1. For the learners:
To be guided in achieving the objectives of this module, do the following:
1. Read and follow instructions carefully.
2. Write all your ANSWERS in your PHILOSOPHY ACTIVITY
NOTEBOOK.
3. Answer the pretest before going through the lessons.
4. Take note and record points for clarification.
5. Compare your answers against the key to answers found at the end of
the module.
6. Do the activities and fully understand each lesson.
7. Answer the self-check to monitor what you learned in each lesson.
8. Answer the posttest after you have gone over all the lessons.
2. The following are your guides for the proper use of this module:
1. Follow closely the instructions in every activity.
2. Be honest in answering and checking your exercises.
3. Answer the pre-test before going over the material to find out what you already know.
4. Answer the exercises at the end of every lesson.
5. Review the lesson that you find you failed to understand.
6. Seek assistance from your teachers if you need help.
7. Ask permission from your parent/guardian whenever you have research and requirements to be
conducted outside your home.
5. Why do we need to study philosophy?
The study of philosophy enhances your ability to evaluate and resolve
problems. It will help you to analyze concepts, definitions, arguments, and
problems. It contributes to your capacity to organize ideas and issues, to deal
with questions of value, and to extract what is essential from masses of
information. Philosophy brings the important questions to the table and works
towards an answer. It encourages us to think critically about the world; it is the
foundation of all knowledge and when utilized properly, can provide us with huge
benefits.
6. LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
At the end of this lesson, the learners will be able to:
1. define Philosophy;
2. discuss the importance of Philosophy as a means for understanding life;
3. differentiate between a holistic perspective from a partial point of view;
4. make reflection as an important aspect of philosophy; and
5. appreciate the value of practicing philosophy in their daily lives
7. PRE-TEST
Multiple Choice: Choose the letter that best corresponds to the right answer. Write your
answer in your activity notebook.
1. It is the study or discipline that uses human reason to investigate the ultimate causes, reasons which
govern all things.
a. Philosophy c. Ethics
b. Epistemology d. Logic
2. It is a branch of philosophy which deals with questions regarding reality and existence.
a. Ethics c. Metaphysics
b. Logic d. Political Philosophy
3. It is a branch of philosophy which deals with correct reasoning.
a. Logic c. Pythagoras
b. Ethics d. Epistemology
8. 4. The Philosopher who was among the first to propose that matter is composed of tiny particles called
atom.
a. Democritus c. Aristotle
b. Plato d. Socrates
5. The Philosopher who was a known advocate of living a simple and virtuous life.
a. Heraclitus c. Socrates
b. Epicurus d. Diogenes of Sinope
6. The Philosopher who proposed that everything that exist is based on higher order plan
a. Pythagoras c. Aristotle
b. Heraclitus d. Democritus
7. What does the Greek word “philosophia” mean?”.
a. Love of wisdom c. Love of parents
b. Love of knowledge d. Art of questioning
9. 8. It refers to a way of thinking about the world & is made up of a person’s views and beliefs.
a. Framework c. Aesthetic
b. External questions d. Limit Situation
9. These questions examine personal ideas regarding correctness and values.
a. Academy c. Internal Questions
b. Partial thinking d. Ethics
10. An activity that requires a person to examine his or her thoughts, feelings and actions and learn from
experience.
a. Reflection c. Framework
b. Holistic thinking d. Partial thinking
10. LESSON 1: PHILOSOPHY IN GENERAL
Learning Competency:
1.1 Distinguish a holistic perspective from a partial point of view.
1.2 Recognize human activities which emanated from deliberate reflection
11. Activity 1: Think and List!
Think of 3 simple, serious, and deep questions that you ever asked yourself.
Were you able to give answers to those queries? Example: Why is there a night
and a day? Why can’t we see the air? Why is it that we cannot hold the water for
so long? Do this in your activity notebook.
Questions: Day-day Encounter Possible answer:
1.
2.
3.
12. Processing Question:
1. Why did you come up with those questions?
_____________________________________________________________________
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2. What did you feel in asking yourself those questions?
_____________________________________________________________________
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13. What is Philosophy?
There is no best definition of Philosophy as a discipline. Hence, for the sake of our understanding,
we will looked into its etymological and technical definition.
A. Etymological definition
Philosophy comes from the two Greek words philo meaning “love” or “friendship” and sophia
meaning “wisdom.” Thus, philosophy means “love of wisdom.” Love is an urge or a drive of a
will towards a particular object. As a drive, love always seeks unity with its object and desires
to possess its object. Thus, wisdom cannot be dissociated from knowledge.
