Philosophy.pdf

ELEMENTS OF AN IMPROVED Philosophy PHILOSOPHICAL REASONING : CRITICAL PHILOSOPHY -Following the established scientific ru...

ELEMENTS OF AN IMPROVED Philosophy PHILOSOPHICAL REASONING : CRITICAL PHILOSOPHY -Following the established scientific rules -philo(love) and sophia(wisdom) for correct thinking -the love of wisdom -discipline not to be defined but to be SYSTEMATIC inquired into -Observing certain order or procedure -desire or interest for an intellectual inquiry OBJECTIVE Or UNBIASED QUESTIONING -Considering things from disinterested point -The core in every philosophical inquiry of view, honestly considering difficulties and problems, objections, and alternative point of PHILOSOPHIZING view -Anyone who asks questions RIGOROUS QUESTION -Avoiding inconsistencies and incoherence -It is a conscious search for knowledge THE MAJOR DIVISION OF THE PHILOSOPHICAL METHOD PHILOSOPHY: Logic -art of correct thinking and reasoning METAPHYSICS -considered as a tool in facilitating questions -The study of reality or what is real and answers. -support in arriving at clear, correct, valid, EPISTEMOLOGY and consistent answers to questions -The study of knowledge and what we can know PHILOSOPHY As a Discipline of Questioning can be Explain ETHICS in Two Points: -The study of the good DYNAMIC -Because it is an unending series of IMPORTANCE OF PHILOSOPHY questions -All answers become a new question According to Aristotle -Philosophy is a way of life PERSONAL -Philosophy helps us achieved better -Man’s answer to a question may be valid to understanding of ourselves and the world him but not to others -Philosophy opens up solutions to the pressing economic, political and social Logic- the study of correct thinking and problems reasoning Ethics- the study on the morality of human THREE SUBJECT MATTERS IN actions or Moral Philosophy. PHILOSOPHY: PHILOSOPHY OF MAN GOD - a course that delves into the origin of COSMOS human life, the nature of human life, and the MAN reality of human existence ZHE-XUE or che shueh MAN -chinese philosophy -is basically a being, a creature, whose -is the translation of words into action destiny is to live in two world., viz. : the spiritual and the physical or material world. DARSANA -hindus philosophy HUMAN -means seeing the whole of reality through a - refers to anything exclusively pertinent to total advertence and involvement of the man. looker. NATURE THE ORIGIN OF PHILOSOPHY -is the ultimate operation of reality. MILETUS HUMAN NATURE – where Philosophy originated – refers to anything exclusively human which man intrinsically possesses right at his birth. THALES - the first acclaimed philosopher. THREE FOLD-LEVEL OF HUMAN -The origin of Philosophy is wonder. NATURE Philosophy starts with wonder that is why it is the cause of philosophy. SOMATIC LEVEL – refers to the body substance, constitution, FOUR DISCIPLINE OF PHILOSOPHY or stuff of man and secondarily to the bodily structure and color of man which are Metaphysics conditioned by man’s culture and - science that studies all beings in so far as environment. they are beings. Epistemology- investigates knowledge and BEHAVIORAL LEVEL truth, -refers to the mode of acting of every man. ATTITUDINAL LEVEL -defined “Man is a being who thinks and -refers to the mental reaction of man to a wills” given stimulus. -focuses more on attitudinal level of human nature PRE-SOCRATIC VIEWS OF MAN - Man for him should discover truth , truth THALES about good life, for it is in knowing the good - “ Man has 80% water in his brain and 70% life that man can act correctly. water in his body , or a “man has a water stuff”. PLATO -defined “Man is a soul using a body” because ANAXIMENES the nature of man is seen in the metaphysical - “Man is a human body with a condensed air dichotomy between body and soul. and a rarefied human soul”. In Plato’s view there are three parts of soul : HERACLITUS - “Man has fire stuff in him in the form of Human Body Levels of Human Soul heat.” Head Rational Level Chest Spiritual Level ANAXIMANDER Stomach Appetitive Level – “Man is a human being that has evolved from animals of another species which are Rational Part-where