Value of Philosophical

Reflection
LESSON 3
“Where ignorance is
our master, there is no
real peace”
- DALAI LAMA
Is philosophical reflection/
question important?
There are different views
on the value of
philosophical reflection
3 Claims of Socrates
on the value of
Philosophical Reflection
“Know thyself”

“The unexamined life is not worth

living”

“Virtue is knowledge of good and

bad”
Later, these three claims will
be related to one another in
an attempt to persuade you off
the value of philosophical
reflection
“Know Thyself”
Socrates philosophize where people
usually gathered and compelled
those he conversed with to think, to
defend their views, to account for
what they know and do not know.
He did this by asking people
with series of questions.
(Imagine how are annoyed)
It is not common for people to
welcome a discussion that
reveals how little they know.
The series of questioning and
answering that Socrates employed
in engaging in philosophical
reflection came to be known as
the Socratic Method
What we believe to be true
becomes the basis of our
action
Moreover, if we know
something, it is worth
sharing to others
An examination of beliefs
or thoughts provides us with
opportunity to know ourselves
better
Why do we need to
know ourselves?
The choices we make in
turn, create who e are.
Philosophical reflection is
indispensable because we do not
realize what we truly believe in
until we are challenge to defend
them
Socrates was an excellent
teacher although he did not
even look at himself as one.
He was very good in asking
questions and was an effective
in making his students think
for themselves.
As a social gadfly, he
awakened those who were
asleep by engaging cross-
examination of their views
The result of his persistent
questionings reveal not only what
a person knows but also what a
person has yet to figure out.
Why do Socrates enjoined
others to ponder on
philosophical questions?
He was seeking

Wisdom
His desire to know himself
and the world carried out in
action
He interrupted people in their daily
affairs because he truly believed that
the only was to figure out who we are
is to pause, think, and share our
thoughts through conversing with
others in the hope that we learn more
Why do every person must
confront the question
“who am I”
Because knowledge of
oneself is crucial
If we do not know
ourselves, we are bound to
make wrong life decisions
We would pursue things that
are not suitable to us and
would not truly make us happy
If we will not ask, who we
are, we will end up feeling
miserable without
understanding why
“Virtue is knowledge
of good and bad’’
We need to ask philosophical
questions that will provide us
with insights on what is good
and bad for us
Virtue is knowledge because to
truly know what is good
necessarily leads to the actual
doing of what is good.
Further, when what we say and
what we do are not in sync
with each other, what we
claim to know is doubtful
Meaning, a person who truly
understands what is good
chooses to do what is good.
One who pretends to know
what is good does not choose
what is good
What we think we know is
reflected in our life decisions.
The quote from Dalai Lama at
the start of this lesson warned
us of the danger of
Ignorance.
He taught that all suffering
stems from ignorance
Philosophical activity is the
only cure to Ignorance
It is only when we free
ourselves from ignorance that
our life becomes meaningful
What is the value of
Philosophy for you?
We venture to philosophy to
discover truths about ourselves
and to be improved by
discoveries
We can obviously choose to
ignore the questions that
require philosophical
discovery but that is not the
way to live a life that befits
humans.
 “Pilosopo”
as a Social Critic
In Philippine society, we have
a term that is close to the
notion of philosopher – that of
“pilosopo”
YET, CONTRARY TO LOVER OF WISDOM
How do we define
Pilosopo?
Pilosopo refers to
someone who reasons poorly
Pilosopo’s poor
reasoning is comdemned
in society however their faulty
reasoning is even found
entertaining
 For example:

“Why am I
here?”
A pilosopo in this sense one
skill in
with
evading
arguments
The erroneous reasoning is
called Fallacy
Fallacy is about wrong
belief and is studies in logic
The pilosopo in this sense is
indeed a danger to
philosophy
There are many ways to
mislead people into
accepting something as
true
Faulty reasoning or fallacious
arguments may be employed
undetected through language
Equivocation
- a fallacy of language that
deceives by using word in two
different ways within an
argument
Example:
“Priests who eventually have
their own family remain faithful
to their ministry because they
remain as fathers”
Argumentum ad
Hominem
a fallacy of relevance,
attacking the person instead
oh his argument
Moreover, something irrelevant
to an issue is raised to
undermine and argument
altogether.
Do you know Pilosopo Tasyo in
Noli me Tangere?
Ordinary people find comfort
in mere acceptance of the
status quo, Socrates and
Pilosopo Tasyo seek wisdom
The philosopher or
pilosopo observes, thinks,
sees clearly, and speaks the
truth.
We need pilosopo to engage
others to find the truth and to
live by it.