Truth is the ultimate object of knowledge. Philosophy is absolutely committed to the truth, “the
whole truth and nothing but the truth.” Hence, truth is being shown and practiced by a man of
wisdom. Now, if philosophy means love of wisdom, to philosophize, therefore, is to be in quest,
or to have a desire towards loving and living the truth (Babor, 2007)
14. b. Technical definition
Philosophy is defined as “the science of beings in their ultimate reasons, causes, and
principles acquired by the aid of human reason alone (Bittle, 1984).”
To better understand Philosophy, let us break down the statement into
the following:
1. Philosophy is a science.
Science is about acquiring a certain kind of knowledge.
Philosophy is a science because the questioning is given more
importance than the answers to the questions, since answers can
become questions themselves. (Babor,2007)
2. Philosophy is a science of beings.
As a science of beings, it covers all the things that can be
reached by the human mind. This includes man, the world, God,
everything that is, or becomes, or is known.
15. 3. Philosophy searches for the ultimate reasons, causes and principles
of beings.
This means that philosophy studies the ultimate “whys and
wherefores” of beings.
To illustrate: Philosophy does not investigate plant life, but rather, it seeks an
answer to the question: “What does it mean to be a living thing as opposed to
a non-living thing?”
4. Philosophy uses the power or natural light of reason.
The study of philosophy help us acquired by the aid of human reason
alone. Meaning, philosophy doesn’t base its knowledge on authority,
but solely on the reasoning power of the human mind. Hence, divine
revelation is formally excluded as a source of information although it
can and should assist the mind of man by pointing out the proper
direction for the philosophic solution of a problem along purely
natural line.
16. What are the divisions of Philosophy?
Philosophy is classified into practical and speculative. Man’s philosophical questions tend to fall into
any of the following fields:
1. Practical Divisions of Philosophy - is composed of philosophical fields, which study not only to
obtain knowledge and wisdom but also to use that knowledge and wisdom for practical
purposes. It includes logic, ethics, axiology, aesthetics, and semantics.
a. Logic (Questions related to Reasoning).
Logic studies the laws of thought. It is the science of correct reasoning. This covers the study of
simple apprehension and ideas, judgment and proposition, reasoning and arguments.
Logic attempts to resolve the following questions: “What makes good arguments good and bad
arguments bad?”
17. b. Ethics (Questions related to Morality).
Ethics deals with development of a virtuous and moral character. It is the
science of the morality of human acts as ordained to the end.
Ethics attempts to resolve questions like: “What makes my action right or
wrong, and how could I know it?”. “Is there a norm good and evil?
c. Axiology (Questions related to Values). Worthy , goodness
It is the science of value. It is the study of the origin, nature, functions, types,
and interrelations of values.
Axiology attempts to resolve questions like: “How are values experienced?”
“What are the kinds of value?” example: kindness,honesty, spirituality,
humility
18. d. Aesthetics (Questions related to Beauty and Taste).
It is the science of beauty and art. Beauty means the quality attributed to whatever
pleases the beholder such as form, color, and behavior. Art is creativeness and skill in
making or doing things that have form and beauty. It includes the concept of creativity,
expression, representation, form, and style.
Aesthetics attempts to resolve questions like: “What are the essential characteristics of
beauty?” “What is aesthetic value?” “Do the arts provide knowledge?”
e. Semantics (Questions related to Meaning).
It is the science of meaning. It studies the natural and artificial language scientifically.
This includes the study of the relations of words to the objects denoted by them, the
relations of words to the interpreters of them, and, in symbolic logic, the formal relations
of signs to one another (syntax).
Semantics attempts to resolve questions like: “What sorts of meanings do human grammars
yield, and by what rules are these meanings assembled?” “How does grammatical
knowledge develop in children?”
19. 2. Speculative Division of Philosophy - is made up of philosophical fields whose main concern is
the acquisition of knowledge without any thought of applying it for any practical use. It includes
epistemology, theodicy, cosmology, philosophical psychology, and metaphysics.
a. Epistemology (Questions related to Truth and Knowledge).
Epistemology is the science of knowledge. This includes the statement and solution to the
critical problem, nature, origin, objectivity, and validity of knowledge, truth and certitude.
Epistemology attempts to resolve questions like: “What is knowledge?” “What is fact?” “What is
truth?”
20. b. Theodicy (Questions related to God).
Theodicy is the science of God - His nature, existence, essence,
attributes and operations.
Theodicy attempts to resolve questions like : “Does God exist?” “Why
God allows evil?”
c. Cosmology (Questions related to Universe).