the soul enable to lower than his. think, to reflect, to draw conclusions. PHILOSOPHY OF MAN Spiritual Level-. It is here that the soul PYTHAGORAS experience abomination and anger. - “Man is a dipartite of body and soul.” That a soul is immortal, divine, and is subjected to Appetitive Level-man drives to experience metempsychosis. hunger, thirst, and other physical aspects. PROTAGORAS/SOPHIST *Plato believes that REASON controls both - “ Man is the measure of all things, of all Spirit and Appetite. When this happens man things, that they are, and of things that are will have a well-balanced personality. not that they are not.” ARISTOTLE SOCRATIC PERIOD -no dichotomy between man’s body and soul. -Body and soul are in a state of unity. SOCRATES -speaks of Man as a single essence -greatest philosopher in western civilization composed of body and soul According to Aristotle there are three Kinds which he is isolated from and which he alone of Soul understands. Grades of Being Kind of Soul GREAT SYSTEM BUILDER Man Rational -has to cite him in one’s footnote in order Animals/Brutes Sensitive to be considered learned, scholarly but in fact Plants/Vegetation Vegetable he is difficult to understand Vegetative-it is capable of following ACADEMICIAN functions: It feeds itself, it grows and it -who teaches courses in philosophy reproduces. which seem to be not in touch with present pressing realities and to be irrelevant to the Sensitive-It feeds, it grows, and it demands of the day to day life. reproduces, and it has feelings. Rational-assumes the functions of them and FALSE NOTIONS IN HOW A PERSON it is capable of thinking, reasoning and willing CONDUCTS THE DISCIPLINE OF PHILOSOPHY *Aristotle’s view of human nature is seen in the argument of matter and the form of man. 1. Memorizing answers to questions which he himself never has asked or has ceased to ask Division of Philosophy or which should have never been asked or General – Ontology never cares to ask Metaphysics - Cosmology 2. Isolated from other disciplines and Special - Theodicy sometimes Philosophy – Epistemology reduced to the same level as other disciplines Logic 3.We are often expected to be more Ethics concerned with the problems of “the one and the many”, linguistic, or metaphysical PHILOSOPHICAL ENTERPRISE analysis By: John Kavanaugh DISCIPLINE OF QUESTIONING FALSE NOTIONS OF A PHILOSOPHER AND DOING PHILOSOPHY QUESTION-ASKING -very common, at the I. FALSE IMAGE OF A PHILOSOPHER heart of our day to day experience ISOLATED THINKER DIFFERENT LEVEL OF QUESTIONS -tries to make sense of the world  1. Horizontal Levels of Questioning- HISTORICAL practical questions and survival -your past experiences reflects on what are questions you right now. 2. Vertical Levels of Questioning -how you value things could be determined -questions of ultimate purpose of by what happened in the past meaning -questions of truth/reality SOCIOLOGICAL -questions of value -your environment or society affects to the point even conditioning, determining and PERSONAL AFFAIR OF ASKING encapsulating your seeing, doing, and valuing IN-DEPTH QUESTIONS 1. I myself have come to these PSYCHOLOGICAL depth-question -refers to how your genes, experience of -I myself see them as questions, as pain and pleasure, neurons, among others problems. affect your seeing, doing and valuing. - They are really questions/issues for me. BY QUESTIONING, I AM LIBERATED -By questioning, I am able to place myself a 2. The depth-questions are really of distance from these types of conditioning, personal value to me determination or encapsulation, such that -the answer to these questions are they no longer determine at least in the same of great value to me: significant, degree as before I have begun to question important, would make a difference in -results to not being impulsive in making a my life. decision 3. Starting point of all the depth-questions is my own person QUESTIONING OFFERS A HORIZON - questions about MYSELF, AS A OF POSSIBILITIES HUMAN PERSON -what was not seen before is now seen upon -Question of Meaning and Purpose: questioning a possibility which I could choose Why am I here? What can I