Methods of Philosophizing PDF

 Methods of Philosophizing (Part 3) Lesson 7: Methods of Philosophizi ng Mr. Jeanne Cris C. Del Rosario Methods of Philosophizi ng  1. The Dialectic Method This method of philosophizing was formulated by the Greek philosopher Socrates, one of the great philosophers of the...

 Methods of Philosophizing (Part 3) Lesson 7: Methods of Philosophizi ng Mr. Jeanne Cris C. Del Rosario Methods of Philosophizi ng  1. The Dialectic Method This method of philosophizing was formulated by the Greek philosopher Socrates, one of the great philosophers of the ancient world. The method starts with eliciting the definition of a certain word from a person who appears to be person familiarthrough (or a series of What questions. desires is for “pretends” tothe be person familiar)towith Socrates realize its his ignorance and and then contradictions, meaning. Socrates thereby correcting his own and mistakes arriving points out theatimperfections a complete knowledge of the of the true meaning of theof the understanding word.  The method, however, does not sit well with the ruling elites of Athens (the city where Socrates lived).accused him of not They worshiping the Greek gods and His defense corrupting (which was the youth. dramatically recorded in Plato’s dialogue the Apology) was a model of “forceful argument” but it fell on deaf ears.  Socrat forced to drink was the first es die fighting for He poison. philosopher to truth. 1. The Dialectic Method The Socratic Method was modernized and treated in a different way by George Wilhelm Hegel, a German philosopher. People are social beings and could be completely influenced by other people’s ideas. An individual’s mind is influenced by means of a common language, customs of one’s refers Hegel society, andto the cultural “Spiri this as the institutions that one belongs consciousness collective t”ato. of society which is responsible for honing one’s consciousness and ideas.  1. The Dialectic Method Hegel also believed that the Spirit is constantly changing and evolving. According to Hegel, the spirit changes through dialectic. First, there is an idea about the world (much like a thesis), which has a natural characteristic of having errors which give rise to the antithesis. creatin synthe The whic thesisisand a new g a sis antithesis comprised can of the idea of both behessentials eventually the and thesis resolved the by antithesis  2. The Pragmatic Method Pragmatism was popularized by William James and institutionalized in American culture by John Dewey. Pragmatists seek to make philosophy relevant by solving real life problems. Pragmatism aims is to test the view of The pragmatic test is: if I practice this science, religion and philosophy by belief, will it bring success or failure? Will I determining their practical results. solve problems or create problems? Successful experience is the verification process of truth for the pragmatists  3. The Phenomenological Method The phenomenological method was conceived by Edmund Husserl, one of the greatest intellects of the 19th century. Husserl’s main purpose was to build a philosophy free from any biases or preconceived ideas. One can only do this if one returns to immediate experience. This experience is the world as it appears to us or the phenomenal world - hence, the term phenomenology.  4. The Primary and Secondary reflections According to Gabriel Marcel, reflection arise when there is a disruption from your normal routine and when something valuable is at stake. Marcel identified two levels of prima reflection: ry reflection and secondary reflection. Marcel applied these two levels of reflection to the most fundamental question: “Who am I?”  Example of Primary Reflection When we try to fill up a form given by our school for example. The form asked us to write our name, age, gender, address, name of parents, etc. To answer this, of course we have to think to distinguish who we areprimar non-self or objects). (the self) This isagainst reflectio the y (the other things n.  Example of Secondary Reflection We view that our self is bigger and more expansive than what is there on the form. Thus, we are not merely thinking but we are thinking about thinking and about the process we perform in answering the form. This is the secondary reflection. The result of secondary reflection is a more expansive view of the self until it embraces the world. Thus, the separation of the self and the world brought about by primary reflection were united by the secondary reflection.  5. The Analytic Method The Analytic Method was initiated by philosophers at Cambridge University (England): George Edward Moore (1873-1958), Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) and Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889- 1951). The task of analytic method is to clarify how philosophers used words through an analysis of language. Wittgenstein said that ‘the object of philosophy is the logical clarification of thought’  5. The Analytic Method For example, the usage of words like “demand”, “supply”, “money”, “price” in the context of economics differ from its usage in everyday life. These are technical words and they follow certain rules (i.e. the language game) within that discipline that affects the way these words are used. REMEMB ER of Philosophizing: Methods 1. Dialectic- two opposing sides (thesis and antithesis which will lead to synthesis) 2. Pragmatic- practical application 3. Analytic- context of language 4. Phenomenological- experiences 5. Primary Reflection- distinguish who we are (the self) against other things (the non-self or objects). 6. Secondary Reflection- a more expansive