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Performance Standards
The learner reflects on a concrete experience in a
philosophical way
(The learner makes a philosophical reflection on a
concrete experience)

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At the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
differentiate the meaning of philosophy as a body of knowledge and as
an intellectual activity,
distinguish a holistic perspective from a partial point of view,
recognize human activities that emanated from deliberate reflection,
apply a philosophical reflection on a concrete situation from a holistic
perspective, and
realize the value of philosophy in obtaining a broad perspective in life.

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 In a few years, you will gain new experiences in life that
you may have never dreamed of. Such experiences may
excite or challenge you, while some can make you rethink
your life and decisions.
At your age, you may have already asked yourself
important questions about your life that cannot be directly
answered through research or education, such as “What do
I want?” or “What will make me happy?”
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If you have already asked yourself those big questions, then
you have already engaged in philosophy.
What is Philosophy?
Is it a way of life? Why or why not?
How do you apply it in everyday life?
Find out the answers in this lesson!
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 Doing philosophy helps you think many things,
including those that leave you confused or without an
acceptable answer. You can do philosophy by yourself, with
a partner, or with a group.

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 Philosophy, meaning "love of wisdom," is a science
where reason and logic are used to understand reality and
answer questions of knowledge, morality, and human
nature. It can be described as either a body of knowledge
or an intellectual activity.

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Philosophy as a body of knowledge provides
methodologies and insights on how societal questions,
such as moral dilemmas of euthanasia or same-sex
marriage, can be answered.

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 On the other hand, philosophy as an intellectual
activity is an analytic procedure of addressing individual
thought processes such as resolving conflict and
confusion, testing positions, and analyzing beliefs. In all
instances, doing philosophy is prescribed by logic, reason,
and ethics leading to wisdom.
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 Philosophy applied to human experience or everyday
life denotes the use of philosophy as an intellectual activity.
Also known as philosophy in life, this concept is important
because it serves as the guiding principle on how one
ought to live life.

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 Philosophical reflection is the process by which a
person undergoes a reflective state or evaluates his or her
experiences first before making any related action. The use
of philosophical reflection is important as it enables thought
to be looked into using a deeper, holistic perspective. In
effect, actions are directed towards greater sources of
wisdom and truth.
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 In the process, one can learn more about himself or
herself, including personal beliefs, ideals, or values.
Previous experiences may be seen as important aspects of
making reflections because they facilitate deeper thinking
and understanding of the self. Aside from knowing the self,
many other activities also emanate from reflection.
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Examples:
learning from your previous mistakes and not repeating
them again
evaluating and knowing the best choice from a set of
options
gaining a holistic point of view first before making any
conclusion
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 Doing philosophy means engaging oneself in “matters
of utility” and methodologies to eliminate any practical
problem or abstract idea.

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 In the process of doing philosophy, it is critical to have
a holistic point of view—the perception of looking at all
aspects of a situation first before making a conclusion.
Some other skills involved in doing philosophy are critical,
logical, and analytical thinking, observation, and
communicative skills.
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 Before engaging in philosophical inquiry, one must be
able to distinguish between a holistic and partial point of
view. This is critical for anyone doing philosophy because it
sets a limit in coming up with conclusions about a given
situation.

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 Looking at the characteristics of holistic and partial
points of view, it can be concluded that using a holistic
perspective is more desirable in doing philosophy than
using a partial perspective. Partial points of view only
promote limited knowledge on the situation. This leads to
wrong conclusions.
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 Learning philosophy requires learning to look into all
available perspectives and work on their relationship to
come up with sound, logical, and valid conclusions. In the
process, doing philosophy helps one to develop the skill of
broadly looking at the situation first before concluding
anything.
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 Doing philosophy can be applied in day-to-day activities
and life perspectives. Because it involves an evaluative
process, doing philosophy allows a person to make better
decisions and act accordingly to situations with the help of
various philosophical skills.

