Branches of Philosophy PDF

After examining the definition of philosophy, this section distinguishes its branches from where recognition of various human activities emanated from deliberate reflection and dialogs. One of the greatest needs of anyone seeking “wisdom” is genuine sympathy and understanding all the most diverse v...

After examining the definition of philosophy, this section distinguishes its branches from where recognition of various human activities emanated from deliberate reflection and dialogs. One of the greatest needs of anyone seeking “wisdom” is genuine sympathy and understanding all the most diverse viewpoints (holistic perspective). A narrow provincialism of mind, limited to the ideas and outlook of a single party or a single age(partial perspective).  The well-known Philosopher, Plato, enlightened the field of METAPHYSICS by contrasting reality and appearance. He stated that our experience with the real world is not real. Reality according to him is how we perceive the world. Therefore, what is real is just products of our perception through the mind. For example, we see a yellow chair because we perceive it as yellow chair. But others may perceive a different color when light affecting the appearance of the chair is obstructed. -Studies the nature of reality. It is responsible for the study of existence. Comes from the Greek word “meta meaning beyond, upon or after” and” physika meaning physics.” Metaphysician- is a philosopher whose area of study or expertise is the nature of reality itself and their task is to explain the part of our experience. “Everything is water. “  ETHICS as another branch of Philosophy deals with the evaluation of human actions and the nature of moral virtue. As such, ethical philosophy accounts for the nature of our moral judgements and it also attempts to investigate our fundamental ethical ideas. From these contentions arise the idea of right versus wrong and evil versus good. Discourses like feminism (equal opportunities among genders) and law-making become areas where ethical philosophy is employed. Socrates pointed out that knowledge is not merely theoretical nor speculative but also practical. It means that knowledge on rules of right living is not sufficient when it is not actually being practiced.  “to be happy, a person has to live a virtuous life” Plato- explain the difference between clear intellectual vision and the confused vision of sense perception by an analogy from the sense of sight. Sight, he says differs from the other senses, since it requires not only the eye and the object, but also light. we clearly see objects on which the sun shines; in twilight, we see when the sun illumines the object; while the world of passing things is a confused twilight world. The eye is compared to the soul, and the sun, as source of light to truth or goodness. studies the nature and scope of knowledge.. The term is derived from the Greek epistēmē (“ knowledge”) and logos (“reason”),  Epistemology as philosophical perspective concerns itself with the nature, sources, limitations and validity of knowledge. Some of the basic questions raised by Epistemology are: ❑how do we know what we know, ❑how do we know what we want to know and ❑howdo we distinguish true from what is not true. Knowledge, according to this perspective, can be acquired through induction (empiricism) and deduction. Induction is a process of knowledge- forming by investigating particulars (also known as empirical evidences) in order to arrive at general idea. Conversely, deductive process employs generally accepted ideas in order to arrive at specific ideas. Advocates of deductive method are called rationalists. Rene Descartes is well-known rationalist. Logic- the term “logic” comes from the Greek word “LOGIKE” means a treatise on matters pertaining to human thought Unlike any other philosophical perspectives, logic does not concern itself in what we know regarding certain subjects. Thus, logic does not provide us knowledge of the world directly. It only serves as tool to guide one’s arguments or discourses so as to keep them valid and true. Aristotle was the first philosopher who employed logical method. He claimed that truth exists when there is agreement between knowledge and reality. This can only take place when mental ideas correspond to the objective world. This is where logical reasoning comes in  Reasoning is very important in our everyday lives. Decision making can make or unmake us. Thus the quality of our logical capacity affects our well-being. A person equipped with logic can reason far better than those who are not. Aesthetics- study the nature of beauty/ appreciation of art  Aesthetics can be used to explain matters regarding culture and arts. It is in these fields where beauty can best be explained with the use of aesthetical philosophy. Embedded in our culture is our capacity to distinguish beautiful from what is not. Arts as part of our cultural milieu manifests our ideas regarding beauty.  What benefits can students get from aesthetical knowledge? As students, the importance of aesthetics are: ❑ it vitalizes our knowledge making the world more useful and alive, ❑ it helps us live more deeply and richly for appreciation of work of arts arises, ❑ and it keeps us in touch with our culture. Expectation Vs. Reality Have you experienced being disappointed in life? What kind of reality hits you really hard? In this particular activity, you will DRAW the experience you had through what you expect vs. the real thing that happens. Below are situational cases where each needs particular philosophical perspective in order to understand the issues inherent within each of them. Read each case and think of a particular branch of Philosophy that can appropriately address the issue at hand Case 1 The resources that supply our daily needs come from the environment. The amount of resources that we demand affects environmental condition. Increasing our demand raises the pressure on environment. Conversely, the condition of environment influences the quality of life that we have. An environment in good condition sustains life. While deg- raded environment brings forth social problems. What kind of treatment should we accord to the environment that supplies our needs then? Case 2 For some reasons, there has been an increasing incidence of teenage pregnancies. Despite efforts exerted by stockholders of school community in preventing such phenomenon to happen, still it exists. Why do teenagers engage to this kind of issues? 1. What philosophical perspective or branch of Philosophy can best explain case 1? Write your arguments on the space provided below. 2. What philosophical perspective or branch of Philosophy can best explain case 2? Write your arguments. 1. We cannot see the underlying matter itself but we can see the things made of that matter. What branch of Philosophy sees things like this? A.Metaphysics B.Aesthetics C.Logic D.Epistemology 2. As a branch of Philosophy logic does not provide us with knowledge directly. Etymologically, it means a treatise on matters pertaining to the human thought. As a branch of Philosophy logic does not provide us with knowledge directly. What then is the role of logic in Philosophy? A.Logic enhances appreciation of arguments. B.Logic is used in some disciplines like mathematics. C.Logic offers opportunities discovering new knowledge. D.Logic serves as tool concerning the validity of our arguments. 3. A fundamental and necessary drive in every human being is knowing what is real. Which among the branches of Philosophy accounts for the unreal in terms of what we accept as real? A.Logic B.Aesthetics C.Metaphysics D.Ethics 4. A branch of Philosophy deals with what is right or wrong. Another branch focuses itself with the non-observables. What does epistemology deal with? A.Epistemology deals with the other branches of Philosophy B.Epistemology concerns itself with how to make arguments more valid and essential. C.Epistemology deals with the nature, sources, limitations and validity of knowledge. D.Epistemology focuses on discovering new knowledge unknown to men. 5. It is not what we know that logic is interested in. Rather, it concerns itself on the truth and validity of our arguments. Who was the philosopher who devised the first logical method? A.Socrates B.Plato C.Zeno D.Aristotle 1. A 2. D 3.C 4. C 5. D