METHODS OF PHILOSOPHIZING

Learn about the methods of philosophizing in this Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person. Explore the value of a holistic perspective in life.
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METHODS OF PHILOSOPHIZING

© 2021; Author: ERIC DATU AGUSTIN, PhD                 (For Class Use Only)

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Student Name: ________________________________________                                Year & Section: ____________

Date Answer Sheets were Submitted: _____________________                                Teacher: Dr. Eric Agustin____

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person:

An Examined Life is (Perhaps) Worthwhile

MODULES 1 & 2: DOING PHILOSOPHY

MELC-based Weeks 1 & 2

Learning Objectives

In this module 1’s content standards, the student (“YOU”) should understand the etymological meaning and process of doing philosophy (philosophizing). Under this module 1’s performance standards, you should reflect on a concrete experience in a philosophical way.

The most essential competencies in this lesson are, viz.:

(a) distinguish a holistic perspective from a partial viewpoint;

(b) realize the value of doing philosophy in obtaining a broad perspective on life; and,

(c) do a philosophical reflection on a concrete situation from a holistic perspective.

  1. Lesson Proper 

Introduction

Philosophy, which etymologically means “love of wisdom,” is the study of the elemental nature and theories of reason (logic), knowledge (epistemology), ethics/morality/values (axiology), and first principles of everything (metaphysics). Using “correct” reasoning (alternatively known as “logic”), philosophy attempts to answer the fundamental, abstract, general, and most often than not, controversial or dilemmatic problems. Generally, there are no single, specific and definitive answers to philosophical questions.

Doing Philosophy (Philosophizing)

Philosophical study can either be an individual intellectual or a collective pursuit. As an individual intellectual pursuit, philosophers use analytic thought processes to test ideas, analyze beliefs, and/or resolve conflicts. On the other hand, as a collective pursuit, individuals and groups employ methodological insights to deal with controversial issues and moral dilemmas about societal problems (such as, same-sex marriage, divorce, abortion, euthanasia). Whatever the pursuit an individual or group might have, either in an individual or on a collective level (and both), philosophizing is prescriptively and normatively bound by reason and morality in arriving at the truth – and ultimately, wisdom. Thus, individuals and peoples, in general, could apply at all levels and in each moment of his/their life/lives a personal or collective philosophy of life.

Holistic Perspective versus Partial Viewpoint

        In doing philosophy, philosophizing, or inquiring philosophically, there are two (2) general perspectives. First, holistic perspective refers to a viewpoint that consists of closely knitted individual parts that make up the whole of a situation prior to arriving at or in making any conclusion. Example of a holistic perspective is weighing both sides of two opposing parties’ arguments and evidence before making a judgment, generalization, or conclusion. Second, partial perspective denotes a point of view that is composed of individual parts of only a particular, but not, entire context. Example of a partial perspective is considering only one-sided, particular claim/s. Generally, philosophical dialogues, discussions, and related conversations utilize the multi-argumentative (pros and cons), non prejudicial and unbiased holistic perspective/s as it, theoretically, exhaustively anchor any conclusions and generalizations as to the “whole of a matter.” Thus, the philosophical exercise of using holistic approach, viewpoint or perspective can further develop in an individual the philosophical robustness of moral, critical- and logical-mindedness in many, if not most, various life’s situations.

Value of Philosophizing

Philosophizing – or more practically stated, doing philosophy – means delighting oneself to realize one’s full potential when unleashing the importance philosophy has in getting a holistic perspective in life. When you reflect on your concrete experiences, you might use a philosophical lens to see “small and far objects” better and in magnified way. To utilize holistic view most, if not all, of the times, a person should acquire and use the various philosophical (e.g., analytical, interpretative) and related (e.g., communicative) skills when understanding the whole aspects of a situation, problem or issue.

Philosophical Reflection

Philosophical reflection, or simply philosophizing, is an intellectual process where an individual becomes simultaneously deeply engrossed with himself/herself while holistically evaluating his/her intention, decision, and situation prior to making an action. As an individual habitually develops this philosophical discipline of deep reflection on a regular basis, he/she in turn arrives at a deeper meaningful understanding of himself/herself when searching for facts, truth, and wisdom.

Having in mind the philosophical process of reflecting as part of daily living, he or she becomes more better attuned with his/her own personhood (such as, personal convictions, local context, moral experiences, reflectiveness and consistency in his/her actions). Aside from knowing and then examining oneself, the fruits of philosophizing or philosophical reflection starts but does not end within oneself, but the self becomes one with others in meaning-making and action-taking.

