Lesson 1: What is Philosophy?

Let’s Ponder
Read and analyze the following conversation between a high
school teacher and her student in class.
Teacher: Juan, what would you like to be when you grow up?
Juan: Ma’am, I want to be happy!
Teacher: Juan you don’t understand my question
Juan: Ma’am, you don’t understand what life is all about

1 .Do you think that Juan’s answer was appropriate for his
teacher’s question?
2. What do you think was Juan’s interpretation of his teacher’s
question?
3. Based on his responses, what kind of student do you imagine
Juan to be?
4. If you were Juan’s teacher, how would you respond to him?
5. How is philosophy related to this situation?
Let’s Embark
At the end of this lesson , the students will be able to:
1. Discuss philosophy and its importance as a descipline
and a means for a understanding life;
2. Distinguish a holistic perspertive from a partial point of
view;
3. Recognize human activities that emanated from
deliberate reflection;
4. Recognize reflection as an important aspect of
philosophy;
5. Realize the value of doing philosophy in obtaining a
broad perspective on life;
6. Do a philosophical reflection on concrete situation
from a holistic perspective; and
7. Discuss the thoughts regarding the importance of
philosophy in their lives.
Inquire and Discover
Have you, like Juan, come to a realization of what you
want in life? Have you ever found yourself wondering about
the things experienced or where your life is headed? Have
you ever encountered a situation where you had to think
about the ‘’deeper” questions in life?
Throughout our lives, we have wondered about many
things which lead as to ask a lot of questions. By nature,
human beings are inquisitive. We ask question to try and
make sense of our world and experiences. Young children
are very curious, and we often hear them ask simple and silly
questions such as: ‘’ What is this? ’’ ‘’ What does this do?’’ ‘’
Why are trees tall?’’ ‘’Why is the sky so far away?’’ These
queries maybe easily ignore because of their simplicity, but
these indicate a healthy curiosity and a sence of wonder
which is an important feature of childhood innocence.
As we grow older,our questions are influenced by our
experiences and circumstances.We found ourselves asking
more ‘’ serious’’ questions such as: “Why do I have to
study?’’ “What do I need to do get to better grades?’’ “Why
can’t I have more friends?’’ “What should I do achieve my
goals in life?’’ “Why did I fail?’’ “What can I do be better?’’
You may have also heard your parents and other older
people ask questions about various concerns such as: “how
can our budget cover our family’s expences? ‘’What should I
do to earn more?’’ “ Would it be better to apply for a new
job?’’ “Did I make the right choice in buying these
property?’’ ‘’ How do I deal with difficult people at
work?’’People ask these questions to help their plan and
decide on certain tasks.Thesae are the questions that we
often hear in everyday conversations.
Still,there are other questions that make us pause and
think.We often encounter these”deep’’ questions in serious
conversation,in the books we read, the songs we heard in
the radio,and even in the movies we watch.Some of these
questions include: ‘’ What is love?’’ ‘’Is love worth giving up
everything?’’ ‘’Where can one find true happiness?’’ ‘’Does
the end justify the means?’’ ‘’ Why do good people suffer?’’
‘’ Why is there injustice in this world?’’What can we do to
make the world a better place?’’ ‘’Why do I have to be a
good person?’’
THINK
Read the following news headlines. What ‘’simple’’,
“serious’’, and “deep’’ questions come to mind when you
read them? Discuss them in class.

Flash floods in remote village kill a hundred people

Abuse child kept chained in basement for five years finally
rescued
Man sentenced to ten years for stealing milk to feed his
baby
Lottery winner donates half of winnings to local orphanage

DISCUSS
What questions about your life are you struggling to find
answers to? Share some of them in class

What is philosophy?
The word philosophy comes from two Greek words: philos
(love) and Sophia (wisdom).The ancient Greeks
Used this term to refer to “love of wisdom’’ and they soon
applied it to the study or discipline that uses human reason
to investigate the ultimate causes,reasons, and principles
which govern all things. People who engage in philosophy
are called philosophers or “lovers of wisdom’’.Among the
ancients Greeks,the philosophers became pioneers in
various fields of knowledge such as
history,biology,medicine,mathematics,astronomy ,and even
physics.It was quite common to hear of ancient philosophers
who were “experts’’ in various fields of learning.

Think
 What words come to mind when you heard the word
philosophy? Copy the graphic organizer and write the
words in the blank circles.

PHILOSOPHY

DISCUSS

1. What does it mean to be a lover of wisdom? What characteristics

should a philosopher possess.
The following are the most notable ancient Greek philosopher.

Pythagoras (570 BCE to 495 BCE)- a mathematician and

scientist,he was credited with formulating the
Phythagorean theorem. His worked earned his many
followers, and he established a community of learners
who were devoted to the study of religion and
Philosophy.
Heraclitus (535 BCE to 475 BCE)-He proposed that
everything that exist is based on a higher order or
plan which he called logos. For him, change is
permanent aspect of the human condition as he was
credited with the saying, “No man ever steps in the
same river twice.’’
Democritus (412 BCE to 323 BCE)-He devoted himself to
the study of the causes of natural phenomena. He was
among the first to propose that matter is composed of
tiny particles
Diogenes of Sinope (412 BCE to 323 BCE)-He was a known
advocate of living a simple and virtuous life. For
Diogenes, one should not only talk of virtue but should
show it in words and actions. His emphasis on austerity
and simplicity often went to thy extreme, and he was aid to have
lived like beggar. He was also known to be a vocal critic of well-
known philosophers such bas Plato and Aristotle. His teachings
and views were later developed by his followers and influenced
the development of several schools of philosophy such as
Cynicism and Stoicism.

