This document provides an introduction to the philosophy of the human person. It discusses a conversation between a teacher and student where the student answers that he wants to be happy when asked about his career goals. The document then explores philosophical questions and discusses how philosophy relates to inquisitiveness and seeking answers to life's profound questions. It defines philosophy as the love of wisdom and examines some enduring philosophical questions about reality, knowledge, purpose and free will.

1. Introduction to
the PHILOSOPHY
of the Human
Person
Subject Teacher: Ms. Jessa O. Barbero

2. Lesson 1: What is Philosophy?
Let’s Ponder
Read and analyze the following conversation between a high school teacher and her
student in class:
Teacher: Juan, what would you like to be when you grow up?
Juan: Ma’am, I want to be happy!
Teacher: Juan, you did not understand my question.
Juan: Ma’am, you do not understand what life is all about!

3. Guide Question:
1. Do you think that Juan’s answer was appropriate for his teacher’s
question?
2. What do you think was Juan’s interpretation of his teacher’s
question?
3. Base on his responses, what kind of student do you imagine Juan
to be?
4. If you were Juan’s teacher, how would you respond to him?
5. How is Philosophy related to this situation?

4. Let’s Embark
At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
1. Discuss philosophy and its importance as a discipline and a means for
understanding life;
2. Distinguish a holistic perspective from a partial point of view;
3. Recognize human activities that emanated from deliberate reflection;
4. recognize the value of doing philosophy in obtaining a broad perspective
on life;
5. Realize the value of doing philosophy in obtaining a broad perspective
on life;
6. Do a philosophical reflection on a concrete situation from a holistic
perspective; and
7. Discuss their thoughts regarding the importance of philosophy in their
lives.

5. Inquire and Discover
 Have you, like Juan, come to a realization of what
you want in life?
 Have you ever found yourself wondering about the
things you experience or where your life is
headed?
 Have you ever encountered a situation where you
had to think about the “deeper” questions in life?

6. Throughout our lives, we have
wondered about many things
which lead us to ask a lot of
questions. By nature, human
beings are inquisitive. We ask
questions to try and make sense
of our world and experiences.

7. Young children are very curious, and we
often hear them ask simple and silly
questions such as : “What is this?” “What
does this do?” “ Why are trees tall?” “
Why is the sky so far away?”
These queries may be easily ignored
because of their simplicity, but these
indicate a healthy curiosity and a sense of
wonder which is an important feature of
childhood innocence.

8.  As we grow older, our questions are influenced by
our experiences and circumstances.
 We find ourselves asking more “serious” questions
such as:
“Why do I have to study?”
“What do I need to do to get a better grades?”
“Why can’t I have more friends?”
“ What should I do to achieve my goals in life?”
“ Why did I fail?”
“What can I do to do better?”

9.  You may have heard your parents and other
older people ask question about various
concerns such as:
“ How can our budget cover our family’s
expenses?”
“ What should I do to earn more?”
“ Would it be better to apply for a new
job?”
“ Did I make the right choice in buying this
property?”
“How do I deal with difficult people at
work?”

10. People ask these questions to help them
plan and decide on certain tasks. These
are the questions that we often hear in
every conversations.
Still, there are other questions that make
us pause and think. We often encounter
these “deep” questions in serious
conversation, in the books we read, the
songs we hear on the radio, and even in
the movies we watch.

11.  Some of these questions include:
“ What is love?”
“Is love worth giving up everything?”
“ Where can one find true happiness?”
“Does the end justify the means?”
“ Why do good people suffer?”
“ Why is there injustice in this world?”
“ What can we do to make the world a better
place?”
“ Why do I have to be a good person?”

12. A big part of living is spent
pondering many questions, and our
lives become more meaningful
because we search for answers to
these innumerable questions. This
is the essence of philosophy – the
search for answers to life’s
questions.

13. Let’s Think
Read the following news headlines. What “simple”,
“serious”, and “deep” questions come to mind when you
read them?
1. Flash floods in remote village kill a hundred people
2. Abused child kept chained in basement for five years
finally rescued
3. Man sentenced to ten years for stealing milk to feed his
baby
4. Lottery winner donates half of winnings to local
orphanage

14. Discuss
What questions about your
life are you struggling to find
answers to? Share some of
them.

15. What is
Philosophy?

16. Let’s think
What words come to mind when you hear the
word philosophy?
PHILOSOPHY

17. What is Philosophy?
 The word Philosophy comes from two Greek
words: philos (love) and sophia (wisdom).
 The ancient Greeks used this term to refer
to “love of wisdom” and they soon applied
it to the study or discipline that uses
human reason to investigate the ultimate
causes, reasons, and principles which
govern all things.

18.  People who engage in philosophy are called
philosophers or “lovers of wisdom”
 Among the ancient Greeks, the
philosophers became pioneers in various
fields of knowledge such as history, biology
medicine, mathematics, astronomy, and
even physics.
 It was quite common to hear of ancient
philosophers who were “experts” in various
fields of learning.

19. Discuss
What does it mean to be a
lover of wisdom?
What characteristics should a
philosopher possess?

20. Since ancient times, philosophers have
been pondering some of the most enduring
questions regarding human existence.
The following are some of them.
 What is real? Are we able to perceive and understand reality
and everything in it?
 How do we know what we know? Are the things that we know
true?
 What is the ultimate cause of all things? What is our purpose
in this world?
 To what extent are our choices and actions considered “free”?

21. DISCUSS
1.What other philosophical questions
have you asked yourself? What led
you to ponder those questions?
2.Do you think that you will be able
to figure out the answers to these
philosophical questions? Explain.