Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Region I
Schools Division Office I Pangasinan
Pangasinan National High School
Lingayen, Pangasinan

Introduction to the
Philosophy of the Human
Person

The Meaning and Method of

Philosophy-
Quarter 1 – Module 1-Week 2

Most Essential Learning Competency: Realize the value

of doing philosophy in obtaining a broad perspective on life.
(PPT11/12-Ib-1.2)

Prepared by:

Antonio Teodoro J. Sajonas II, T-II

Lesson 1: Doing Philosophy
This lesson will give a concise background on the beginnings of Western Philosophy as well
as a brief description of the practice of doing philosophy from the Western and Eastern tradition. This
will give of how the Pre-Socratic philosophers in ancient Greece went about their philosophic
endeavor and pursuit of philosophy.

What I Need to Know

1.Identify the Pre-Socratic philosophers and branches of philosophy.
2.Value the importance of doing philosophy in obtaining a broad perspective in life.
3.Practice that doing philosophy in life will lead to a broader perspective in life.

What I Know (Pre-Test)

Answer the following question briefly.
1. What virtues do you value most? Wisdom? Honesty?, Open-mindedness? Why?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

2. List the positive and negative Filipino values.

_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________

What’s In (Review)
In the previous lesson you were able to distinguish holistic perspective point of view from
partial point of view. This time you would realize the value of doing philosophy in obtaining a broad
perspective on life. In this lesson you will learn, what is doing philosophy? how is doing philosophy.
The great philosophers and branches of philosophy.
Doing Philosophy in Ancient Greece: The Pre-Socratics. The importance of the first group of
philosophers known as the Pre-Socratic should not be underestimated. In fact, many of the popular
ideas today had their roots in Pre-Socratic philosophy. The important questions that this lesson would
attempt to explain is: What are the ideas or important contributions of Pre-Socratic philosophy to the
discipline of philosophy today?
It has been a very long journey since the beginning of Western Philosophy dating back to 630
B.C in Miletus. Miletus, as s fishing village and center of trade and commerce in ancient Greece, was
the ideal place for the practice of philosophy to emerge, according to Curd. It became the melting pot
of ideas from other cultures in other parts of the globe. Together with the shrewdness of businessmen
going in and out of Miletus, it was part of ordinary life to hear people trying to voice out their opinion
and convince others through argumentation that their opinion is the most plausible one. For example,
Thales was known to have brought back geometry from Egypt, where he would travel for his olive oil
trade. Thus, the Milesians were exposed and became tolerant to different ideas.

What’s New (Activity 1)

Title of the Activity: Doing Philosophy

Directions: Answer the questions briefly.

I. To what extent is philosophy helpful in your quest for knowledge for its own sake?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

II. As a student, do you think it is possible to merge the practice of Eastern and Western
philosophy? Why?

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

What is It (Discussion)
Pre-Socratic Philosophers
The Milesians (Thales, Anaximander, and Anaximenes)
The story of philosophy started with the triumvirate of the three Milesians: Thales,
Anaximander and Anaximenes. Thales was the most popular among the three, being the father of
Western Philosophy and was regarded as one of the seven sages (a wise man) of ancient Greece.
Anaximander, on the other hand was a student of Thales, while Anaximenes was a student of
Anaximander. What needs to be given emphasis here is that this first group of philosophers were the
first thinkers who gave us a non-mythological account of the nature reality and the universe without
the aid of instruments, by merely using their rational faculty together with their ability not only to
observe but also to speculate. They were the first ones who tried to give a unifying and coherent
explanation of the nature of reality. They were also considered as the doctrine that all matters has life
hylozoist from the root word ‘hylo’ or stuff: and ‘zoe’ or life because they believe that the universe is
alive or animate and material. For this reason, Thales believed that the lodestone or natural magnet is
alive since it could make an object move.
Anaximander (610-540 B.C.) who was a very good prose writer, claimed that fundamental
substance of reality is the infinite or the apeiron. He claimed the apeiron has no precise characteristics
or attributes. It is ageless and eternal, and it encompasses all the worlds. This conclusion about the
infinite is highly speculative and abstract rather than based on observation. He believed than the earth
is cylindrical and is suspended in space. In addition, he was first philosopher to attempt to draw a
map.
Anaximenes (588-524 B.C.) concluded that the fundamental substance must be the air.
According to him, air holds our soul together, it encompasses the whole world. Like Thales, he went
back to the flat-earth theory, but unlike Thales he did not give an exact shape of the earth, this time
around, Anaximenes gave a definite shape, by claiming that the earth and other heavenly bodies, for
that matters , are like saucers floating in air. Thus, the earth is flat and round.