hope for? to reject or accept. -Other possibilities, possible patterns, DISCIPLINE OF LIBERATION options which I never have thought before -liberation from encapsulation, open before me. conditioning, determination - liberation to the horizon of QUESTIONING LEADS TO possibilities AFFIRMATION - liberation to affirm one’s -the possibilities that are opened before possibilities and one’s determination him/her in questioning, he must affirm, he must choose, must take responsibility of as - to see himself the truth of the answers he his/her project, through which he has found shapes, determined by himself/herself. IN PHILOSOPHIZING, ONE’S DISCIPLINE OF PERSONHOOD PERSONHOOD, ONE’S GROWTH AS I.PHILOSOPHIZING AS A PERSONAL A PERSON IS AT STAKE TASK -I become determined, conditioned, 1. Personal Affair of Asking Question encapsulized by my history, society, and - I must myself personally ask the psychological make- up depth-question - I refuse to be open to my own possibilities, 2. Personal Search for the answer, for the and take responsibility of them and myself as truth to these depth-questions creative self-project - I myself will look/find for the answers to - remain satisfied with the present and these depth-questions stagnate, arresting my growth as a person 3. Seeing the answers to these questions or the truth myself THE ACT OF PHILOSOPHIZING - in finding some answers to my -The act of philosophizing, doing philosophy depth-questions, I myself has to do with thinking and the crucial see, realize the truth to these answers element of thinking is INSIGHT. A. The experience of having a Insight PHILOSOPHIZING IS AT THE ROOT -It’s a moment where suddenly everything OF ONE’S BEING A PERSON clicks, and we gain a new understanding of a -Because of the nature of his person as situation or concept that was previously homo viator (man on the way, man on the unclear. quest or journey) I. Hearing and Getting a Joke Quixotic man: - It requires *insight*—a - dreaming the impossible deeper mental perception Alexiandrian man: where our mind connects the -ever restless until my heart rest in Thee joke in a way that goes beyond Pascalian man: what our senses pick up. -great abyss within that cannot be filled by II. Juan’s Experience of Death anything finite - deepened his understanding of life’s rhythm and the human person is driven by his personhood interconnectedness to philosophize: III. Insight in numbers - to seek/find answers for them - to count things and to know the number of things is  another illustration of having Symbol an insight Myth Abstraction Speculation - perceiving things under certain aspect without denying or affirming C. Some cautions or notes when to it. It is a form of insight. doing with insight 3 LEVELS OF ABSTRACTION I. Analysis could desiccate an insight ACCORDING TO ARISTOTLE II. It is important to return to the concrete fullness of the original 1. First Degree of Abstraction: We insight and insight should | / consider things as individual objects permeate the whole process of doing (Natural Sciences) with an insight. 2. Second Degree of Abstraction: We III. Insight is inexhaustible consider things in terms of number IV.The richness of insight is the (Mathematics) richness of reality itself 3. Third Degree of Abstraction: We consider things as “Being” METHODS OF PHILOSOPHIZING (Metaphysics) THE CONCEPT OF Knowledge B. What can we do with the insight? -after having an insight, we can articulate, Knowledge clarify, and deepen our understanding of our - The fact or condition of knowing insight. something with familiarity gained through experience and familiarization *Fr. Ferriols mentions 3 techniques in doing something with the insight: metaphor, THE CONCEPT OF Epistemology analysis, and other techniques Epistemology Metaphor -Science devoted to the discovery of proper -use of something familiar, ordinary method of acquiring methodology to articulate, clarify, and deepen what is not familiar and ordinary PURPOSE OF EPISTEMOLOGY Analysis -To show we can acquire knowledge - We use analysis also to articulate, - To give us a method on demonstrating clarify and deepen our understanding whether the