U N I T # 1 : H u m an i t y an d W o n d e r

UNIT # 1: Humanity and Wonder Table of Contents

Introduction 3

Lesson # 1: The Birth of the Mind

Starting Out 5

Learn about It! 5

Check Your Understanding 8 Philosophy Applied 8 Who’s That Philosopher? 9

Lesson # 2: The Mind’s First Steps Starting Out 10

Learn about It! 10


Lesson # 3: Our Minds at Work Starting Out 15

Learn about It! 15


Be the Philosopher! 18 Philosophy and I: Check and Reflect 20

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Wrap Up 20 Bibliography 21 Answers to Check your Understanding 21 Glossary 22


GRADE 11/12 | Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person UNIT # 1

Humanity and Wonder

If it is indeed true that, according to some, man is made of stardust, then we’ve fallen quite a long way from our heavenly origins. Nowadays, it isn’t uncommon to live life seemingly on autopilot, spending our waking moments following a worn-out routine: wake up, eat, study or work, sleep, rinse and repeat. As sobering as this may sound, we need not live this way. Many of the greatest thinkers in the past grappled with questions and ideas that still concern us today. In the simplest sense, this is what philosophy is about—an inquiry into the nature of the world we live in and our place in it. All of this, of course, starts with a little bit of wonder.

Philosophy in Our World

Believe it or not, you’ve actually been philosophizing for quite some time now. In fact, you probably did some philosophizing earlier today. As much as the word itself may seem intimidating, philosophy doesn’t have to be this complicated and mysterious discipline practiced only by professors in universities. When you persuade your parents to allow you to watch a movie with your friends, you are actually doing philosophy. The same goes for the last time you had to decide what to eat for lunch—whether it was chicken inasal with unlimited rice or the slightly healthier lumpiang ubod. You are, in effect, trying to

understand your values, where they came from, and what to do next. Whenever you think about the world and your place in it, you participate in the philosophical journey which so many have embarked on the past. Of course, there’s more to philosophy than can be said in a


few paragraphs, and now’s as good a time as any to dive deeper.

Learning Targets

In this unit, you should be able to: ● explain the beginnings of philosophy; ● practice engaging in philosophical thought; ● determine how to gain a more holistic perspective via argumentation; and ● recognize the value of philosophy in thinking about the nature of reality.


Lesson 1: The Birth of the Mind You could live the entirety of your life without once thinking about philosophy or

even realizing that you philosophize every once in a while. Still, there are many things to gain from doing as the many great philosophers did.

Starting Out

Where and how does philosophy begin? Why do people start philosophizing?

Learn about It!

How does one begin to talk about philosophy? For a start, it’s important to note that philosophy is not unique to the Western world. In fact, regions such as India, East Asia, and the Middle East boast philosophical traditions which are just as rich and insightful. We have to start somewhere though, and Ancient Greece, at around 600 BCE, is as a good a place as any.

Over the past hundred years or so, mankind has steadily improved in its efforts to

survive and thrive. As man learned to domesticate certain types of plants and animals, the possibility of forming cities and settlements was realized. Soon, society was organized in such a way that specific members would be responsible for farming and food production, while others would be enlisted as soldiers and warriors. Of course, a few took it upon themselves to lead and govern all the others. Though significant, this development might not seem tied to philosophy at all, but consider this: For the first time ever, man has no longer had to worry about his day to day existence. He didn’t have to stress about hunting or foraging for food. For the very first time in history, man was free to think leisurely and ask so-called “deep” questions about the world and his place in it. Man started to wander about the world he is into, he now had the time to stop for a while and ask questions such as:

● What are the things of the world made of? ● Where did the world come from?


● Who am I? ● Is there a God? ● Is there life after death?

This newfound time gave man the opportunity to learn more about the world and his

place in it. In effect, man was able to obtain knowledge who he was and the nature of his surroundings. That said, it is rightful to acknowledge that ‘philosophy’ is derived from the Greek words- philo (love) and Sophia (wisdom). Literally, the word philosophy means the love of/for wisdom.