Other Pre-Socratic Philosophers

Pythagoras- (531 B.C.) He was the leader of a religious cult, known as the Pythagoreans.
Among the pre-Socratics, he was different because he treated philosophy in a different way, it was a
way of life. For him philosophy and religion are connected and merged into one. He considered
philosophy and mathematics as good for the purification of the soul.
Heraclitus- (500 B.C.) He was known for the mystical nature of his philosophy, especially
his idea about change. He believes that the only thing that is permanent in this world is change (also
known as flux or becoming). He used the flames of fire to emphasize the idea of change.
Parmenides- (450 B.C.). He would be known as the leader of the Eleatic school, from Elea
in Southern Italy, now Velia in Naples. His philosophical idea is contradiction of the idea of change
from Heraclitus. He proposed that the only thing that is permanent in this world is being, that is
reality is made up of one contiuous object or plenum called being.
Empedocles- (493-433 B.C.) was a very interesting figure among the rosters pre-Socratic
philosophers. He believed himself to be immortal and that he had magic powers. He was known to
have cured somebody who was comatose for 24months had a lover named Pausanians, who was an
inspiration for his numerous poems. Empedocles was the proponent of the notion that reality is made
up of the elements namely earth, air fire and water.
Anaxagoras-(480 B. C.) He believed that there is not just one element that reality is made of.
For him, there are as many seeds or elements as the kinds of things. Thus, for him, matter becomes
infinitely divisible. Whenever you divide matter, each separated part will contain elements of
everything else. Another important contribution of Anaxagoras is his idea about the nous or mind,
which was conceived of as external but is infinite and is self-ruled and according to him, “has the
greatest strength and power over all things.
Zeno of Elea-(490 B.C.) He was a student and loyal follower of Parmenides. As expected,
he would pronounce and reiterate the idea of Parmenides that reality is being. That is to strengthen the
point that we are all interconnected as being, he went on to prove this assumption by pronouncing that
there is no motion. This became his impetus propose his arguments against motion.

THE BIG THREE OF GREEK PHILOSOPHY

Ancient Greek philosophy arose in the 6th century BC and lasted through the Hellenistic
period (323 BC-30 BC). Greek philosophy covers an absolutely enormous amount of topics
including: political philosophy, ethics, metaphysics, ontology (the study of the nature of being,
becoming, existence, or reality), logic, biology, rhetoric, and aesthetics (branch of philosophy dealing
with art, beauty, and taste). Greek philosophy is known for its undeniable influence on Western
thought. Although there were Greek philosophers before their respective births, Socrates, Plato, and
Aristotle are the only three worth focusing on during this period.
Socrates, born in Athens in 470 BC, is often credited as one of the founders of Western
philosophy. The cloud of mystery surrounding his life and philosophical viewpoints propose a
problem; a problem so large that it’s given a name itself: The Socratic Problem. Since he did not write
philosophical texts, all knowledge related to him is entirely dependent on the writings of other people
of the time period. Works by Plato, Xenophon, Aristotle, and Aristophanes contain all of the
knowledge known about this enigmatic figure. His largest contribution to philosophy is the Socratic
method. The Socratic method is defined as a form of inquiry and discussion between individuals,
based on asking and answering questions to illuminate ideas. This method is performed by asking
question after question with the purpose of seeking to expose contradictions in one’s thoughts,
guiding him/her to arrive at a solid, tenable conclusion. The principle underlying the Socratic Method
is that humans learn through the use of reasoning and logic; ultimately finding holes in their own
theories and then patching them up.
Plato, student of Socrates, also has mystery surrounding him. His birthday is estimated to fall
between 428 BC and 423 BC. He’s known for being the founder of the Academy in Athens, the first
institution of higher learning in the Western world. My favorite of Plato’s contributions to
philosophy, and the one I’m going to focus on, is the Theory of Forms. This theory was created to
solve two problems, one of ethics and one of permanence and change. The ethical problem is: how
can humans live a fulfilling life in an ever-changing world if everything that they hold close to them
can be easily taken away? The problem dealing with permanence and change is: How can the world
appear to be both permanent and changing? The world we perceive through senses seems to be
always changing–which is a pretty clear observation. The world that we perceive through the mind,
seems to be permanent and unchanging. Which world perceived is more real? Why are we seen two
different worlds? To find a solution to these problems, Plato split the world into two: the material, or
physical, realm and the transcendent, or mental, realm of forms. We have access to the realm of forms
through the mind, allowing us access to an unchanging world. This particular world is invulnerable to
the pains and changes of the material world. By detaching our souls from the material world and our
bodies and developing our ability to concern ourselves with the forms, Plato believes this will lead to
us finding a value which is not open to change. This solves the ethical problem. Splitting existence up
into two realms also leads us to a solution to the problem of permanence and change. Our mind
perceives a different world, with different objects, than our senses do. It is the material world,
perceived through the senses, that is changing. It is the realm of forms, perceived through the mind,
that is permanent.
Aristotle, student of Plato, lived from 384 BC-322 BC. At eighteen, he joined Plato’s
Academy in Athens and remained there until the age of thirty-seven. There, he honed his talents of
understanding the world. In his understanding of the world, he wrote his theory of the universals–
which I find to be extremely intriguing. The problem of the universals is the question of whether
properties exist, and if so, what exactly are they. To avoid confusion, a universal is a metaphysical
term describing what particular things have in common, focusing strictly characteristics or qualities.
His theory states that universals exist only where they are instantiated (the concept that it is
impossible for a property to exist which is not had by some object). In simpler terms, he believes
universals exist only in things, never apart from things–differing from his teacher, Plato, on this.
Aristotle believes that a universal is identical in each of its instances. All round things are similar in
that there is the same universal, characteristic, throughout.

