Prepared by : Charmaine Franz L.

Villaflor
 LEARNING TARGETS

I CAN DEFINE I CAN DISCUSS THE I CAN CREATE MY OWN

PHILOSOPHY. MEANING OF DEFINITION OF
PHILOSOPHY. PHILOSOPHY.
 GUIDED
QUESTION

WHAT IS
PHILOSOPHY?
 WHAT IS
PHILOSOPHY
AS A
TERM/WORD?
The term “philosophy” comes from the
Greek language. It consists of two words :
philos, (love, or philia )– friendship,
affection
sophos (learned scholar, sage, or
sophia - wisdom, knowledge, talent)
 • The Ancient Greek word
“philosophia” was probably
Philosophy coined by Pythagoras and
literally means “love of
wisdom”.
• “philos” - love
• “sophia” - wisdom
• THUS:
• Philosophy is the love of
wisdom
• Philosophy attempts to
answer life's Big Questions
• Philosophy is about
Questions
• Philosophers ask Questions
about what people Believe
• Philosophy is about
Examining Ourselves & Our
Beliefs
Pythagoras and
Heraclitus, called
themselves
philosophers or
lovers of wisdom
only. ( because
accordingly only
the gods are wise.)
THERE ARE MANY QUESTIONS but
there are SOME BIG QUESTION
What?

Why?

HOW ?
Do you believe in GOD?
WHY?
• QUESTIONS OF BELIEF

Are you in favor of

Imposing DEATH PENALTY?
WHY?

Do you believe that

EUTHANASIA is wrong?
WHY?
• QUESTIONS OF VALUES?
 Some Philosophical questions

Do we have free Does the world

What is good? What is beauty?
will? around us exist?

What is the
relationship
What is a person? What is truth? What is evil?
between mind and
body?

What is
What is science? Does God exist? What is love?
philosophy?
 THE MEANING
OF PHILOSOPHY
THE MEANING OF PHILOSOPHY
a. Science
b. Natural Light of Reason
c. Study of All Things
d. First Cause or Highest Principles
- Principle of Identity
- Principle of Non-Contradiction
- Principle of Excluded Middle
- Principle of Sufficient Reason
THE MEANING OF
PHILOSOPHY

Science
investigation is SYSTEMATIC.
 b. Natural Light of Reason
Philosophy investigates
things not by using any
other laboratory instrument
or investigative tools,
neither on the basis of
supernatural revelation,
otherwise it becomes
theology.
c. Study of All Things
Philosophy is not one dimensional or
partial.
A philosopher does not limit himself
to a particular object of inquiry. He
questions almost anything, if not
everything. It is multidimensional or
holistic.
 d. First Cause or
Highest Principle. A
principle is that
from which
something proceeds
in any manner
whatsoever.
 Principle of Identity –
whatever it is; & whatever is
not; everything is what it is.
Everything is its own being, &
not being is not being.
 Principle of Non-
Contradiction – it is
impossible for a thing to be &
not to be at the same time, &
at the same respect.
Principle of Excluded Middle
– a thing is either is or is not;
everything must be either be
or not be; between being &
not-being , there is no
middle ground possible.
 .
Principle of Sufficient Reason
– nothing exists without a
sufficient reason for its being
and existence.
 MEANING OF PHILOSOPHY AS A
PATH TOWARD THE ATTAINMENT
OF KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM

DIFFERENCE
BETWEEN
KNOWLEDGE AND
WISDOM
Emergence of Western Philosophy

Western Philosophy is primarily concerned with

uncovering the truth through systematic argumentation
and theory. There is greater emphasis on the use of
reason rather than faith, and an increase focus on man as
an individual. This perspective has led to the development
of a more scientific, theory-based approach in philosophy,
and a more individualistic, self-oriented approach in
analyzing the human condition.
 Greece was home to one of the great civilizations
during the ancient period. Among the most notable
characteristics of ancient Greek civilization was their love
for learning. For a Greek to call himself a wise and
learned person, he must know a lot of things from
various disciplines.

