Intro to Philosophy: Origin, Concepts, Wisdom

Definition, Origin, and Concepts of Philosophy

• Philosophy comes from "Philos" (love) and "Sophia" (wisdom).
• Philosophy explores the world, the universe, and society through questioning.
• Thales of Miletus is considered the "Father of Philosophy" for his rational thinking instead of belief in Gods.

Kinds of Wisdom

• Divine Wisdom is perceived as a gift from God; acquired through seeking divine help.
• Human Wisdom is acquired through experience, knowledge, and good judgement.
• Knowledge is information and understanding, while wisdom is applying that information.

Notable Philosophers

Socrates (470 - 399 BCE)

• Known for the Socratic Method, which encourages critical questioning.
• The Socratic Method involved communication through probing questions.

Plato (428 - 348 BCE)

• Plato used dialectic: debating to find common agreement.
• Plato's groundwork involves dialects, ethics (right from wrong), and physics (environment and people).
• True knowledge, according to Plato, comes from understanding forms, not observation.

Aristotle (384 - 322 BCE)

• Aristotle stressed the importance of logic.
• Believed people's concepts and knowledge are based on perception.

Thales (624 - 546 BCE)

• Regarded as the Father of Philosophy.
• Explained natural phenomena using theories and hypotheses, not myths.

Confucius (551 - 479 BCE)

• Confucius did not focus on strict rules, but on virtuous living.
• Believed virtuous leaders inspire virtuous behavior in others.

Lao Tzu (6th Century BCE)

• Advocated Taoism (following the Dao).
• Suggested one must go beyond reading and thinking to follow the Dao.

Prospero Covar (mid 1970s)

• Described Filipino identity through the concepts of outside, inside, and depth

Virgilio Enriquez (1975)

• Defined Sikolohiyang Pilipino as Filipino experiences, ideas, and culture.

Zeus Salazar (late 1991)

• Proponent of reflective views in Philippine history

Holistic vs. Partial Perspective

• Holistic thinking considers large-scale patterns in systems.
• A big-picture mentality recognizes interconnectedness.
• Holistic medicine makes sense of problems using hollistic thinking.
• Partial thinking focuses on specific aspects
• People often use analytical perspectives to approach problems

Value of Philosophy

• Everyone can philosophize since humans tend to wonder and doubt.
• A philosopher is a good communicator.
• Philosophy allows better decisions and reflective thinking.
• Philosophizing arises from a love for wisdom and a desire for truth.
• Rene Descartes believed the need to philosophize comes from doubt.

Branches of Philosophy

• Logic is the science of correct reasoning.
• Philosophy of the Human Person examines humanity's destiny.
• Cosmology studies the origin and nature of the universe.
• Metaphysics explores reality beyond physics.
• Ethics studies human morality.
• Aesthetics studies art and beauty.
• Epistemology studies the theory of knowledge.
• Psychology studies human behavior.
• Social Philosophy studies principles governing human relations.
• Theodicy concerns God and justice.

Philosophical Reflection

• Philosophy helps one see the bigger perspective and ultimate purpose.
• Reflection lets one judge the reasonableness of actions and decisions.
• Philosophy helps to engage in critical analysis.
• Philosophy improves problem-solving and decision-making.
• Holistically evaluate situations before concluding.

Nature of Truth

• Philosophy seeks to determine the nature of truth.
• Ayn Rand: reality exists independently of perception.

Truth vs. Opinion

• Truth is validated knowledge based on facts.
• Opinion is a judgement not necessarily based on fact.

Truth

• Based on the facts of reality
• Can be confirmed with other sources
• Is independent of interpretation

Opinion

• Based on emotions.
• Open to interpretation.
• Cannot be confirmed.
• Inherently biased.

Theories of Truth

• Correspondence Theory: Ideas are true if they accurately reflect reality.
• Coherence Theory: Ideas are true if they are internally consistent.
• Pragmatist Theory: Ideas are true if they are useful and solve problems.

Philosophical Questions

• Philosophical questions have answers that are continuously debated.
• Philosophical questions can’t be settled by science, common sense or faith.
• Philosophical questions are of perennial interest to people.

Methods of Philosophizing

• Dialectic Method: the art of conversation.
• Used to clarify arguments and notions to seek agreement and truth.
• Pragmatic Method: Philosophy is made relevant by solving real-life problems.
• Phenomenological Method: science can be counterproductive

Reasoning and Fallacies

• Reasoning is generating new truths from known truths.
• Reasoning justifies statements based on other statements.
• A valid argument has premises that support the conclusion

Types of Reasoning

• DGS - Deductive (General to Specific)
• ISG - Inductive (Specific to General)
• AGSO - Abductive (General to Specific observation)

Common Fallacies

• Argumentum ad Hominem: Attacks the person, not the argument.
• Argumentum ad Baculum: Uses force or threats.
• Argumentum ad Misericordiam: Appeals to emotion, like pity.
• Argumentum ad Populum: Claims acceptability based on popularity.
• Argumentum ad Tradition: Claims acceptability based on long-standing tradition.
• Argumentum ad Ignorantiam: Claims something is true because it hasn't been proven false, and vice versa.
• Petitio Principii: Assumes the conclusion is true.
• Hasty Generalization: Draws a conclusion from insufficient evidence.
• Cause and Effect: Assumes a relationship between unrelated events.
• Fallacy of Composition: Assumes what's true of a part is true for the whole.
• Fallacy of Division: Assumes what's true of the whole is true for a part.
• Fallacy of Equivocation: Uses the same term with different meanings.

Kinds of Biases

• Correspondence Bias: Judges personality by actions, ignoring external factors.
• Confirmation Bias: Accepts information confirming existing beliefs, rejects conflicting information.
• Framing: Focuses on certain aspects and ignores others.
• Hindsight: Sees past events as predictable.
• Conflict of Interest: Having a vested interest in the issue.
• Cultural Bias: Analyzes issues based on cultural standards.

The Human Person

• Man: Represents the entire human race.
• Human: Refers to classifications and species.
• Human Being: Separates humans from other animals.
• Person: A self-aware, self-determining individual.
• Personhood: Describes the state of being a person with unique sacred status.
• Human Nature: Natural behavior distinguishing humans from animals.
• Human Person: Embodies soul, mind, and spirit.

Distinguishing a Human Person

Cognitive Self

• Non-physical
• Consists of beliefs, desires, dreams, and intentions

Physical Self

• Can be seen

Embodied Spirit

• Embodied spirit is the animating core living within each of us; drives our actions.

Human Person as Embodied Spirit

• Self-awareness includes understanding of thoughts, emotions, identity, and actions.

• Humans can connect and interact with others and can direct their own lives.

• Humans have inherent value and importance given we have interiority

• Virtue is practicing truth and avoiding bias by doing right..