Branches of Philosophy
Metaphysics- is only an extension of a fundamental and necessary drive in every human
being to know what is real. The question is how to account for this unreal thing in terms of what you
can accept as real. Thus, a very big part of the metaphysician’s task is to explain that part of our
experience, which we call unreal in terms of what we call real.
Ethics- is generally a study of the nature of moral judgments. Philosophical ethics attempts to
provide an account of our fundamental ethical ideas. Whereas religion has often motivated
individuals to obey the moral code of their society, philosophy is not content with traditional or
habitual ethics but adopts a critical perspective. It insists that obedience to moral law be given a
rational foundation. In the thought of Socrates, we see the beginning of a transition from a traditional,
religion-based morality to philosophical ethics (Landsburg 2009).
Epistemology- specifically, epistemology deals with nature, sources, limitations and validity
of knowledge (Soccio 2007). Epistemological questions are basic to all other philosophical inquiries.
Epistemology explains 1) how we know, what we claim to know 2) how we can find out what we
wish to know and 3) how we can differentiate truth from falsehood. Epistemology addresses varied
problems: the reliability, extent, and kinds of knowledge; truth; language; and science and scientific
knowledge.
Logic- Reasoning is the concern of the logician. This could be reasoning in science and
medicine, in ethics and law, in politics and commerce, in sports and games and in mundane affairs of
everyday living. Varied kinds of reasoning may be used, and all are of interest to the logician.
Aesthetics- is the science of the beautiful in its various manifestations- including the sublime,
comic, tragic, pathetic and ugly. To experience aesthetics, therefore means whatever experience has
relevance to art, whether the experience be that of the creative artist of appreciation.

What’s More (Enrichment Activities)

Title of the Activity: Importance of Philosophy

I. Make a concept map on the branches of Philosophy. (As much as possible don’t include the
disciplines/branches that are already given in the module.)

II. Is it possible for a discipline to develop and flourish without philosophy? Why or why not?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
What I Have Learned (Generalization)

Title of the Activity: Point of View from Philosophers

Directions: Read and follow the instructions carefully in each activity. Then, give the correct answer.
1. Do you think it is important to understand the nature of philosophy? Explain and elaborate
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________

2. What makes a philosopher different from other scientists?

_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________

What I Can Do (Application)

Title of the Activity: (What Should I Do)

Directions: Answer the following questions briefly.

1. What is Doing Philosophy for me?
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________

2. How is Doing philosophy for me?

_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________

3. Why is doing philosophy important to me?

_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________

Assessment

Title of the Activity: Who’s Who

I. Multiple Choice. Select the letter of the correct answer from among the given choices.
1. He was considered as the father of Western Philosophy.
A. Anaximenes B. Anaximander C. Thales D. Pythagoras
2. He claimed that fundamental substance of reality is the infinite or the apeiron.
A. Anaximenes B. Anaximander C. Thales D. Pythagoras
3. Which pre-Socratic philosopher thought that the constantly changing nature of reality was
nevertheless made uniform and orderly insofar as it was governed by a force or principle he called the
logos?
A. Heraclitus B. Anaxagoras C. Parmenides D. Empedocles
4. He proposed that the only thing that is permanent in this world is being.
A. Heraclitus B. Anaxagoras C. Parmenides D. Empedocles
5. He went on to prove this assumption by pronouncing that there is no motion.
A. Parmenides B. Anaxagoras C. Empedocles D. Zeno of Elea
6. All knowledge related to him is entirely dependent on the writings of other people of the time
period.
A. Plato B. Socrates C. Aristotle D. Pythagoras
7. He believes that a universal is identical in each of its instances
A. Plato B. Socrates C. Aristotle D. Pythagoras
8. He’s known for being the founder of the Academy in Athens.
A. Plato B. Socrates C. Aristotle D. Pythagoras
9. He was the proponent of the notion that reality is made up of the elements namely earth, air fire
and water.
A. Heraclitus B. Anaxagoras C. Parmenides D. Empedocles
10. Pre-socratic philosopher who gave his idea about the nous or mind.
A. Heraclitus B. Anaxagoras C. Parmenides D. Empedocles

