Doing

Philosophy
The students are expected to:
1. Discuss philosophy and its importance as a discipline and
a means for understanding life;

2. Appreciate the value of philosophy in

daily life;
3. become philosophical in dealing with life
situations; and

4. Discuss the practical uses of Philosophy in

our daily lives
 A murderer is sentenced into
death. He has to choose
between three rooms. The
first room is full of furious flame.
The second is full of murderers
with loaded guns. And there are
lions in the third room who had
not been fed for years. Which
room is the safest?

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

An unexamined
life is not worth
living”

-
Socrat
es
Read and analyse the following conversation between a
high school teacher and her student in class.

Teacher: Juan, what would

you like to be when you grow
up?
Juan: Ma’am, I want to be
happy!
Teacher: Juan, you did not
understand my question.
Juan: Ma’am, you do not
understand what life is all
 Processing Questions:
1. Do you think that Juan’s answer was
appropriate for his teacher’s question?
2. What do you think was Juan’s interpretation of
his teacher’s question?
3. Based on his responses, what kind of student
do you imagine Juan to be?
4. If you were Juan’s teacher, how would you
respond to him?
5. How is philosophy related to this situation?
Philosophy comes from two
Greek words: philos (love) and sophia (wisdom)
which were used by ancient Greeks to refer to “love
of wisdom” and soon applied it to the study or
discipline that uses human reason to investigate the
ultimate, causes, reasons, and principles which
govern all things. Philosophers are people
who engage in philosophy.
 Pythagoras
❖ a mathematician and scientist,
credited with formulating the
Pythagorean Theorem

❖ established a community of
learners devoted to the study of
religion and philosophy.
 Heraclitus

❖ proposed that everything that exists

is based on a higher order or plan
which he called logos
❖ change is permanent aspect of the
human condition; “No man never
steps in the same river twice.”
 Democritus
❖ study the causes of natural
phenomena

❖ was among the first to propose

that matter is composed of tiny
particles called atoms
 Diogenes of Sinope

❖ a known advocate of
living a simple and
virtuous life
❖ one should not only talk
of virtue but should
show it in words and
actions
❖ his emphasis on austerity
and simplicity often went to
the extreme and was said to
have lived like a beggar
 Epicurus
❖ philosophy could
enable man to live a life
of happiness

❖ his views gave rise to

Epicureanism – a
school of philosophy
which believes that
wisdom and simple
living will result in a life
free of fear and pain
 Socrates
❖ considered the foremost philosopher of ancient times

❖ he did not claim to be “wise” and merely considered

himself a “midwife” that helped inquiring minds achieve
wisdom
❖ believed that philosophy could enable a man to live a
life of virtue.
❖ formulated the Socratic Method – a means of
examining a topic by devising a series of questions that let
the learner examine and anlyze his knowledge and
Plato
❖ a student of Socrates, he wrote down his mentor’s
teachings and incorporated some of his own ideas

his teachings and writings were considered the foundation

of Western philosophy
❖ dialectic – a method of inquiry where two opposing
ideas are discussed in an attempt to arrive at new
knowledge
❖ founded the Academy – an institution of higher learning
which was the first of its kind in the Western World
 Aristotle

❖ he attended the academy and prominent student of

Plato
❖ all ideas and views are based on perception and our
reality is based on what we can sense and perceive
❖ studied logic that led to the formulation of a formal
process of analyzing reasoning which gave rise to
deductive reasoning – the process of which specific
statements are analyzed to reach a conclusion or
generalization
We all have the potential to philosophize since we have
the tendency to wonder and doubt. We possess the
capacity to reflect on our experiences, and we have a
never ending need to learn and discover.

The need to philosophize is traced to a person’s sense

of wonder (Plato) and doubt (Rene Descartes), the
need to make sense of challenging experiences (Karl
Jaspers), and the love for wisdom
The study of philosophy can be considered as a way of analyzing ideas and
frameworks. It is also considered as a way of examining a particular area of
know ledge. Philosophy itself is a discipline with its own goals, concerns, and
ways of doing things. It also makes use of information gathered from other
fields of knowledge and not just its own conclusions. Finally, philosophy can
be considered a reflective and meditative activity.
Branches of Philosophy
Describe (through poster, slogan,
song, poem, drawing, etc.) a
situation in your life when you were
able to engage in philosophy.
1. What are the reasons that compel a person to
engage in philosophical thinking?

2. How can you as a person benefit from

philosophizing?

3. Based on the characteristics of Philosophy, would it

be possible for any person to engage in
philosophical discussion? Why or why not?