introduction to philosophy

In this chapter, students are introduced to the general nature of philosophy by discussing its meaning and different branches. It
also provides a discussion on how one philosophizes, the proper way.

the origin of philosophy

ancient greek philosophy
according to socrates as plato reports, wonder, is the only beginning of philosophy

aristotle as a response to his predecessors, especially the ionian philosophers, said that “it is owing to their wonder that men now begin and first began to
philosophize”

wonder includes the feeling of surprise coupled with admiration, when one is being curious or in awe

philosophic wonder

the feeling of being perplexed

the ancient greek philosophers were perplexed about the origin and nature of the world

aristotle writes: “for men were first led to study philosophy, as indeed they are today, by wonder. now he who is perplexed and wonders believes himself to be
ignorant… they took to philosophy to escape ignorance”

philosophic wonder one is not merely amazed by the mysteriousness of the world or of life but seeks to understand this mystery in a word, one thinks.

the “first” philosophers

western philosphy originated in miletus

thales, the acclaimed first philosopher in the western world, was from miletus

at the time of thales, miletus was the riches and most powerful of all the union cities, and was the first center of scholarship in ancient greece

iona, now calles turkey, with its decline, which began with its conquest by the persians in 546 BCE

the intellectual life of greece moved to croton in southern italy in 530 BCE

the place was a splendid and powerful city-state of greece to where pythagoras emigrated from samos and founded the pythagorean brotherhood

there are occurences of other pre philosophical rumblings in egyptian and babylonian cultures, as well as india and in china.

there is evidence that some of the earliest greek philosophers had come in contact with at least some of the products of egyptian and babylonian thoughts.

we cannot absolutely determine the first person who ever wondered of philosophized

thales is the most commonly believed “first philosopher” because he was the first, at least in recorded history, to put his philosophy into writing

in thales and many philosophers after him, we find some reasoned arguments for the origin and development in the world, which is a unique feature of
greek philosophy that distinguishes it from the pre philosophical rumblings of other cultures

what is philosophy?

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 comes from the greek words; philia = love and sophia = wisdom, which comes together to from “love of wisdom”

love - a strong desire for a particular object

wisdom - correct application of knowledge

the strong desire of the human person to possess knowledge and apply it correctly

science that studies beings in their ultimate causes, reasons and principles through the aid of human reason alone

being/beings - all things that exist: material or material i.e. rocks, trees, persons, cars, air, water, the notions of god, soul and spirit

is concerned with the reason and principles that account for everything that exist

basic questions in philosophy

what is the origin of the world, of everything that exists?

why do these things exist, rather than not exist at all?

is there god? if so, how can we justify the goodness of god in the face of evil?

what is the meaning and purpose of life? why do we have to suffer?

if one is suffering from unbearable pain such as cancer, is it morally right to resort to euthanasia or assisted suicide?

philosophy uses reason as a tool which can be expressed in many forms such as the ability to reflect, question, articulate one’s thought and
analyze certain phenomenon or events

philosophy attempts to understand things in a critical and logical manner

philosophers do not agree on a karl jaspers

single definition of philosophy,
- a dicipline in which
they differ on their own
questions are more important
understanding of philosophy
than answers, because
answers themselves will turn
into questions

major branches of
philosophy
metaphysics
of greek origin, meta = beyond/after and physika = physical/nature

study of things beyond the physical; concepts or things that cannot be experienced

god

freedom

soul

understood as the foundation of philosophy

is the first philosophy, according to aristotle

two types of metaphysics;

ontology or general metaphysics

onto = being or that which is & logos = knowledge or study

studies beings in their ultimate causes, reasons, and principles through the aid of reason alone

studies the first principles or the essence of all things

basic questions in ontology

what is being?

why do things exist rather than not exist at all?

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 what is the meaning and nature of reality?

what is the underlying principle of all that exist?

is there nothing?

special metaphysics

cosmology

kosmos = world & logos = study

studies the world (or universe) including its origin, dynamics, and characteristics, as well as the laws that govern its order

basic questions in cosmology

what is the origin of the world?

what is the basic material of which the world is formed?

how do things arise?

in what consists its fundamental form or principle of order?

is the world or universe infinite?

psychology/anthropology

psyche = soul, mind & logos = study

study of the nature and dynamics of the human person as a whole with emphasis on the way the person’s mind functions and the way they
behave

basic questions in psychology

what is the nature of the human person?

is there such thing as human nature?

what is the meaning and purpose, if any, of life?

is there life after death?

how do we account for the existence of sufferings in the world?

natural theology/theodicy

theos = god

the study of god

justification of the goodness of god in the face of the existence of evil

basic questions in theodicy

is there god?

what and who is god, if he exists at all?

how do we prove the existence of god?

if god exists, how do we justify the existence of evil and suffering in the world?

does a belief in god really necessary?

natural theology/theodicy

theos = god

the study of god

justification of the goodness of god in the face of the existence of evil

basic questions in theodicy

is there god?

what and who is god, if he exists at all?

how do we prove the existence of god?

if god exists, how do we justify the existence of evil and suffering in the world?

does a belief in god really necessary?

episteme = knowledge & logos = study

introduction to philosophy 3
 the study of the nature and scope of knowledge and justified belief

analyzes the nature of knowledge and how it relates to similar notions such as truth, belief, and justification.

basic questions in epistemology

what is knowledge?

what do we know?

how is knowledge aquired?

wha are the structures and limits of knowledge?

what makes justified belied justified?

logic
logos = science of correct thinking

study of the principles and criteria of a valid argument

attempts to distinguish sound or good reasoning from unsound or bad reasoning

basic questions in logic

what is correct reasoning?

what distinguishes a good argument from a bad one?

how can we detect a fallacy in argument?

what are the criteria in determining the validity of an argument?

what are the types of logic?

ethics
ethos = custom or habit

morality of human actions

concerned with questions on how human persons ought to act and the search for a definition of a right conduct and a good life

ethics ≠ morality

ethics morality

denotes theory of right action and the greater good indicates practice, the wrongness or rightness of a human action

basic questions in ethics

what is a right conduct as that which causes the realization of the greatest good?

how do we determine a right conduct? in other words, what makes a right conduct right?

what is a good life and can we attain it?

what is the difference between human act and the actions that are based on instinct?

what do people think is right?

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