A few concrete examples on how philosophical reflection results to self-knowledge could be gleaned from the following: (a) learning from your previous mistakes or from the mistakes of other people so as not to repeat doing the same mistakes; (b) using a holistic perspective when choosing from a variety of options before deciding, acting, generalizing, or making any conclusion.

Summary/Generalization (What a student learned so far?)

        Philosophy comes from 2 Greek terms with literal meaning of “love (of)” plus “wisdom;” hence, a philosopher is a person who is a lover of wisdom. The major branches of philosophy are logic, epistemology, axiology, and metaphysics. You will learn more about the detailed treatments of these branches in higher-level, specialized philosophy courses in a university setting. To approach a problem or query in a philosophical way, an individual has to keep in mind that there is no single answer or solution to a particular question that is truly “philosophical in nature.”

        For most individuals who are enthusiasts in learning and engaging in philosophy, it is much of an individual intellectual pursuit. Equivocally, individuals or groups can philosophically interact about societal situations in a collective way. Whatever pursuit people might have, it is best to guard oneself with the right mindset, at the right time, and with the right people. Furthermore, when doing philosophy, or simply philosophizing, a holistic view is the preferred, relevant and significant perspective as it avoids the multifaceted pitfalls of impartiality in dealing with issues, problems, dilemmas, and controversies in philosophy and life, in general.

        The importance of philosophizing emanates within oneself and from the wisdom of people who endeavored to see the truth. As you put your interest in seeing things from a holistic perspective, coupled with the necessary philosophical skills, you can then muster to your advantage well-thought of decisions and actions in any particular situation, Experiencing the value of philosophy is thus through habitual philosophical reflection, which further develops in an individual’s ever-replenishing self-knowledge and consequent benefits (such as, becoming more prudent in deciding over matter of urgency, seeing the big picture so as not to be misled by hasty generalizations, and so forth).

  1. WRITTEN TASK = 10 points

Instruction: Choose the correct or “best” answer..

1. What does the word philosophy mean?

a. Love of morality                b. Love of logic                c. Love of wisdom                d. Love of know-how

2. What perspective looks at all facets of a situation?

a. Partial                         b. Holistic                c. Holism                        d. Impartial

3. What is the alternative word for philosophizing when a person uses his/her reasoning (logic) as he/she holistically deals with a question, situation and/or controversy?  

a. Doing pedantry (“pamimilosopo”)        b. Doing history        c. Doing reaction paper                d. Doing philosophy

4. Who among the following individuals uses a holistic perspective?

a. May, who often shares new information she obtained from Wikipedia.

b. Jan, who seldom talks to his barkada, but often shares his “baon.”

c. June, who always weighs all sides of an argument before judging/generalizing.

d. April, who regularly offers unsolicited advice to her friends.

5. Which of the following is the most important feature of philosophizing?

a. It always generalizes about important societal issues.                        b. It always requires empirical proof.

c. It always requires balanced, moral, critical and holistic mindset.                 d. It always has practical applications in one’s daily life.

6. It refers to the manner in which you delight yourself in wisdom seeking to get the value of philosophy for oneself, other people, and surrounding.

a. Daydreaming                b. Doing philosophy        c. Pedantry                        d. Wishful thinking

7. “A philosophical lens implies the use of holistic perspective to understand the whole aspect of a situation.” Choose whether the aforesaid statement is:

a. False                        b. Highly opinionated        c. Partially true                        d. True

8. Which among the following is/are utilized when using a holistic perspective:

a. Generally, a philosophical skill        b. Analytical skill                c. Interpretative skill        d. Communicative skill

9. It is the intellectual process by which an individual becomes simultaneously and deeply engrossed with himself/herself while holistically evaluating a situation.

a. Pedantizing                 b. Philosophical reflection                c. Self-examination        d. Soul-searching

10. In which of the following scenario is the value of philosophy most evident?

  1. Listening to your “friends” advice to skip classes
  2. Enduring the pain of being bullied in class without reporting the matter to school authorities
  3. Listening to your parents’ good advice when undecisive regarding what action to take
  4. Posting over online social media about your own biased feelings on a petty issue
  1. PERFORMANCE TASK (FOR GRADING) = 100 points/%

SLOGAN MAKING

Direction: Create a slogan that will establish how politics can be applied in our daily life. Use a separate sheet for this activity.