Sophists

They were teachers who travelled throughout

Greece and taught people who wished to learn. They
were excellent public speakers who trained their
students to win each and every argument they
participated in.
Philosophos

A group of thinkers who believes that teaching is

more than just training people to win arguments.
Teaching and learning should be an opportunity to learn
the truth of all things in this world, and real wisdom
should strive to achieve truth aside from knowledge.
According to them, arguments and discussion
must be based on sound reasoning. Their central belief
was that man need not know all things in the world, but
one must continue to inquire and seek to understand
and learn about the human condition.
 Notable Ancient Greek Philosophers

Pythagoras
A mathematician and scientist,
credited with the formulation of
the Pythagorean theorem. He
establish a community of learners
who were devoted to the study of
religion and philosophy.
Heraclitus
He proposed that everything
that exists is based on a higher
order or plan which he called
logos. For him, change is a
permanent aspect of human
condition .
 Diogenes of Sinope

He was a known advocate

of a simple and virtuous
Democritus life. For him, one should
not only talk of virtue but
He devoted himself to should show it in words
studying the cause of
natural phenomena.
and action.
He was among the
first to propose that
matter is composed of
His emphasis on austerity
tiny particles called and simplicity often went
atoms. to the extreme and he
was said to have live like
a beggar.
Diogenes

He was also known to be a vocal critic of

well-known philosophers such as Plato
and Aristotle. His teachings and views
were later developed by his followers
and influenced the development of
several schools of philosophy such as
Cynicism and Stoicism.
Socrates
He was considered the foremost philosopher of ancient time.
He made great contributions to the field of ethics. Socrates
was known critic of intellectuals during his time, but he
himself did not claim to be “wise” .

He believed that philosophy could enable man to live a life of

virtue. He formulated the Socratic Method – a means of
examining a topic by devising a series of questions that let the
learner examine and analyze his knowledge and views
regarding the topic.
 “The Unexamined Life is
not worth living.”
"The only true
wisdom is in
knowing you
know
nothing ."
Plato
A student of Socrates, he wrote down
his teacher’s writings and incorporated
some of his own ideas into them. His
teaching and writings were considered
the foundation of Western Philosophy.

His most significant ideas included

Theory of Forms, which proposes that
everything that exists is based on an
idea or template that can only be
perceived in the mind, these
nonphysical ideas are eternal and
unchanging.
Plato also focused his studies on the ideal society
and proposed an ideal model of government and
society which is ruled by wisdom and reason. He
is also known for his dialectic – a method of
inquiry where two opposing ideas are discussed
in an attempt to arrive at new knowledge. Plato’s
lasting contribution to learning was his founding
of the Academy, an institution of higher learning
which was the first of its kind in the West.
Aristotle

He attended the Academy, and was

a prominent student of Plato.
Aristotle, however, disagreed with
Plato’s theory of forms and took a
different view in interpreting
reality.
For him, all ideas and views are
based on perception and our
reality is based on what we can
sense and perceive.
Aristotle was involved in a great variety of
disciplines such as zoology, psychology,
ethics, and politics. He proposed a system
for the classification of plants and
animals. His studies in logic led to the
formulation of a formal process of
analyzing reasoning which gave rise to
deductive reasoning – the process by
which specific statements are analyze to
reach a conclusion or generalization.
Archimedes
He gained renown for the practical aspects
of his philosophical inquiries and was
considered a leading scientist in ancient
times. A mathematician, physical engineer,
inventor, and astronomer. His inquiries in
mathematics led to earlier developments
which gave rise to modern calculus. He
pioneered to use mathematics to analyze
natural phenomena. He was credited for
several inventions such as the Archimedes
screw, a devise for raising water, and a
method for determining volume using
displacement.
Epicurus
He believed that 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 to a life free from fear and pain.

These and other ancient philosophers contributed

greatly to the development and spread of philosophy
in Greece and throughout Europe. Many of their ideas
survived through the centuries, and these formed the
basis for the development of modern Western
Philosophy.
 EVALUATION

• ½ SHEET OF PAPER
Write an essay entitled,
“My Philosophy in Life”