Cosmology is the science of the universe – its origin and development
with its parts, elements, laws, especially its characteristics with regard
to space, time, causality and freedom.
Cosmology attempts to resolve question like: “How did the world begin
and where will it end?”
21. d. Psychology (Questions related to Soul).
Psychology is science of soul. The study deals man not only as a sensing
or thinking subject but also as a being composed of body and soul.
Psychology attempts to resolve question like: “Is there really a soul?”
e. Metaphysics (Questions related to Being and Existence).
It studies the nature of the mind, the self, and consciousness. It is the
science which deals with the nature of being, its attributes, constituent
principles, and causes.
Metaphysics attempts to resolve the following questions: “What is
being?” “Why is there being rather than non-being?” “What is
existence?”
“What is essence?”
22. Why the study of Philosophy is important?
According to Zunjic (2011) studying or doing philosophy could be beneficial in
many regards such as:
1. Philosophy enlarges our understanding of the world. It expands our intellectual
horizons and freedom of thought.
2. Philosophy raises public awareness and helps in forming engaged and
responsible citizens.
3. Philosophy can increase our sensitivity for universalistic moral values and
stimulate our readiness to stand up for the principles of justice and fairness.
4. Philosophy can give one self-knowledge, foresight, and a sense of direction in
life.
23. Why is there a need to philosophize?
1. Men have the tendency to wonder (Plato).
For example: we asked questions about our existence
2. Men also have the tendency to doubt ( Rene de Cartes).
For example: Men have to test and verify information before accepting
it.
3. Men do philosophize because of his/her experience ( Karl Jaspers). Our
daily experience challenged our ideas and way of thinking.
For example: Giving money to a beggar, and found out that he uses it
for gambling.
4. Men’s love for wisdom (Socrates). Men’s desire for truth or seeking of
knowledge is not to claim ownership of it but to get the bottom of things.
24. Who are the most notable ancient
Greek philosophers?
1. Pythagoras (570 BCE to 495 BCE) – He is a mathematician and a scientist, and he
was credited with formulating the Pythagorean theorem.
2. Heraclitus (535 BCE to 475 BCE)- He proposed that everything that exist is
based on a higher order or plan which he called logos.
3. Democritus (460 BCE to 370 BCE) – He primarily remembered today for his
formulation of an atomic theory of the universe. He was the first to propose that
matter is composed of tiny particles called atom.
4. Diogenes of Sinope (412 BCE to 323 BCE)- He was known as advocate of living a
simple and virtuous life. His teachings and views influenced the development of
several schools of philosophy such as Cynicism and Stoicism.
5. Epicurus ( 341 BCE to 270 BCE) – He believed that philosophy could enable man
to live a life of happiness. His perspective gave rise to Epicureanism – a school of
philosophy which believes that wisdom and simple living will result in a life free of
fear and pain.
25. 6. Socrates (470 BCE to 399 BCE) – He was considered the foremost
philosopher of ancient times. He contributed much to the field of
ethics. He was known of developing Socratic Method - a means of
examining a topic by devising a series of questions that let the learner
examine and analyze his knowledge and views regarding the topic
7. Plato (427 to 347 BCE) –A student of Socrates, he wrote some of his
mentor’s teachings and incorporated some of his own ideas.
a) Plato’s most significant ideas included his Theory of Forms, which
proposes that
everything that exist is based on the idea that can only be perceived
in mind.
b) He is famous for his dialectic - a method of inquiry where two
opposing ideas are discussed in an attempt to arrive in a new
knowledge.
26. 8. Aristotle (384 BCE to 322 BCE) – He attended the Academy and was a
prominent student of Plato. He go against the idea of Plato’s theory of forms
and took a different stance in interpreting reality.
For him, all ideas and views are based on perception and our reality is
based on what we can sense and perceive. Aristotle was involved in a
great variety of discipline such as zoology, psychology, ethics, and politics.
He formulated a formal process of analyzing reasoning – deductive
reasoning – the process by which specific statements are analyzed to reach
a conclusion or generalization.
27. Activity 2: Let’s Do This!
Write a short essay of the philosophy of your life as a student. Write your
essay in your notebook.
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28. Rubrics for the essay Writing
Criteria Ratin
g
The paper relates entirely to the assigned topic or
issue.
5 4 3 2 1
The paper conveys a genuine personal view of the
topic or issue
5 4 3 2 1
Mechanics
Spelling, punctuation& capitalization
5 4 3 2 1
The work is original
5 4 3 2 1
