LESSON 2

WHAT MEANS TO BE A PHILOSOPHER

 PRAYER
Dear God,
We thank You for the school that we have.
We pray to You that this may serve as a safe place for all of us to learn, have fun,
and build strong friendships.
Thank you to the teachers who teach us.
Thank you for the friends – the people we can learn new things with.
And thank you for the beautiful day you give us to learn, to serve others, and to
remember the Truth of Your Glory!
This we ask in Jesus’ name through the intercession of the blessed Mother Mary
and with the prayers of Venerable Ignacia Del Espiritu Santo . Amen.
 LESSON 2
WHAT MEANS TO BE A PHILOSOPHER
How do we understand the Holistic
Perspective of a Philosopher’s way
according to the Idea of
Siddharta Herman Esse?
 LESSON 2: WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A
PHILOSOPHER

“This is patiently absurd; but whoever wishes to become

a philosopher must learn not to be frightened by
absurdities.”
-Bertrand Russell
 When you describe someone as
“PILOSOPO” what do you mean?
How do you feel when someone calls
you “PILOSOPO”?

Why do you feel that way?

 MERIAM WEBSTER DICTIONARY

“PILOSOPO” means – proud person,

highbrow; marunong na tao; wise man
 GROUP DISCUSSION

1. Analyze the meaning of “Pilosopo” based on the experience

shared. Do you agree with the meanings associated with the
word “pilosopo”?

2. With what should the word “Pilosopo” be associated? Why?

 FILIPINO CONTEXT ON “PILOSOPO”

We have used the term “pilosopo” to refer to someone who asks lot of
questions, many of which are judged as nonsense or out-of-this-world.

We often do not take a “pilosopo” seriously because we think of them as

simply trying to get attention by annoying others.
 ORIGIN OF THE WORD “PHILOSOPHY”

“PHILOSOPHY” is the joining two Greek words, Philos or Philein,

which means LOVE; and SOPHIA, which generally means WISDOM.
Taken together, this means the philos-Sophia is the love of wisdom.

What is the love of wisdom? We can best appreciate this by recalling the
story of Socrates, whose life and death, is a moving picture of this love.
 SOCRATES (C. 470-348 B.C)

Socrates of Athens, Greece, is known through the writings of his student, PLATO.

In one of Plato’s writings, The Apology, a friend of Socrates went to a priestess (an
oracle) to ask who was the wisest man. The Priestess answered that “there is no man
wiser than Socrates.” When Socrates heard this, he did not believe it. He was certain
no know anything.
 PLATO’S APOLOGY: SOCRATES: ALL I KNOW IS
I KNOW NOTHING

for I knew I had no wisdom. After thinking it over for a long time, I
decided that I had to find a man wiser than myself so I could go back to the
god’s oracle with this evidence. So I went to see a politician who was famous
for his wisdom. But when I questioned him, I realized he really was not wise,
although many people-he especially-thought he was. So I tried to explain to him
that although he thought himself wise, he really was not. But all that happened
was that he came to hate me.
 PLATO’S APOLOGY: SOCRATES: ALL I KNOW IS
I KNOW NOTHING

And so did many of his supporters who overhead us. So I left

him, thinking to myself as I left that although neither of us
really knew anything about what is noble and good, still I was
better off. For he knows nothing, and thinks that he knows,
while I neither know or think that I know. And this I think I
have slight advantage.
 PLATO’S APOLOGY: SOCRATES: ALL I KNOW IS
I KNOW NOTHING
then I went to another person who had even greater pretensions to
wisdom. The result was exactly the same. I made another enemy. In this way
I went to one man after another and made more and more enemies. I felt bad
about this and it frightened me. But I was compelled to do it because I felt
that investigating god’s oracle came first , I said to myself, I must go to
everyone who seems to be wise so I can find out what the oracle means.
Socrates’ reputation during his time was that of an annoying
philosopher who would embarrass others in the process of asking them
questions about what they professed as their expertise. Because of
humiliation he caused, he created a number of enemies. His enemies
found a way to place charges against him and put him in trial. Reading
Socrates’ defense above, we can see clearly that his intention was not to
humiliate and create enemies. He genuinely wanted to know what the
priestess meant when she said that “no one is wiser that Socrates”.
 PLATO’S APOLOGY: SOCRATES: ALL I KNOW IS
I KNOW NOTHING

There is a different between asking questions with the intention of making the
other person look stupid or ignorant, and asking question with a genuine desire
to know. The latter is one of the characteristics of a true philosopher.
 PLATO’S APOLOGY: SOCRATES: ALL I KNOW IS
I KNOW NOTHING

In the end, Socrates understood the message delivered from the gods, “no one is
wiser than Socrates” He, like all men and women of Athens, were ignorant. But
what made him notch wiser that they who thought of themselves as wise, was
that he knew of his own ignorance. He knew that he did not know anything,
whereas other men and women go about living in the world pretending or
deluding themselves with the thought that they knew everything.
 PLATO’S APOLOGY: SOCRATES: ALL I KNOW IS
I KNOW NOTHING

A genuine desire to know begins with this humble admission of one’s own ignorance.
With this desire comes the courage to ask question. Sometimes, we don’t hesitate to
ask question we are afraid to being thought of as stupid.
We are afraid of being judged as attention-seeker, or we are afraid that our question
will be taken against us. Socrates is a shining example of someone who bravely sought
for the truth. This is what means to be a lover of wisdom.
 PLATO’S APOLOGY: SOCRATES: ALL I KNOW IS
I KNOW NOTHING

the story of Socrates’ life posses a challenge to all of us. It reminds us of our
fundamental ignorance which we often forget in moments of pride.
The true meaning of the message of the gods is this: “Anyone can be as wise as
Socrates for as long as he lives the truth that he does not know anything.”
With this constant admission, one will be more open to learning new thing. The
beginning of true wisdom.
 PILOSOPO AS PHILOSOPHER

In the Philippines, the term “PILOSOPO” connotes the image of a comical and sometimes
annoying, character. It is often use to describe someone who plays with words, or twist
commonsensical reasonings in order to come across as funny.

Sometimes the “PILOSOPO” is also described as “KSP” or kulang sa pansin, because their
incessant questioning gives impression that they are desperate for attention.
 IS A PILOSOPO WHAT WE MEAN BY A
PHILOSOPHER?
NO, a philosopher is not a pilosopo because he/she does not play with words, or twist
reasonings just for the fun of it.

Yes, a pilosopo is a philosopher, if his/her intention in playing with words and overturning
usual forms of reasoning is in order to view things is a different way. Somestimes, it is when
you try to look at things upside-down or inside-out that you discover things that would give
you a sense of wonder and astonishment .
 IS A PILOSOPO WHAT WE MEAN BY A
PHILOSOPHER?
No, a philosopher is not a pilosopo if he/she raises question often with the intention of
showing of that he/she is singularly smart and inquisitive.

Yes, a pilosopo is a philosopher if the question he/she asks stem from a genuine confusion,
astonishment and wonder. Most important of all, those question are personal because the
deeply touch on or has a bearing on the philosopher’s understanding of the meaning of life.