypothesis.
 If viewed in a more general perspective, the historical approach would include only a historical account
to differentiate truth from opinion.
 History is seen as more important than logic and a more valid source of the truth.
 Using the historical approach is much like researching for an answer to a particular question.
Reviewing what has been done in the past is the primary method of looking at a solution for a problem
at present.
Examples:
 You are going to Baguio
for the first time with
your family. You have  Marcos High-way
the option to use one of
two routes. You look for
reviews published in the
internet to determine
which of the two routes
is better.
Opinion and Truth
It is important to distinguish opinion from truth when using the historical
method.

 Remember:

 An opinion is a personal view

 Truth, on the other hand, is
formed about a particular something that has actual and
matter, such as your preference proven existence regardless of
for Japanese cuisine. one’s opinion, such as the fact
that the Philippines is made up
of more than 7,100 islands.
 Try to analyze the given situations. Distinguish the
opinion from the truth.

 Situation A reveals the truth because this account is derived from historical evidence.
 Situation B expresses an opinion because it is a personal view.
 An entrepreneur wants to
open a café in a middle
class residential area in the
city. Before buying the
property, she looked first at
previous business ventures
that were established within
the area to determine the
feasibility of her plan.
The Historical Method Leads to Wisdom and Truth
Because history is repetitive, it is believed that the things that are occurring at present already
happened in the past. Following this logic, the historical method serves the purpose of digging into
historical data and analyzing together the findings to come up with a conclusion. The use of the method,
therefore, leads to knowledge that is true and evidence-based.
History is repetitive. Only technology and political systems change.
Everything revolves around war for conquest, whatever the
specific reasons. Greed is the brace no matter what the system
may be.
 Get ½ sheet of paper

What do you think?

Can the use of the historical approach
predict the future? Why? Why not?
Assignment/Agreement:

 Choose a random object in your house. On a piece of paper, write a hypothesis of

where you think that object originated from. You may also include your ideas on
how you think that object was used in the past. After listing your thoughts, find
some relevant information on the internet that may tell you more about your
chosen object. You may also search for answers at the library if you want. Once
you find valid information, compare your work to the real origins of the object to
see how you fared.
THANK YOU !!!
GOD BLESS
SEE YOU
TOMORROW