Philosophy: Doing Philosophy and Methods of Philosophizing,
Introduction to the Philosophy of
the Human Person
Lesson 1 :
The Process of
Doing Philosophy
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.
The Meaning of Philosophy and Philosophy of the Human Person
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.
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.
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.
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.
Importance of Philosophical Reflection
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.
Human Activities Emanated from Deliberate Reflection
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.
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
Meaning and Process of Doing Philosophy
Doing philosophy means engaging oneself in “matters of utility” and methodologies to eliminate any
practical problem or abstract idea.
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.
Holistic and Partial Points of View
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.
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.
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.
Importance of Doing Philosophy
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.
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.