There’s a reason philosophy has been called “The Mother of Sciences” and that’s because the earliest philosophers began to study anything and everything. True enough, back then, there weren’t really distinctions between the different fields of science as we would know them today. The very first biologists, physicians, mathematicians, and physicists would call themselves philosophers, due in large part to the fact that they simply loved wisdom and learning.

While it is true many of man’s first questions can now be answered by other fields, people have continued to philosophize precisely because there are some concerns that cannot be addressed by these modern sciences. In short, science—as we understand it today—has more to do with a search for answers. Philosophy, on the other hand, places greater emphasis on thinking about questions. Oftentimes, in philosophy, the questions are more important than the answers. Learning how to ask the right questions is more important than simply blurting out a memorized answer.

But the question remains: If science has been able to provide answers to some of those

initial questions, why has philosophy survived? Simply put, there are certain things that cannot be answered by science, and philosophy excels in dealing with questions which don’t have ready and clear-cut answers. For example, biology will tell us that when we fall in love, there are specific chemicals and interactions going on inside our brains. But if that’s the case—if something as important as love is simply a matter of biological reactions—do you actually have a choice? Are you actually free to decide who you choose to love? If you’re not free, then you can’t be held accountable or responsible for your actions. After all, you didn’t


choose to do them. This, among other things, is what philosophy is all about. Philosophy has grown and evolved throughout the past 2500 or so years and can be roughly divided into three branches. Metaphysics (literally, “what is beyond physics or

nature”) deals with the nature of the world and everything that exists. Many of the earliest philosophers concerned themselves with explaining what matter was made of—with finding out what the common, most basic quality everything had. Thales (624-546 BCE), who is often considered the first Greek philosopher, proposed that everything was made of water. Later on, Heraclitus (535-475 BCE) claimed that everything was in a state of flux or perpetual movement, and that everything would start and end with fire. There are many more Pre-Socratic philosophers (thinkers who appeared before Socrates) and the questions with which they were concerned are still being tackled to this day. Epistemology is the branch of philosophy which deals with knowledge and knowing. In studying knowledge, the philosopher concerns himself with questions about truth, about whether it is even possible to know what is true. For that matter, is it possible to know any object at all given that one’s senses can be deceptive or faulty? Finally, Value Theory deals more with how we live and act and, as the name implies, place value on certain things. When we talk about Ethics, for example, we’re interested in how to live and act as a member of a society, as relational beings. In Aesthetics, beauty is the main concern and whether it is possible to actually have a standard of beauty at all. All in all, if there’s one thing to remember about philosophy, it’s that you don’t necessarily “study philosophy.” Rather, you do philosophy. Success as a student of philosophy is not based on how much you know about a certain topic, but by how well you can think.


Check Your Understanding

Answer the following questions in no more than three (3) sentences. 1. What made it possible to philosophize and think about life’s “deep” questions? 2. How are philosophical questions different from scientific questions? 3. Which branch(es) of philosophy deal(s) with the study of religion? Why?

Philosophy Applied

Although we engage in philosophy every day, there is value in actually realizing and acknowledging that we’re doing philosophy.

Take some time to pause from your daily routine. Why do you do the things that you do? Why do you feel what you feel? Why do you think in the manner that you do? Don’t be satisfied with the answer of “That’s just who I am.” Rather, look deeper into what you value. In that regard, why do you value or give importance to certain things or ideas over others? Who or what influenced you to do so?


Mostly, allow yourself to be filled with wonder and awe at the world of which you are a part. Let your mind wander freely and dare to ask questions, even and especially the ones you might not have the answers for.


Lesson 2: The Mind’s First Steps

While it is all well and good to know about philosophy, you aren’t really philosophizing yet until you engage with the ideas and thoughts of previous thinkers and your fellow man.

Starting Out

How do I actually engage in philosophy?

Learn about It!

It was Aristotle (384-322 BCE) who once said that man is a rational animal. Though many present-day philosophers refute this claim, there is a little grain of truth in such an assertion.

The simplest way of understanding this claim is that man, armed with intelligence and the capacity to think about all sorts of ideas, is not a mere animal or beast. We are different from all the rest of creation because we can think rationally.

