INTRODUCTION

TO THE PHILOSOPHY
OF THE HUMAN PERSON

LESSON 1:
THE MEANING AND METHOD
OF
DOING PHILOSOPHY
What words come to your
mind when you hear the WHY DO WE NEED TO
word Philosophy? STUDY PHILOSOPHY?
PHILOSOPHY
PHILOSOPHY
-wisdom
-understanding
-reason
-critical
-world
-life
-knowledge
PHILOSOPHY
The study of philosophy enhances a
person's problem-solving capacities. It
helps us to analyze concepts, definitions,
arguments, and problems. It contributes
to our capacity to organize ideas and
issues, to deal with questions of value,
and to extract what is essential from large
quantities of information.
The word philosophy comes from
two Greek words:
philos (love) and sophia
(wisdom).
THE ANCIENT GREEKS USED
THIS TERM TO REFER TO
“LOVE OF WISDOM”
 Difference between knowledge and wisdom

KNOWLEDGE WISDOM

We acquire knowledge from reading the correct application of

books, watching TV, listening to the knowledge
radio, browsing our cellphones and
others Wisdom is knowing not to
put it in a fruit salad
“Knowledge is knowing that tomato
is a fruit;
- Miles Kington
PHILOSOPHY IN SIMPLE
WORDS IS A WAY OF
THINKING ABOUT THE
WORLD, THE UNIVERSE,
AND SOCIETY.
Pythagoras (570 BCE to 495 BCE)- A
mathematician and scientist, he was credited with
formulating the Pythagorean theorem.
Do you know of some
Heraclitus (535 BCE to 475 BCE)- He proposed Greek Philosophers?
that everything that exists is based on a higher order
or plan which he called logos.

Democritus (460 BCE to 370 BCE)- He devoted

himself to the study of the causes of natural
PHILOSOPHERS- ARE PEOPLE
phenomena.
WHO ENGAGE IN PHILOSOPHY.

Diogenes of Sinope (412 BCE to 323 BCE)- He was

a known advocate of living a simple and virtuous
life.
Epicurus (341 BCE to 270 BCE)- He believed that
philosophy could enable man to live a life of happiness.

Socrates (470 BCE to 399 BCE)- He was considered the

foremost philosophers of ancient times. He was credited Do you know of some
with formulating the Socratic method- means of Greek Philosophers?
examining a topic by devising a series of questions that
let the learner examine and analyze his knowledge and
views regarding the topic.

Plato (427 BCE to 347 BCE)- A student of Socrates, he

wrote down his mentor’s teaching and incorporated some PHILOSOPHERS- ARE PEOPLE
of his own ideas into them. Plato’s most significant ideas WHO ENGAGE IN PHILOSOPHY.
included his Theory of Forms, which proposes that
everything that exist is based on an idea or template than
can only be perceived in the mind.
Aristotle (384 BCE to 322 BCE)- He attended the
Academy and was the prominent student of Plato.
For him, all ideas and views are based on perception
and our reality is based on what we can sense and
perceive.
Do you know of some
Greek Philosophers?

PHILOSOPHERS- ARE PEOPLE

WHO ENGAGE IN PHILOSOPHY.
THALES
THALES
FATHER OF PHILOSOPHY
Aesthetics is the branch of Philosophy which
deals with beauty and what makes things
“beautiful”.
BRANCHES OF

Logic is branch of philosophy which deals

PHILOSOPHY
with correct reasoning.

Epistemology discusses the nature of

knowledge and knowing.

Ethics is the branch which deals with moral

questions and dilemmas.
Political Philosophy studies governments and
deals with questions of justice, power and the
rights and obligations of citizens.
BRANCHES OF

Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy which

PHILOSOPHY
deals with questions regarding reality and
existence.

Philosophy of the Human Person - is an area

in philosophy that understand the human
person from a philosophical perspective.
 DOING
PHILOSOPHY
Three levels of inquiries

1. COMMON SENSE

a basic ability to perceive,

understand, and judge things
that are shared by (common
to) nearly all people without
need for debate.
 Three levels of inquiries

2. Scientific-Based on or
characterized by the
methods and principles of
science
 Three levels of inquiries
3.PHILOSOPHICAL
relating or devoted to
the study of the
fundamental nature of
knowledge, reality and
existence.
We do philosophy all the time because we are
continually taking in information, thinking
about it and producing a conclusion.
We often arrive at conclusions very different
from other people, however, human difference
is valuable and important but sometimes
human difference is a result of different
people tackling or thinking in different ways.
QUIZ #1
1. What is the square root of 64?

2. What days of the week does the

garbage collector go to the village?
Identify which of the
following questions are 3. What happens after death?
philosophical by writing
YES and NO for items
4. Is it right to impose a dress code to
which are not applicable. students in Senior High School?

5. What makes an action moral? 

QUIZ #1
6. What is matter?

7. What is the lifecycle of a

Identify which of the butterfly?
following questions are
philosophical by writing
YES and NO for items
8. What is the meaning of life?
which are not
applicable.
9. Are you lying?

10. What is truth?