Fidelis Senior High 2024-2025 Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person PDF

ACADEMIC YEAR 2024-2025 INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON LESSON 1:DOING PHILOSOPHY NOT FOR SHARING AND REPRODUCTION ETYMOLOGY OF PHILOSOPHY The Ancient Greek word φιλοσοφία (philosophia) was probably coined by Pythagoras and literally means "love of wisdom"...

ACADEMIC YEAR 2024-2025 INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON LESSON 1:DOING PHILOSOPHY NOT FOR SHARING AND REPRODUCTION ETYMOLOGY OF PHILOSOPHY The Ancient Greek word φιλοσοφία (philosophia) was probably coined by Pythagoras and literally means "love of wisdom" - CURIOUSITY or "friend of wisdom." Love= strong desire for a particular object Wisdom= correct application of knowledge Philosophy- is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with reality, existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind and language. It is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational argument. Philosophy may be considered the “parent science”, it has given birth to Natural, Physical and Social Sciences. Love According to the Ancient Greeks EROS – (erotic love, love of beauty) Speaks to sexual passion and intimate love It can be felt initially (LUST) It becomes a deeper and more meaningful form of love: an appreciation of external and internal beauty. PHILIA – (friendly love, love between equals) A concept developed by Aristotle Philia refers to a virtuous and loyal love “Brotherly love” and the love one might feel for family and community Being/Beings - all things that exist: Material Being - all things that exist as perceived by our senses; conceivable Immaterial - ideas, intellect, soul, spirit, conceive Sentient Beings: (ex: plants, animals and human beings) respond to the environment however human beings are differ from plants and animals because we are aware that we are thinking. KNOWLEDGE VS. WISDOM Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad KNOWLEDGE - Is knowing what to say. WISDOM - Is knowing when to say it. PHILOSOPHICAL PERSPECTIVE SOCRATES Philosophy as critical self- examination, as the will to not just live life but to constantly question and evaluate it at the same time. BUDDHA Explain the meaning of life and the world we live in. It’s a way to cultivate one’s mind. Buddhist believe that happiness stems from the mind. CONFUCIUS Belief that human beings are fundamentally good, and teachable, improvable, and perfectible through personal communal endeavor, especially self - cultivation and self-creation. LAO TZU Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is the true power. TACITUS The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws. Conceptions of Philosophy 1. Philosophy as the quest for truth 2. Philosophy is the search for beliefs that are rationally justified. 3. Philosophy as an activity 4. Philosophy by nature is “a do-it- yourself enterprise 1.1. Philosophy as the quest for truth – Louis P. Pojman (2006) Philosophy uses: ▪ Reason ▪ Sense Perception ▪ Empathy ▪ Imagination ▪ Intuition 2.2. Philosophy as the search for beliefs that are rationally justified – William F. Lawhead (2012) It urges us to re-examine all our beliefs and ideas and evaluate them to check whether they are rationally justified. 3.3. Philosophy as an activity - Ludwig Wittgenstein (2004) Skills that a person develops in studying philosophy are incorporated in the daily routine of the person which eventually becomes a habit. 4.4. Philosophy by nature is “a do-it- yourself enterprise” - James L. Christian (2012) One does not need to be a professional philosopher in order to do philosophy. Questions are more important than answers because answers themselves will in turn become questions! – Karl Jaspers Major Branches of Philosophy Metaphysics - it is the foundation of philosophy - is the most abstract branch of philosophy. It’s the branch that deals with the “first principles” of existence, seeking to define basic concepts like existence, being, causality, substance, time, and space.” META and PHYSIKA beyond/after physical/nature Parts of Metaphysics 1. General Metaphysics/Ontology 2. Special Metaphysics ▪ Cosmology ▪ Psychology or Anthropology ▪ Natural Theology or theodicy Ontology - Within metaphysics, one of the main sub-branches is ontology, or the study of being. These two terms are so closely related that you can often hear people use “metaphysics” and “ontology” interchangeably. Many of the concepts raised in this article are about ontology, because this is one of the most active areas of metaphysics. ONTOLOGY Onto (being or that which is) logos (knowledge or study) Ontology - branch of Metaphysics that studies the nature of existence of things and status of reality. Referred also as the Theory of Being. Is also highly relevant to religions and spirituality. No matter what your beliefs about spirituality, they have an ontological dimension. All the following are