However, you need not look far to realize that sometimes, man isn’t always rational. Yes, we have the capacity to be rational, but that isn’t always the case. When we argue with a friend about our favorite athlete or movie, it is not unheard of to resort to insults, shouting, and referring to unfair criteria in order to “win.” In these instances, we seem to be very irrational. As students of philosophy, being irrational is exactly what we want to avoid. But how so?


In essence, the philosopher uses Logic as his toolbox. He deals with arguments and all sorts of statements and uses careful rational thought to arrive at the truth. Note that when we talk about arguments, we don’t necessarily refer to a battle of wits. Rather, we’re talking about statements in a discourse or discussion. In effect, to excel as a philosopher, one must sharpen his tools of reasoning. More importantly, he must keep in mind that the goal of argumentation or discourse is not to win but to know the truth.

In its simplest form, Logic is the use of arguments—also called premises—correctly. The goal of philosophical discourse, therefore, is to provide arguments logically and avoid thinking fallaciously. Deductive arguments are often said to start from the general and end with the specific. In philosophy, to argue deductively is to provide successive premises which lead to certain conclusion. That is, if all of your premises are true, your conclusion will be true as well. For instance,

Premise 1: All dogs are mammals. Premise 2: Lassie is a dog.

Conclusion: Therefore, Lassie is a mammal. In the example above, it is impossible for the conclusion to be false if all of the premises are true. In this case, we call such a deductive argument as valid. Simply put, if the conclusion drawn from the premises makes sense, then the argument can be considered valid. If the conclusion doesn’t make sense, it can be classified as invalid, as in the example below.

Premise 1: All dogs are mammals. Premise 2: Dumbo is a mammal.

Conclusion: Dumbo is a dog. The argument as a whole is invalid because the flow of reasoning didn’t necessarily follow the flow of general to specific. Premise 2 is almost as broad or as general as Premise 1, and so no clear conclusion about the nature of Dumbo can be made. However, you must remember that not all valid arguments are necessarily true. Yes, they may make sense argumentatively, but you’ll notice that something’s just not right. For instance,


Premise 1: All birds can fly. Premise 2: An ostrich is a bird. Conclusion: An ostrich can fly.

The argument in itself is valid but that doesn’t make it true. There is no known record of an ostrich ever taking flight. The error in reasoning stems from the false premise—specifically, that all birds can fly. That said, one very important thing to remember about deductive arguments: If all of your premises are true and factual and the flow of your argumentation is valid, then your argument will always be true. Inductive arguments, meanwhile, are characterized more by their predictive power. That is, they don’t deal with certainties but with probabilities and likelihood. Perhaps it’s best to give an example first before explaining:

Premise 1: Most Filipinos have black hair. Premise 2: Pedro is Filipino.

Conclusion: Pedro has black hair. In the example above, it is very likely that Pedro has black hair based on the premises. Note that it is possible that Pedro has brown or maybe even blonde hair, and so the conclusion doesn’t rule that possibility out. Still, since the conclusion is very likely, this inductive argument is strong. In other words, the “proofs” presented in the premises are strong enough to lead us to believe that the conclusion is likely. Let’s consider another example:

Premise 1: Most Filipinos have black hair. Premise 2: Pedro has black hair.

Conclusion: Pedro is Filipino.

In contrast to the first inductive argument, this example can be considered weak since the likelihood that Pedro is Filipino based solely on his hair color is very small. We know this because black hair is abundant and prevalent in the make-up of many other nationalities. Chinese and Indians alone (more than 2 billion people) are predominantly black-haired. Philosophy is about engaging ideas and other individuals in a discourse aimed at knowing the


truth. With this in mind, knowing how to argue correctly—whether deductively or inductively—can only help in your journey for the truth.


Determine whether the following arguments are valid or invalid.

1. Premise 1: All men are mortal. Premise 2: Socrates is mortal. Conclusion: Socrates is a man.

2. Premise 1: All fish have gills. Premise 2: A shark is a fish. Conclusion: A shark has gills.

Determine whether the following arguments are strong or weak.

3. Premise 1: Grey clouds usually bring heavy rains. Premise 2: Clouds are grey today. Conclusion: It will most likely rain today.