Your Slogan

Rubric: Relevance to the topic = 50 points; Creativity = 40 points; and, Neatness = 10 points (Total = 100 points)

 (Please use additional sheet, whenever necessary)

Sample Slogans (with optional creative background)

Diagram
Description automatically generated
A close-up of a logo
Description automatically generated with low confidence

Bibliography

Carneades.org. 2015. “What Is Philosophy? (Philosophical Definitions).” YouTube Video. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqOmPbats6w.

“Ethics,Wordcloud,Care,Quotes,Message – Free Image from Needpix.Com.” 2019. Needpix.Com. 2019. https://www.needpix.com/photo/453723/ethics-wordcloud-care-quotes-message-logo.

“Flickr.” 2020. Flickr. 2015-03-06j So, how can I cultivate these freedoms — inde… | Flickr. July 19, 2020. https://www.flickr.com/photos/sachac/16555288040.

Gilbuena, Ariel. 2018. “Intro to the Philosophy of the Human Person  Chapter 1 the Process O….” Slideshare.Net. June 13, 2018. https://www.slideshare.net/arielgilbuena7/intro-to-the-philosophy-of-the-human-person-chapter-1-the-process-of-doing-philosophy.

“HD Wallpaper: Photo of Sitting Man and Meditating Artwork, Meditation, Spiritual | Wallpaper Flare.” 2017. Wallpaperflare.Com. 2017. https://www.wallpaperflare.com/photo-of-sitting-man-and-meditating-artwork-meditation-spiritual-wallpaper-weknn.

“K to 12 BASIC EDUCATION CURRICULUM SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL -CORE SUBJECT.” n.d. https://www.deped.gov.ph/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/SHS-Core_Introduction-to-the-Philosophy-of-the-Human-Person-CG.pdf.

“K to 12 Most Essential Learning Competencies with Corresponding CG Codes.” n.d. https://commons.deped.gov.ph/K-to-12-MELCS-with-CG-Codes.pdf.

Mark, Joshua J. 2009. “Philosophy.” Ancient History Encyclopedia. Ancient History Encyclopedia. September 2009. https://www.ancient.eu/philosophy/.

“Philosophy,Optics,Mind,Thought,Free Pictures – Free Image from Needpix.Com.” 2019. Needpix.Com. 2019. https://www.needpix.com/photo/1507435/philosophy-optics-mind.

“Royalty-Free Photo: Assorted-Color Hard Bound Book Lot | PickPik.” 2020. Pickpik.Com. 2020. https://www.pickpik.com/books-library-reading-education-history-philosophy-52599.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

© 2021; Author: Dr. ERIC DATU AGUSTIN                 (For Class Use Only)

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30 Comments

  1. Un artículo perspicaz y bien escrito que proporciona una valiosa introducción a los métodos de filosofar. ¡Gracias por compartir tus conocimientos!

  2. Excelente artículo, muy bien estructurado y con una gran cantidad de información valiosa. Me ha ayudado a comprender mejor los diferentes métodos de filosofar y su importancia en el desarrollo del pensamiento humano.

    • Lector Serio, ¡agradecemos tus amables palabras! Nos alegra que hayas encontrado el artículo informativo y útil. ¿Qué aspectos del artículo te parecieron más valiosos para comprender los diferentes métodos de filosofar?

    • Mente Inquisitiva, ¡el método fenomenológico es un enfoque fascinante para comprender la experiencia humana! El autor ciertamente podría proporcionar más detalles sobre su aplicación en la investigación filosófica. ¿Has considerado explorar estudios fenomenológicos específicos para aprender más?

  3. Me pregunto si hay un método de filosofar que implique sentarse en un bar y tomar cerveza. Creo que lo llamaría el ‘método socrático líquido’.

    • Pondering Jester, ¡esa es una idea muy divertida! Tal vez el ‘método socrático líquido’ podría implicar participar en profundas discusiones filosóficas mientras se toman unas cuantas pintas. ¡Quién sabe qué descubrimientos perspicaces se podrían hacer!

  4. Ah, el artículo perfecto para aquellos que quieren sonar inteligentes sin tener que hacer ningún esfuerzo real. Habla mucho sobre métodos, pero no dice nada sustancial.

