DOING PHILOSOPHY

LECTURE 1
INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON
HOLISTIC AND PARTIAL THINKING

In our haste to make hasty

and immediate solutions,
we fail to consider long-
term plans and goals
(Henri Nouwen, Clowning
in Rome).
 HOLISTIC THINKING

• a perspective that considers large-

scale patterns in systems.
• the “big picture” when describing
and analyzing a situation or
problem.
• An individual must have an open
mindset and an ability to get the
general sense regarding a situation.
 HOLISTIC THINKING

• stepping back and consider the

general aspects of a certain
problem.
• a more appreciative perspective
about life, look life in its totality
• looks at all aspects of the given
situation or problem when making
conclusions
 PARTIAL THINKING

• looks at only a limited number of

aspects of the given problem or
situation.
• an individual focuses on certain areas
or aspects of a problem in order to
understand. Conclusions are made
considering some but not all sides of
the problem or situation.
 HOLISTIC AND PARTIAL THINKING
• Philosophy uses holistic thinking in making sense of
problems and issues related to human experience.

“And we're just another piece of the puzzle

Just another part of the plan
How one life touches the other
Is so hard to understand”
-Song: Since the World Began by Survisor
 REFLECTION

• to examine one’s thoughts,

feelings, and actions to learn more
about one’s life and experiences
• helps us understand ourselves and
our actions better
• we can judge whether our actions
or decisions are reasonable or not
 WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY?

• Greek words, “Philo” (love) and “Sophia” (wisdom):

Philosophy is the love and the study of wisdom.
• Ancient Greek philosophers applied the love of
wisdom to the study or discipline that uses human
reason to investigate ultimate causes, reasons, and
principles which governs all things.
 TERMS

• Philosophy is the discipline, the search and study of

wisdom.
• Philosopher is the person who studies Philosophy.
• Philosophize is the act of applying philosophy.
FAMOUS PHILOSOPHERS
PYTHAGORAS (57 BCE-495 BCE)

• Mathematician and Philosopher

• Pythagorean Theorem
• Established a community of learners
who studied philosophy and religion
HERACLITUS (535 BCE – 475 BCE)

• Everything that exists is based on a

higher order or plan (logos).
• Change is constant
• “No man steps on the same river
twice”
DEMOCRITUS (460 BCE - 370 BCE)

• Studied the causes of natural

phenomena
• One of the first thinkers who proposed
that matter is composed of tiny
particles called “atom”.
DIOGENES (412 BCE – 320 BCE)

• Advocated the living of austerity

and a simple and virtuous life.
• One should not only talk about
virtue but also show virtue in words
and deeds.
• Vocal critic of Plato and Aristotle.
• His followers used his philosophy to
develop schools of thought.
• Cynicism: people are reasoning
animals
• the purpose of life and the way to
gain happiness is to achieve virtue,
in agreement with nature, following
one's natural sense of reason by
living ascetically and shamelessly
free from social constraints
• Stoicism: philosophy of life that
maximizes positive emotions,
reduces negative emotions and
helps individuals to hone their virtues
of character.
EPICURUS (341 BCE – 270 BCE)

• Philosophy can help man live a life

of happiness.
• Epicureanism: wisdom and simple
living can help man live a life free
from fear and pain.
SOCRATES (470 BCE – 399 BCE)

• Foremost philosopher of Ancient

Times.
• Contributed in the field of ethics.
• Criticized philosophers of his time
but did not consider himself as wise,
only a midwife that helped inquiring
minds achieve wisdom.
• Philosophy can help man live a life
of virtue.
• Socratic method: question and
answer method
PLATO (427 BCE – 327 BCE)

• Proposed in his work, “The

Republic” an ideal government
and society ruled by wisdom
and reason.
• Dialectic method: two
opposing ideas are discussed to
gain knowledge
• Established the Academy:
institution of higher learning
• Socrates’ student, his writings
are the foundation of Western
Philosophy.
• Theory of Forms: everything
exists is based on an idea or
template that can only be
perceived in the mind; these
non-physical ideas are eternal
and unchanging.
ARISTOTLE (384 BCE – 322 BCE)

• Plato’s student, attended the

Academy
• Disagreed with Plato’s Theory of
Forms. All ideas or views are based
on perception, reality is based on
what we can sense and perceive.
• He influenced the study of physical
sciences.
• Deductive Reasoning: specific
statements are studied to reach a
generalization
 LAO TZU

• Founder of Daoism/Taoism
• Work: Tao Te Ching
• Concept of the Tao, an invisible
structure which drives all things, and
believes enlightenment comes from
attaining oneness with the
surrounding universe
• “To the mind that is still the whole
universe surrenders.”
• “Nature does not hurry, but
everything is accomplished.”
• “When I let go of who I am, I
become what I might be.”
SIDDHARTA GAUTAMA (BUDDHA)

• Buddha “The Enlightened”

• A prince from Nepal who lived during
the 6th or 5th century BC
• His followers have become members
of Buddhism
• Enlightenment “Nirvana”
 BUDDHA’S 4 NOBLE TRUTHS