4. Premise 1: Mike just moved here from the United States. Premise 2: Mike has blonde hair. Conclusion: Most people from the United States have blonde hair.

Philosophy Applied

Probably more than anything, devoting yourself to philosophy and philosophizing will

lead to the improvement of your ability to think, and not just in the broad sense, but how to formulate your thoughts and ideas. The point of philosophy is never to argue for the sake of arguing. Rather, to engage in argumentation is to engage in a communal pursuit of the truth.


That said, deductive and inductive reasoning can be utilized in all sorts of one’s daily life. From posting a comment on social media to providing supports in your latest academic paper, thinking clearly and without fallacy is one of the best ways to hone your mind for the rigors of philosophical thought.


Lesson 3: Our Minds at Work

Apart from learning how to think critically, one of the biggest benefits of philosophizing

is the apparent wisdom that comes with understanding the world in which one lives. Far from simply coasting from one day to the next, the philosopher is concerned with the very nature of reality and what that means for his earthly life.

Starting Out

What is the nature of reality? What do I know to be true?

Learn about It!

Probably the most stirring, thought-provoking, and, to an extent, unsettling description of the world we live in today was laid out by Plato (428-348 BCE) in his Republic. In what is widely known as the Allegory of the Cave, Plato paints a picture of man as a prisoner inside a cave. He is chained and unable to move, trapped as it were with other prisoners. Behind them is large fire and in front of this fire is a parade of objects. The shadows of these objects are projected onto the wall in front of the prisoners. One very important detail: these prisoners have been chained inside the cave their entire lives. They have never seen the world outside the cave, and so all they know to be true and real are the shadows displayed on the cave walls. This, Plato contends, is how man knows the world. For Plato, there is a World of Pure Forms above and beyond man’s knowledge. In the allegory, this is represented by the world outside the cave. One prisoner eventually makes it out of the cave and sees this outside world.


Having known nothing but shadows and darkness, he is blinded by the light outside—just like how we tend to be disoriented when we see a sudden bright light in the pitch black night. The prisoner sees the true forms of the shadows he saw inside the cave. He can’t believe it and rushes to tell his fellow prisoners of what he just saw. It is at this point that Plato reminds us of the cruel truth of life. The other prisoners don’t believe him, and why would they when they’ve never experienced or known anything but shadows? So the one prisoner who experienced truth and beauty and reality is left alone with no one to relate to.

This allegory has stood the test of time due to the truth it imparts. On the one hand, it seems impossible to think of things greater or “more real” than the objects we can see and touch and feel. On the other hand, entertaining the possibility that what we once believed to be true is actually false is not such a pleasant activity. This, perhaps, is what makes the allegory so memorable—because it’s been proven time and again throughout history. Many things which were once thought to be true were eventually proved to be false. For example,

● The belief that the Earth was at the center of the Solar System ● The belief that the Earth was flat ● The belief that sickness and demons could be cured by drilling a hole into a person’s

skull And if this is the case historically, what more of our current truths could actually turn out to be false?


Provide more examples of past truths which later turned out to be false.

1. Past Truth: _______________________________________________ How was it proven to be false?


2. Past Truth: _______________________________________________ How was it proven to be false?

Provide examples of beliefs you personally believed but later on changed when you grew up.

3. Past belief: _______________________________________________ What changed your belief?

4. Past belief: _______________________________________________ What changed your belief?

Philosophy Applied

While engaging in philosophy can lead us to a sense of awe and joy, we mustn’t forget that the critical thinking and exchange of ideas involved in philosophy can also lead us to be disturbed and troubled. If anything, it is in these moments that we learn more about ourselves.

Just as the prisoner in the cave, it is possible for us to go beyond our current understanding of things and gain greater insights into the workings of the world. With this in mind, how do you think one can get out of our “personal caves” of doubt, bias and disinterest?


Be the Philosopher!

Task: Find a partner (whether a classmate, a schoolmate, or even a sibling). Talk about your interests, your likes and dislikes. Once you find something that you disagree with—say, for example, your preference for favorite breakfast food or the best Marvel movie—write a persuasive paragraph addressed to your partner. Using the principles of Logic, use valid deductive arguments and strong inductive arguments to persuade your partner to side with you and acknowledge that your preference is, indeed, the better one.