ontological statements: Everything is made of atoms and energy Everything is made of consciousness You have a soul You have a mind Theodicy - deals with the nature, being and goodness of God. It is often referred to as “rational theology” because it uses reason to achieve the desired objectives. Explanation of why a perfectly good, almighty, and all-knowing God permits evil. The term literally means “justifying God.” Although many forms of theodicy have been proposed, some Christian thinkers have rejected as impious any attempt to fathom God’s purposes or to judge God’s actions by human standards. Rational Psychology - the term Rational Psychology (philosophy of mind) Its subject-matter is the soul or mind, and its major tasks are to prove the immortality of the soul and to affirm free will. In contrast to modern empirical psychology, which is based on observation and experiment, rational psychology is purely speculative. Cosmology - It is from the Greek word means, kosmos "world" and logia "study of"), is the study of the origin, evolution, the basic and the large-scale structures, and ultimate fate of the universe branch of Philosophy that deals with the origin and development of the universe with its parts, elements, laws, especially its characteristics with regard to space, time, causality and freedom. It stands for a group of related inquiries, in the attempt to gain knowledge of the universe as a whole. Two main subgroups of cosmology: physical (scientific) cosmology rational (metaphysical) cosmology. Physical Cosmology - It applies the scientific methods with which the observational astronomers and the theoretical physicists are involved in the factual study of the whole and the parts of the universe, as well as the governing laws of physics. Rational Cosmology - It reflects on the contemporary sciences and speculates on the origin, fundamental structure, and space-time relationships of the physical universe, in its totality. Its problems are the nature of material existence, the concept of uniformity of nature and the laws of physics, the concept of space and time, etc. Epistemology - It reflects on the contemporary sciences and speculates on the origin, fundamental structure, and space-time relationships of the physical universe, in its totality. Its problems are the nature Epistemology is the study of knowledge; to determine the nature and the extent of human knowledge. The term “epistemology” comes from the Greek "episteme," meaning "knowledge," and "logos," meaning, roughly, "study, or science, of." "Logos" is the root of all terms ending in "-ology" – such as psychology, anthropology – and of "logic," and has many other related meanings. NATURE and EXTENT of KNOWLEDGE NATURE OF KNOWLEDGE - By determining the nature of knowledge, philosophers look at what it means to say you know or don't know something. In order to understand this, one must first comprehend what knowledge is and how to then distinguish between knowing something and not knowing something. Two Kinds of Knowing: Perceptual - concern with sensing of particular thing/s Conceptual- concerned with recognition of universal identities. THE EXTENT OF KNOWLEDGE In order to determine the extent of knowledge, philosophers attempt to understand how much we can and do know and how knowledge is acquired (through things like our senses, reason, and the influence of other people). Epistemology also looks at whether or not our knowledge has a limit and whether there are things that are simply unknowable. Can it be possible that we don't know as much as we believe we know? PROPOSITIONS OF KNOWLEDGE: ⮚ BELIEF ⮚ JUSTIFICATION ⮚ TRUTH BELIEF - Knowledge exists solely in the mind and is therefore a mental state. Additionally, knowledge is a type of belief, for if an individual does not have beliefs regarding a certain thing, then there can be no knowledge of that thing. When a belief is actively entertained by an individual, it is known as an occurring belief. The majority of an individual's beliefs, however, are non-occurrent, meaning the beliefs are not being entertained but are in the background. Similarly, the majority of an individual's knowledge is non-occurrent knowledge, meaning that in a person's mind, only a small portion of knowledge is active. TRUTH - Not all beliefs are knowledge. While belief is necessary for knowledge to exist, it is not all that is needed; there needs to be something else that allows for one's thoughts to match up with the real world. When thoughts do not match with the real world, then they cannot be considered knowledge. For example, one cannot know a bridge is safe to cross without first crossing it safely. If you believe the bridge is safe to cross, but as you begin to cross it, it collapses, then you cannot say that you knew it was safe. One can believe the bridge is safe to cross, and then only after safely crossing it can one then declare that they know it is safe. JUSTIFICATION - Even when one has factual