NESTOR D. MORES, JR.
Teacher I; In-charge, SHS Library
Read & analyze the ff. convo bet. a high sch.
teacher & her student in class:
Teacher: Juan, what would you like to be when
you grow up?
Juan: Sir, I want to be happy!
Teacher: Juan, you did not understand my
question.
Juan: Sir, you do not understand what life is all
about!
Let’s Ponder
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. Based 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?
At the end of the lesson, I will be able to:
1. Discuss philosophy & its importance as a discipline & 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 reflection as an important aspect of
philosophy;
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 my thoughts regarding the importance of
philosophy in my life.
Have you, like Juan…
1. Come to a realization of what you want in
life?
2. Have you ever found yourself wondering
about the things you experienced or where
your life is headed?
3. Have you ever encountered a situation where
you had to think about the “deeper”
questions in life?
Humans are rationale, by nature. Thus we
wonder about everything all through out our
lives.
Childhood
- Questions to try and
make sense of our
world and experiences
- For others, these may
sound as SILLY
because of their
simplicity & may be
easily ignored
- Yet, these indicate a
healthy curiosity & a
sense of wonder w/c is
an impt. feature of
childhood innocence
Samples of “SIMPLE/SILLY” Questions
- “What is this?”
- “What does this do?”
- “Why are trees tall? ”
- “Why is the sky so far
away?”
Humans are rationale, by nature. Thus we
wonder about everything all through out our
lives.
As we grow older
- Influenced by our
experiences &
circumstances
- SERIOUS questions
- About various
concerns
- Used in planning &
deciding on certain
tasks
- These are often
hear in everyday
conversations
Samples of “SERIOUS” Questions
For students
- “Why do I
have to
study?”
- “What do I
need to do to
get better
grades? ”
- “Why can’t I
have more
friends?”
For Parents
- “How can I do
budgeting?”
- “What should
I do to earn
more? ”
- “Did I make
the right
purchase?”
Humans are rationale, by nature. Thus we
wonder about everything all through out our
lives.
As we grow older
- Makes us pause &
think
- DEEP ones which
can often be
heard from
serious
conversations and
in all the forms of
media we
encounter
Samples of “DEEP” Questions
- “What is love?”
- “Where can I find
true happiness?”
- “Is forever real? ”
- “Does the end
justify the means?”
News Flash!
- What “simple/silly”, “serious”, & “deep”
questions come to mind when you read the ff.
headlines?
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
The Need to Philosophize
Sense of Wonder
 Since we have the tendency to wonder and
doubt, each one of us is a philosopher –
Plato
 Questions with no answers:
 Where did we come from?
 Why do we exist?
 For what purpose where we created?
 Drives us to question, examine, and learn
more
The Need to Philosophize
Doubt
 Descartes – famous for
rejecting/questioning established ideas
 In the sciences, became the basis of:
 Critical thinking
 Analysis
 Required to know if indeed life ideas or
views we encounter are correct or not
The Need to Philosophize
Experience
 Man is often confronted by experiences w/c
challenges his ideas – Karl Jaspers
 Limit situations – experiences with feelings
of helplessness, dread, etc.
 Understand adversities, and to rise above
them and gain new knowledge and
perspectives in life
The Need to Philosophize
Love for Wisdom
To have an insatiable desire for truth
“I know that I do not know” - Socrates
With this type of ignorance, one can
begin to learn and understand
Learning has no end
“The examined life is not worth living”
Characteristics of the study of
Philosophy
I.
A way of examining frameworks
 Framework – our way of thinking about the
world which includes our views and beliefs
 Internal Questions – deals with our
correctness and values and can be
addressed using our own personal
frameworks
 External Questions – questions the very
frameworks which people base their
own beliefs and views
Characteristics of the study of
Philosophy
I.
A way of examining frameworks
on Internal Questions (Example)
1
•A person encounters a problem or
question in life
2
•He/she goes back to his/her own
framework (views and beliefs)
3
•The person makes sense of his/her
problem
Characteristics of the study of
Philosophy
I.
A way of examining frameworks
on External Questions (Example)
1
• A child had a new yet bitter experience
2
• The child becomes confuse as his/her bitter experience doesn’t conform
to his/her personal framework
3
• He/she begins to question the very framework or concept he/she has built
based on previous experiences
4
• The child seeks to clarify, examine, and evaluate the basis of frameworks
which he/she uses to deal with the world
5
• He/she gives meaning to his/her experience.
Characteristics of the study of
Philosophy
II. An examination of a particular area
of knowledge
 Since the central principle of philosophy is
examination & questioning, this is often
applied in the analysis of the frameworks of
other areas or sciences especially in their
basic purposes & evaluating the changes
they are experiencing. Every aspect of
knowledge can benefit from the inquiring
nature of philosophy.
Characteristics of the study of
Philosophy
II. An examination of a particular area
of knowledge (Examples)
1. Philosophy
of Science
• Understands the fundamental
principles that guide scientific thought
2. Philosophy
of Religion
• Examines the basic tenets of any faith
3. Philosophy
of Education
• Analyses the basic principles of
education
Characteristics of the study of
Philosophy
III. A unique area of knowledge with its
own goals, concerns, & ways of
doing things
 Philosophy is often divided into several
branches each of which deals with a
particular aspect of life or phenomena
Philosophy as a Distinct Area of Knowledge Chart.pdf