Epicurus (341 BCE to 270 BCE) – He believed philosophy could

enable man to live a life of happiness. His views gave rise to
Epicureanism - a school of philosophy which believe that wisdom
and simple living will result in a life free of fear and pain.

Socrates ( 470 BCE to 399 BCE) – He was considered the

foremost philosopher of ancient times. He made great
contributions to the field of ethics. Socrates was a known critic of
intellectuals during his time, but he himself did not claim to be
“wise” and merely considered himself a “ midwife” that helped
inquiring minds achieve wisdom. He also n believed that
philosophy could enable a man to live a life of virtue. He was
credited with formulating the Socratic Method- a means of
examining a topic by devising a series of questions that let the
learners examine and analyze his knowledge and views regarding
the topic.
Plato(427 BCE to347 BCE)-A student of Socrates,he wrote dow2n
his mentor’s teaching and encorporated some of his own ideas
into them. His teachings and writings were considered the
foundation of western philosophy.Plato’s most significant ideas
included his Theory of Forms, which proposes that everything
exist is based on an idea or template that can be only be
perceived in the mind; these none physical ideas are eternal and
unchanging. He also focus his studies on the ideal society and
proposed an ideal model of government and society which is
ruled by wisdom and reason.Plato is also known for his dialetic –
a method of inquiry were to opposing ideas are discussed in an
attempt to arrived at new knowledge. Plato’s last thing
contribution to learning was his founding of the Academy, an
institution of higher learning which was the first of its kind in the
Western World.

Aristotle(384 BCE to 322 BCE)- He attented the Academy, and

was a prominent student of Plato. Aristototle, however,
disagreed with Plato’s theory of forms and talk a different stance
in interpreting a reality. For him, all ideas and views are based on
perceptions and reality is based on what we can sense and
perceive.This view greatly influenced the study of the physical
sciences.Aristototle was involved in a great variety of deciplines
such as zoology, psychology, ethics, and politics.He also proposed
a system of all classifications of plants and animals. His studies in
logic led to the formation of a formal process of analysing
reasoning which gave rise to deductive reasoning-the process by
which specific statements are analyze to reach a conclusions or
generalizations.

Why is there a need to philosophize?

Philosophers have often wonderd and argued about the
rules of philosophy in man’s life. One view is that each one of us
is a philosopher, wether or not we have studied philosophy. We
all have the potential to philosophize since we have the tendency
to wonder and doubt. We possess the capacity to reflect our
experiences , and we have never-ending need to learn and
discover.

The Greek philosopher Plato traced man’s ne4ed to

philosophize to his sense of wonder whenever we are confronted
with an experience,we always wondered how it come
about,Man’s overbounding curiosity drives him to ask questions,
some of which have no definite answers.
 The 15th-century frech philosopher Rene Descartes traced
the need to philosophize to doubt.Descartes was famous for
rejecting or questioning established ideas, and he even went as
far as doubting his own ideas. His method of examining ideas and
perspertives become the basis of critical thinking and analyzing
sciences. For example, a scientific hypothesis must first be tested
and verified before it is accepted as truth. In life, we will be face
of several ideas and arguments which present themselves as
“truths’’. A critical and questioning perspective is necessary to
determine if ended these ideas or views are correct or true

The 20th –century Swiss-German philosopher Karl Jaspers

saw the need to philosophize because of experience. Jasper
believed that man is open confronted by experiences which
challenge his ideas and frameworks. Jasper called this
experiences limit situation, and these are often accompanied by
feelings of helplessness,anxiety, or dread. For Jasper, philosophy
provides as a means to understand adverse or challenging
conditions,and to rise above them and gain new knowledge and
perspectives.
 Finally, the need to philosophize is driven by the love for
wisdom. To love wisdom is to have a insatiable desire for truth. A
philosopher does not seek knowledge to claim ownership of it;
and one who engages in philosophy is not satisfied with figuring
in out the answers to equation. He seeks to continue the
question, to prove, and to discuss in order to get to the bottom of
things. The philosopher who exemplified this perspective was
Socrates. He gained famed for his curiosity and his constant
debates with many of the intellectual elite in Greece. Socrates is
famous for having said “ I know that I do not know…’’ and it is in
accepting this state of ignorance that one can begin to learn and
learning is unceasing – there is a lot more to learn and experience
in life. Socrates is also recognize for his motto: “the unexamined
life is not worth living.’’ And nowhere is it more appropriate to
embark philosophy than in an examinations of our own life.
How do we characterize the study of philosophy?
Just as there are many ways of looking at a problem,
philosophers have employed varied means of looking into the
fundamental questions regarding the human condition. This has
given rise to various viewpoints, thoughts, and approaches in
philosophy.
One way of looking at philosophy is to consider it as a way of
analysing frameworks. A Framework is defined as the way
thinking about the world and is composed of views and beliefs
of a person. However a person encounters a problem or a
questions in life, he or she often goes back to his or her own
framework in order to make sense of the problem. Questions
with dealoing with our own correctness and values are
considered eternal