    • Sabio Sarcástico, ¡tienes razón sobre la importancia de la profundidad y la sustancia! Nuestro objetivo es presentar la información de una manera clara y accesible, pero a veces es necesario profundizar en temas específicos para explorarlos realmente. ¿Qué áreas del artículo te gustaría que se ampliaran?

  5. El método filosófico más efectivo es aquel que te lleva a la verdad, sin importar cuán retorcido o poco ortodoxo sea. ¡Después de todo, la filosofía es el arte de hacer preguntas, no de seguir reglas!

    • Witty Philosopher, ¡has capturado el espíritu de la investigación filosófica! Se trata de explorar preguntas y buscar comprensión, no de seguir reglas rígidas. ¿Qué preguntas estás meditando actualmente?

    • Humorous Cynic, ¡tienes razón sobre el potencial de un debate interminable en la filosofía! Pero, el proceso de cuestionamiento y exploración de ideas puede ser un viaje valioso en sí mismo, incluso si no siempre conduce a respuestas definitivas.

  6. Si bien el artículo proporciona una visión general de los métodos de filosofar, no aborda adecuadamente las críticas y limitaciones de estos métodos.

    • Skeptical Inquirer, ¡tienes razón en señalar la importancia de evaluar críticamente todos los enfoques! Explorar las limitaciones y las críticas de los métodos filosóficos puede conducir a una comprensión más profunda de sus fortalezas y debilidades. ¿Qué críticas específicas de los métodos discutidos en el artículo te parecen más convincentes?

  7. El artículo presenta una visión superficial de los métodos de filosofar, omitiendo aspectos cruciales como el papel de la lógica y la argumentación. Además, la organización del texto es confusa y dificulta la comprensión.

    • Critical Thinker, ¡agradecemos tu feedback! Nos esforzamos por presentar la información de manera clara y completa. ¿Podrías elaborar sobre los aspectos específicos de la lógica y la argumentación que sentiste que faltaban? Tus sugerencias nos ayudarán a mejorar nuestros artículos futuros.

  8. El autor afirma que el método dialéctico es superior a todos los demás métodos de filosofar. Sin embargo, ignora las limitaciones de este método, como su tendencia a la polarización y la dificultad de llegar a conclusiones definitivas.

    • Argumentative Philosopher, ¡has planteado un punto importante sobre las complejidades de los métodos filosóficos! Cada enfoque tiene sus fortalezas y debilidades. ¿Podrías elaborar sobre lo que consideras que son las limitaciones más significativas del método dialéctico, y qué métodos alternativos podrían ser más efectivos en ciertas situaciones?

    • Comical Conundrum, ¡tienes razón, el método cartesiano consiste en cuestionar todo! Es un enfoque poderoso para la investigación filosófica. Tal vez el autor podría haber incluido una discusión sobre el método cartesiano y su papel en la exploración filosófica.

    • Enthusiastic Explorer, ¡nos alegra escuchar que el artículo te inspiró! Es maravilloso ver a las personas abrazar nuevas formas de pensar y explorar el mundo que las rodea. ¿Qué ideas o preguntas específicas te provocó el artículo?

  9. El autor sostiene que el método analítico es el más riguroso, pero no considera las ventajas del método sintético para abordar problemas complejos.

    • Debating Philosopher, ¡has destacado un aspecto importante de elegir la herramienta adecuada para el trabajo! Tanto los métodos analíticos como los sintéticos tienen sus fortalezas y debilidades. ¿Podrías elaborar sobre las situaciones en las que encuentras el método sintético particularmente efectivo para abordar problemas complejos?

    • Curious Learner, ¡has dado en el clavo con un área fascinante de la investigación filosófica! El método hermenéutico es una herramienta poderosa para interpretar textos, especialmente aquellos que son complejos o están abiertos a múltiples interpretaciones. Tal vez el autor podría profundizar en sus aplicaciones para comprender obras filosóficas y cómo puede revelar nuevas ideas.

  10. Vaya, otro artículo que intenta reinventar la rueda de los métodos de filosofar. ¿Qué tal si nos enfocamos en aplicarlos en lugar de debatir eternamente sobre ellos?

    • Ironic Observer, ¡tienes razón, hay una diferencia entre teorizar sobre los métodos y ponerlos en práctica! Tal vez el artículo podría haber incluido más ejemplos prácticos de cómo estos métodos filosóficos se pueden aplicar en situaciones del mundo real. ¿Cuáles crees que son algunas de las formas más efectivas de aplicar los métodos filosóficos en nuestra vida diaria?

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