Criteria Beginning

(0-12 points)

Developing

(13-16 points)

Accomplished (17-20 points)

Score

Content

The ideas are unoriginal, unclear, and do not contribute to the topic.

The presentation expressed good and on-point ideas, but with only a few points that incorporate the philosophies.

The presentation expressed a lot of ideas, and effectively incorporates the philosophies, and tells multiple thoughts and concepts that are stimulating.

Organization

The flow of the presentation cannot be understood and needs improvement. The ideas are jumping from one to another.

The flow of the presentation is organized, although there are some points that needed clarification.

The flow of the presentation can be understood well and is very organized. There is clear and smooth transition from one point to another. It is sufficiently comfortable to be understood.

Conventions

The writer did not follow the instructions, and the task was not well-executed.

The writer followed some of the instructions but also did not adhere to the others, but the task was still well-executed.

The writer complied with all the instructions provided, and the task was well-executed.

Total Score:


Philosophy & I: Check and Reflect

Mark the appropriate boxes that define your understanding of the lessons.

Skills

I think I need more time and assistance.

I have a minimal understanding of it.

I am confident that I can do this with ease.

I can define the terms and ideas used in the lessons.

I can properly classify certain arguments as deductive or inductive, valid or invalid, strong or weak.

I can point out specific moments in history and in my life wherein previous beliefs have been changed and improved.

Wrap Up

● Philosophy, the love of wisdom, is more concerned with asking the right questions than searching for answers. In this regard, to engage in philosophy is to sharpen one’s ability to think.

● There are three general branches of philosophy—namely, Metaphysics, Epistemology, and Value Theory, of which Ethics and Aesthetics are a part.

● Logic is the philosopher’s “toolbox” in the sense that to do philosophy is to enter into a discourse. The goal of this discourse is to know the truth, and this is attained via a series of arguments, which can be deductive or inductive.


● Philosophy can also lead to disturbances in the sense that it challenges individuals to think and consider what is beyond their current understanding.

Bibliography

Bloom, Allan. 1991. The Republic of Plato, 2nd ed. New York, New York: Basic Books. Dy Jr., Manuel B. 2001. Philosophy of Man, Selected Readings, 2nd ed. Quezon City, Philippines: Goodwill Trading Co. Inc. Hurley, Patrick J. 2010. A Concise Introduction to Logic, 11th ed. Boston, Massachusetts: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Nagel, Thomas. 1987. What Does It All Mean?: A Very Short Introduction To Philosophy. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. Janicaud, Dominique. 2003. Philosophy in 30 Days. London, United Kingdom: Granta Publications

Answers to Check Your Understanding

Lesson 1: The Birth of the Mind

1. Man was free to have leisure time and think about some of life’s “deep” questions thanks to advancements in farming and food production, and improvements in political and social organization.

2. Philosophical questions don’t have ready and clear-cut answers. Often as well, in philosophy, the question is more important than the answer.

3. All three branches, but especially Metaphysics (e.g. the existence and nature of God) and Value Theory (e.g. how valid is morality if it is based on the principles of one particular religion)

Lesson 2: The Mind’s First Steps

1. Invalid


2. Valid 3. Strong 4. Weak

Lesson 3: Our Minds at Work

Answers vary.

Glossary

1. Aesthetics – A branch of knowledge that deals with the principles of beauty and artistic

taste 2. Allegory – A story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden

meaning, typically of moral or political nature 3. Deductive Argument – An argument characterized by or based on the inference of

particular instances from a general law 4. Epistemology – A branch of philosophy that deals with the study of knowledge 5. Ethics – A branch of knowledge that deals with moral principles 6. Inductive Argument – An argument characterized by or based on the inference of

general laws from particular instances 7. Logic – Reasoning conducted under strict rules of correctness and validity 8. Metaphysics – A branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of reality 9. Value Theory – A branch of philosophy that deals with how and why people value

things and ideas


U N I T # 1 : H u m an i t y an d W o n d e r

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