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 Furthermore, on life perspectives, philosophy enables
reflective thinking which greatly influences a person’s view of
life, challenges, and relationships. Doing philosophy directs how
a person will perceive these factors in life and how they will be
faced.
In any setting, wisdom is always gained when philosophy is
applied to formulate a conclusion about a certain concern.
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 Philosophy has opened doors for debates over many concerns
such as the purpose of life, the existence of good and evil, and the
way to the truth. Even as a young student, you have already been
introduced to philosophy as a discipline. As you proceed to higher
levels of your study, you will encounter more philosophical issues that
are more advanced and complicated to resolve. In your perspective,
what other issues may be dealt with using philosophy?

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 You may already know that philosophy as a discipline has
been present in society for centuries. Different perspectives on
various issues rose and were given defense by various
philosophers. As a student, think of a relevant issue faced by
society nowadays. Look for at least two philosophical theories
that can explain your chosen topic. After reading on these
views, make your decision on which theory to side with based
on the philosophical concepts you have learned from your
readings.
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Is doing philosophy possible without engaging in
philosophical reflection?

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In doing philosophy, a holistic perspective on the subject
is always required. Failure to do so or only using a
partial point of view may lead to illogical or incorrect
conclusions.

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In the process of doing philosophy, it is critical to have a
holistic perspective—the perception of looking at all
aspects of a situation first before making a conclusion.
This point of view is different from holistic thinking
which is a mental activity of recognizing the
interconnectedness of systems and procedures to form a
general picture of an issue.
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The process of doing philosophy should not be mistaken
for the Filipino activity of pamimilosopo or pedantry
where a person displays useless knowledge or minute
observances of small details.

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Philosophy, meaning "love of wisdom," is a science
where reason and logic are used to understand reality
and answer questions of knowledge, morality, and
human nature.
Philosophy may be a body of knowledge or
an intellectual
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A holistic point of view looks at all aspects of the given
problem or situation. Meanwhile, a partial point of
viewlooks at only a limited number of aspects of the
given problem or situation.

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Philosophical reflection allows a person to look back on
previous experiences and evaluate the meaning or
significance of his or her life.

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What does the term philosophy mean?
a) "love of goodwill“
b) "love of critical thinking“
c) "love of wisdom“
d) "love of logic"

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What point of view looks at all aspects of a situation?
a) holistic
b) partial
c) holism
d) partition

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What is the process of engaging oneself in matters of utility
and methodologies to clear out any practical problem or
abstract idea?
a) doing philosophy
b) doing history
c) doing mathematics
d) doing pedantry
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Which of the following scenarios demonstrates a partial point of
view?
a) referring to only one source of information for your
position paper
b) participating in a class discussion
c) listening to both your teachers’ and parents’ advice on
how to improve your grades
d) watching videos over the internet
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Which of the following situations demonstrates pedantry?
a) answering “letter J” when asked, “What is the capital of
Japan?”
b) making a review of literature on the phenomenon of
bullying in the Philippines
c) reading about the history of one agricultural company
d) debating with a friend about the health impacts of
sleeping late
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Who among the following students may have already developed a
broader philosophical perspective?
a) Mara, who regularly monitors the emotional well-being of her
classmates
b) Julie, who always listens to all sides of the argument before
giving any advice
c) Kristia, who consistently chats with her classmates about their
interests and beliefs
d) Trish, who rarely talks with her classmates, but is always
observant of them
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What makes doing philosophy different from doing other
disciplines of science?
a) It always requires logical and critical thinking.
b) It always asks questions about life.
c) It always ends with a conclusion.
d) It always requires empirical proof.
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Which of the following statements is true?
1. Both partial and holistic points of view are good
contributors to doing philosophy.
2. Reflection is not required in doing philosophy.
a) Both statements 1 and 2 are false.
b) Statement 1 is false. Statement 2 is true.
c) Statement 1 is true. Statement 2 is false.
d) Both statements 1 and 2 are true.
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Which statement validly describes the process of doing
philosophy?
1. It may involve the use of different philosophical methods.
2. It may only tackle the meaning of life.
a) statement 2
b) neither statement 1 nor 2
c) statement 1
d) both statements 1 and 2
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Which statement about philosophy is correct?
1. Doing philosophy is also a way of engaging in scientific inquiry.
2. Points of view from different people are always contradicting.
3. Philosophical reflection does not develop evaluative skills.
a) statement 2
b) statement 3
c) statement 1
d) All statements are incorrect.
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