knowledge we acquire is of the insight RELIABLE Other Techniques -According to Paul Ricoeur: NATURE OF KNOWLEDGE -Provided by FACTS ARGUMENT -It is BASED ON REALITY -These are series of statements that - It is OBSERVABLE and provide reasons to convince the RELEVANT in the reality reader/ listener that a claim/ opinion is truthful. THE CONCEPT OF Empiricism THE DOMAINS OF TRUTH EMPIRICISM -The view that all concepts Objective Domain originate in experience, that -related to scientific truths all concepts are about or applicable to things that can Social Domain be experience -Truth is related to a general agreement or consensus on what is right as opposed to RATIONALISM what is wrong - Acquiring knowledge come from intellectual Personal Domain reasoning that results -consistent to inner thoughts and intentions to RATIONALISM needs to establish “trust” REALITY Truth -EXISTENCE is there to KNOW -has passed the process of justification PERCEPTION Justification - Knowledge begins with perceptual -Process of proving the truth or validity of a knowledge statement CONCEPT THE CONCEPT OF truth -Is the building blocks of thoughts that conceives the mind TRUTH -Knowledge validated based on PROPOSITIONS the facts of reality. -These are statements that about the -statement or idea that aligns with world or reality. reality and can be - may or not carry the truth independently verified Facts- Propositions that are observed to real and truthful. Claim- Propositions that THE CONCEPT OF Opinion requires further examinations. OPINION THE DIALECTIC METHOD - A statement of judgment of a -formulated by the Greek Philosopher, person about something in the world. SOCRATES - a subjective belief or view held by -modernized and treated by different way by someone, irrespective of it being factually GEORGE WILHELM HEGEL that was accurate. then called SOCRATIC METHOD -people are social beings and could CONCLUSION completely influenced by other people’s mind -judgment based on a certain facts THE PRAGMATIC METHOD BELIEFS -was popularized by WILLIAM JAMES and -statement that express convictions that are institutionalized by JOHN DEWEY not easily and clearly explained by facts -aims to test the view of science, religion and philosophy by determining practical results EXPLANATIONS -statements that assume the claim to be true THE PHENOMENOLOGICAL METHOD and provide reasons why the statement i true -conceived by Edmund Husserl -free from any biases THEORIES OF TRUTH -one returns to immediate experience THE CORRESPONDENCE THEORY THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY -what we believe or say is true if it REFLECTIONS corresponds to the way things actually are -by Gabriel Marcel based on facts -reflection arise when there is a disruption -a belief is true when we are able to confirm from normal routines with reality PRIMARY -relationship of an individual to the world THE COHERENCE THEORY based on her existence as an object in the -deals with the consistency of truth of the world statements being claimed within the system SECONDARY that is being used or employed -takes as its point of departure the being of the individual among others. THE PRAGMATIC THEORY -that a belief or statement is true if it is THE ANALYTIC METHOD useful -initiated by George Edward Moore, -Practical application in the world Bertrand Russell and Ludwig Wittgenstein -how philosophers used words through METHODS OF PHILOSOPHIZING analysis of language FALLACIES -Tendency to judge a person’s personality by -several arguments may be based on faulty his or her actions, without regard for reasoning external factors or influences CONFIRMATION BIAS KINDS OF FALLACIES -Tendency to look for and readily accept information which fits one’s own beliefs or AD HOMINEM views and to reject ideas or views that go -attacking the person not the argument against it itself FRAMING APPEAL TO FORCE -Focusing on a certain aspect of a problem -using threat/force to advance an argument while ignoring other aspects APPEAL TO EMOTIONS HINDSIGHT -using pity or sympathy -see past event as predictable, or to ascribe APPEAL TO THE POPULAR a pattern to historical events -The idea is presented