II. Read each statement or question below carefully and fill in the blank(s) with the correct
answer.
__________11. It is defined as a form of inquiry and discussion between individuals, based on asking
and answering questions to illuminate ideas.
__________12. It insists that obedience to moral law be given a rational foundation.
__________13. It is the science of the beautiful in its various manifestations.
__________14. It is only an extension of a fundamental and necessary drive in every human being to
know what is real.
__________15. It deals with nature, sources, limitations and validity of knowledge

Additional Activities

Title of the Activity: Learning from Philosophers

Directions: Read and follow the instructions carefully in each activity. Then, give the correct answer.

1. What wisdom/knowledge can you get from these everyday objects. (Reflect your everyday
life from these objects).
OBJECTS WISDOM/KNOWLEDGE

PENCIL

ERASER

BOOK

CLOCK

SHOES

2. In what sense is philosophy related to human life? Explain.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Rubrics:

I. What I Know? Pretest

CATEGORY 5 3 1
Content The content is The content is The topic is irrelevant,
relevant, complete relevant, and unsubstantial and
and substantial substantial yet incomplete
incomplete
Readability of Text All texts are Some texts are Most of the texts are
readable and legibly readable and not not readable and not
written legibly written legibly written

II. What’s New?

CATEGORY 5 3 1
Content The content is The content is The topic is irrelevant,
relevant, complete relevant, and unsubstantial and
and substantial substantial yet incomplete
incomplete
Readability of Text All texts are Some texts are Most of the texts are
readable and legibly readable and not not readable and not
written legibly written legibly written

III. What’s More? Enrichment Activity

CATEGORY 5 3 1
Content The content is The content is relevant, The topic is irrelevant,
relevant, complete and substantial yet unsubstantial and
and substantial incomplete incomplete
Readability of Text All texts are readable Some texts are Most of the texts are not
and legibly written readable and not readable and not legibly
legibly written written
Spelling and Grammar No errors in grammar 2-3 errors in grammar More than 5 errors in
and spelling and spelling grammar and spelling

IV. What I Have Learned?

CATEGORY 5 3 1
Content The content is The content is relevant, The topic is irrelevant,
relevant, complete and substantial yet unsubstantial and
and substantial incomplete incomplete

V. What I Can Do?

CATEGORY 5 3 1
Content The content is The content is relevant, The topic is irrelevant,
relevant, complete and substantial yet unsubstantial and
and substantial incomplete incomplete

VI. Additional Activities

1.
 CATEGORY 5 3 1
Content The content is The content is The topic is irrelevant,
relevant, complete relevant, and unsubstantial and
and substantial substantial yet incomplete
incomplete
Readability of Text All texts are Some texts are Most of the texts are
readable and legibly readable and not not readable and not
written legibly written legibly written

2.

CATEGORY 5 3 1
Content The content is The content is The topic is irrelevant,
relevant, complete relevant, and unsubstantial and
and substantial substantial yet incomplete
incomplete

References: (Times New Roman, Bold, size 13)

(Use Times New Roman, regular, size 11 for the details)

(The samples below were taken from DepEd Order 30, s. 2019 Manual of Style)
A. Books
A. Books
Maria Paula G. Sioco and Ignatius H. Vinzons. 2016. Introduction to the
Philosophy of the Human Person .1253 Gregorio Araneta Avenue, Quezon City: Vibal
Group Inc.

Roberto Abella. Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person. Quezon City:
C & E Publishing, Inc., 2016, 10-14.

Aleli Caraan. Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person. Makati City:
DIWA Learning Systems Inc., 2016, 2.

Winston Gallinero and Richard Juanito Estaris. Introduction to the Philosophy of the
Human Person. Malabon: Mutya Publishing House, Inc., 2017, 6-9, 21-29.

B. Online and Other Sources:

Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person.

https://depedshs.blogspot.com/2001/06/introduction-to-philosophy-of-human.html

Course Hero. https://www.coursehero.com/file/p4k23lb/philosophical-way-11-

Distinguish-a-holistic-perspective-from-a-partial-point-of/

Introduction to the Five branches of Philosophy. Importanceofphilosophy.com

http://www.importanceofphilosophy.com/FiveBranchesMain.html (accessed May 14, 2020)

The Big Three Philosopher. https://sites.psu.edu/rclperdue/2014/09/19/the-big-three-of-greek-

philosophy-socrates-plato-and-aristotle/