• dukkha ('not being at ease',

"suffering," from dush-stha, "standing
unstable," is an innate characteristic of
the perpetual cycle (samsara,
lit. 'wandering') of grasping at things,
ideas and habits;
 BUDDHA’S 4 NOBLE TRUTHS

• samudaya (origin, arising,

combination; "cause"): dukkha
(unease) arises simultaneously with
taṇhā ("craving, desire or attachment,
lit. 'thirst').
 BUDDHA’S 4 NOBLE TRUTHS

• irodha (cessation, ending,

confinement): dukkha can be ended
or contained by the confinement or
letting go of this taṇhā;
 BUDDHA’S 4 NOBLE TRUTHS

• marga (path, Noble Eightfold Path) is

the path leading to the confinement
of tanha and dukkha
 CONFUCIUS

• 6th and 5th century B.C. thinker

• promoted ancestor worship, strong
filial bonds, and considerate living
• Confucius’ writings espouse
humanistic ideologies, placing the
well-being of all over the needs of
the few.
• the Five Classics (Spring and Autumn
Annals, Classic of Poetry, Classic of
Changes, Classic of Rites, and
Classic of History)
• Li, an ethical framework
encouraging the populace to
behave appropriately
 HINDUISM

• a religious tradition developed during

the first millennium and intertwined with
the history and social system of India
• no founder, has no prophets, no set
creed, and no particular institutional
structure
• emphasizes the right way of living
(dharma) rather than a set of doctrines
 EASTERN PHILOSOPHY

• Philosophical traditions that emerged within the

Eastern Asian regions of India and China.
• Eastern philosophies were intimately tied to their
respective religious traditions of Hinduism, Buddhism,
Confucianism, and Daoism.
• its philosophy deals less with worship rituals and
depictions of the gods, and more with larger
questions of our relation to the cosmos.
 EASTERN PHILOSOPHY

• Allegory of the pebble in the pool:

as the pebble goes deeper, the
ripples it creates becomes wider
• Focus: To give meaning,
“pagpapakahulugan”
 WESTERN PHILOSOPHY

• Western philosophy is characterized by a canonical

set of thinkers including Plato, Aristotle, Descartes,
Kant, etc.
• It is also characterized by the influence of
monotheistic religions, especially Christianity.
• Finally, Western philosophy has often reflected
theories that emphasize formalism and universal
concepts.
 WESTERN PHILOSOPHY

• To give definitions
• Definitions: to define, to give limits
or bounds
 EASTERN AND WESTERN
PHILOSOPHY
• Western philosophy tends to focus more on ideas
and principles
• Eastern philosophy is more focused on behavior and
the eternal nature of reality.
 What is real?
Can we understand reality and everything in it?
What is the ultimate cause of everything?
Why am I here?
What is truth?
 WHY IS THERE A NEED TO
PHILOSOPHIZE?
• Plato: Because of man’s sense of wonder-ask
questions and gain answers, his curiosity: Question,
examine, and learn more.
• Rene Descartes: Because of man’s doubt. He
questioned everything. “Cogito ergo sum” (I think
therefore, I am.
 WHY IS THERE A NEED TO
PHILOSOPHIZE?
• Karl Jaspers: Because of experience. Experience
challenges man’s ideas and frameworks.
Experiences are “limit situations”
• Because we love wisdom.
 HOW DO WE CHARACTERIZE THE
STUDY OF PHILOSOPHY?
• Philosophy is a way of understanding frameworks
(View about the world as influenced by the beliefs of
a person).
• Internal Questions: deal with our own values,
addressed using our own frameworks. External
Questions: they question the frameworks by which
people have their own values and beliefs.
 HOW DO WE CHARACTERIZE THE
STUDY OF PHILOSOPHY?
• Philosophy is an examination of a particular area of
knowledge.
• Philosophy is a distinct area of knowledge with its
own goals, concerns, and way of doing things:
Philosophy of Science, Philosophy of Religion,
Philosophy of Language, Philosophy of Education,
Politics, Art, etc.
 HOW DO WE CHARACTERIZE THE
STUDY OF PHILOSOPHY?
• Philosophy is a distinct area of knowledge with its
own goals, concerns, and doing things.
• Philosophy of:
• Aesthetics-beauty
• Logic-correct reasoning
• Epistemology-nature of knowledge and knowing
• Ethics-moral questions and dilemnas
• Politics-governments, justice, power, rights and
obligations
• Philosophy of:
• Metaphysics-reality and existence
• Philosophy of the Human Person-the human person is
understood in a philosophical perspective, in order to
understand the truth about the human person
 HOW DO WE CHARACTERIZE THE
STUDY OF PHILOSOPHY?
• Philosophy is a reflective and meditative activity.
• Philosophy a method of mental exercise.
 PRACTICAL USES OF PHILOSOPHY
IN OUR DAILY LIVES
• Engage in critical analysis and interpretation of
concepts, definitions, arguments, and problems
• Improve problem-solving and decision-making
• Become good communicators who can clearly and
adequately present ideas
• Wisdom (What is the difference between knowledge
and wisdom?)
• Self-development
 REFLECTION PAPER 1

1. Share an experience in your life where you have

found reflective and holistic thinking have helped
you.