beliefs, he still does not have knowledge. In order for there to be knowledge, there must be justification of these true beliefs. This means that in order to acquire knowledge, a true belief must have sound reasoning and solid evidence to support its claims. Guessing, faulty reasoning, and misinformation, therefore, cannot be considered knowledge (even if the results are that of the true belief). Sources of Knowledge: Customs and Traditions Sense Perceptions Authority Intuition Reason Experience Prime Sources of Knowledge: books journals periodicals, internet newspaper articles magazines legal resources form govt Experience Logic - The study of correct reasoning, especially as it involves the drawing of inferences. According to Aristotle, it was a tool to attain knowledge, and was therefore the very first step in the learning process. Logic enables us to discover errors and establish truths. Rules for Thinking The systematic principles (or rules) for thinking rationally. Interferences are made by construction of Arguments. Rules of Logic determine which arguments are VALID and which are FALLACIES Syllogisms - Syllogisms are made up of three propositions: the first two are premises; the last is the conclusion. Premises can either be universal (using words like every, all, or no) or particular (for example, using the word some), and they can also be affirmative or negative. Aristotle then set out to create a set of rules that would produce a valid inference. One classic example is: 1. At least one premise has to be universal. 2. At least one premise has to be affirmative. 3. If one of the premises is negative, the conclusion will be negative. For example: Negative No dogs are birds. All murderers are criminal Parrots are birds. but the thief isn’t murderer Therefore, no dogs are parrots. and so can’t be a criminal. Ethics (Determining what is right and what is wrong) It is also called moral philosophy, the discipline concerned with what is morally good and bad and morally right and wrong. The term is also applied to any system or theory of moral values or principles, morality of human actions Ethics deals with such questions at all levels. Its subject consists of the fundamental issues of practical decision making, and its major concerns include the nature of ultimate value and the standards by which human actions can be judged right or wrong. ETHICS ≠ MORALITY (theory) (practice) Ethics deals with such questions at all levels. Its subject consists of the fundamental issues of practical decision making, and its major concerns include the nature of ultimate value and the standards by which human actions can be judged right or wrong. Doing Philosophy: ⮚ to ask questions ⮚ to reflect ⮚ to formulate argument NECESSARY SKILLS NEEDED IN DOING PHILOSOPHY 1. Philosophical Reflection -Enables us to look deeper into our experiences and see the bigger picture of reality. Types of Philosophical Reflection Primary Reflection = fragmented and compartmentalized thinking = instrumental thinking “means-end” kind of thinking Secondary Reflection = integrates the fragmented and compartmentalized experience into a coherent whole 2. Construction & Evaluation of Argument -Allows us to express our ideas in a systematic way and allows us to examine the ideas of other people. The act of giving time to think about the meaning and purpose of life. – Gabriel Marcel Philosophical reflection as a tool in doing philosophy… ✔ To see the inter-connectedness and inter-dependence of people actions and events as well as our direct relation to them. ✔ Allows us to deepen our understanding about ourselves as well as our role and place in the world. Constructing and Evaluating Arguments Argument – set of statements that aim to prove that something is true or false. Statement – asserts or claims that something is true or not. Conclusion – claim that is being made, which may either assert that something is true or false. Premises – statements that serve as evidence or support for the conclusion. Premise 1: All human beings are mortal. Premise 2: But the president of the Republic of the Philippines is a human being. Conclusions: Therefore, the President of the Republic of the Philippines is mortal. Sound Argument – premises are all true and it has a valid logical structure or form. Thinking Process (LOGIC) Behind the Dispute “My view is my view.” “Your view is your view.” (LOGIC- Principle of Identity) “My view is not your view.” “Your view is not my view.” (Principle of Idenity) If your view is not my view, and my view is right, then your view is not right – (Principles of Transitivity) “Either my view or your view is right, never both.” (Principle of the excluded Middle) The Human Person as a Subject - as humans we do not see one another as animals because we have a distinctive ability as humans to relate to one another in a meaningful way, that is, we have the ability to treat others not as objects but as subjects. “I” as a “You -Scruton