as acceptable because CONFLICT OF INTEREST a lot of people accept it -A person or group is connected to or has a APPEAL TO TRADITION vested interest in the issue being discussed -the idea is true because it has been true for CULTURAL BIAS a long time -Analyzing an event or issue based on one’s BEGGING THE QUESTION cultural standards -Assuming the thing or idea to be proven is true; also known as “circular argument” HUMAN PERSON AS AN EMBODIED CAUSE AND EFFECT SPIRIT -Assuming a “cause-and-effect” relationship between unrelated events EMBODIED FALLACY OF COMPOSITION - it is being materialized or incarnated. -Assuming that what is true of a part is true EMBODIED SPIRIT for the whole - does not necessarily refer to the FALLACY OF DIVISION incarnation or materialization of a spirit as an -Assuming that what is true for the whole is immaterial entity. true its parts CHRISTIAN PHILOSOPHY BIAS -inseparable union of body and soul -refer tendencies or influences which affect the views of people ENGAGEMENT OF PHILOSOPHERS ARISTOTLE ON THE HUMAN PERSON KINDS OF BIAS -Large part a reaction against Plato’s take CORRESPONDENCE on the nature of the human person. BIAS/ATTRIBUTION AFFECT PLATO ON THE HUMAN PERSON -There is no dichotomy between the person’s -Human person is seen in the metaphysical body and soul dichotomy between body and soul. -Body and soul are state in unity and they are inseparable Dichotomy -Soul is the animator of the body -the inherent contradiction between the -Body is the matter to the soul body and soul Body “THE SOUL IS THE FORM TO THE -material BODY, WHILE THE BODY IS THE *mutable MATTER TO THE SOUL.’’ *destructible -ARISTOTLE Soul -immaterial ARISTOTLE THREE LEVELS OF SOUL *immutable PLANTS *indestructible -vegetative 2. ANIMALS IN TIMAEUS PLATO ARGUE -sensitive and rational -the soul existed prior to the body 3. HUMANS -sensitive and rational According to Plato There is Three Parts of The Soul Man 1.Rational- in the head - the general term commonly used to refer to 2.Spiritual- in the chest the entire human race. 3.Appetitive- abdomen Human - refers to man as a species- Homo sapiens PLATO’S DOCTRINE sapiens or modern human beings. 2 KINDS OF WORLD Human Being Worlds of Forms - is also to distinguish man from other World of Matter animals. Person- Refers to human being granted PLATO recognition of certain rights, protection, -Everything comes from the world of forms responsibilities, and dignity, above all. and everything that exists will go back to the Personhood world of forms after it perishes - the state of being a person Human Nature ARISTOTLE NOTION OF THE HUMAN - A general term refers to the deepest and PERSON AS AN EMBODIED SPIRIT natural behavior of a person that distinguish human from animals. HUMAN PERSON actions, and be goal-oriented and -is someone with an exact origin of his/her self-directed. classification. DIGNITY The Physical Self - It is the innate right to be valued and (something can be seen in his/her physical respected. appearance) which deals with the essential features of the human way of life or THE Transcendence WHO OF A PERSON which includes - means overcoming oneself or being in his/her body type, strength and appearances. control even if the body reminds us of certain tendencies. The Cognitive Self -Our capacity for transcendence gives us (something within and cannot be physically the opportunity to work toward becoming seen) is the essential components of a human better versions of ourselves. persons that deals with THE WHAT OF A PERSON which includes human persons' belief, desire, dreams, and intentions. What is Embodied Spirit? -Embodied spirit is an animating core living within each of us. *The embodiment of the spirit particularly refers to the inseparable union of human body and soul. SELF AWARENESS -refers to person having a clear perception of oneself, including his or her thoughts, emotions, identity, and actions EXTERNALITY - It is the capability of a person to reach out and interact with others and the world. SELF-DETERMINATION -It refers to the capability of persons to make choices and decisions based on their own preferences, monitor and regulate their