Ethics Reviewer
Philosophy – Greek word philosophia, philo means “to love” and Sophia means
“wisdom”. Guiding principle. Means reason, rationale, or basis of something.
❖ Philosophy therefore is an integrative activity of inquiry and an exploration
for the meaning of life.
❖ It serves as values not only as ideals to guide the individual’s life, but also
as ends to direct the actions of all mankind.
❖ It is a deeper way of thinking or understanding the things that happen all
around us or the things that we do.
❖ Philosophy is the science of things (or beings in a more technical sense) in
their ultimate principles and causes as known by natural reason alone.
To do philosophy is to reason about the ultimate questions of life – questions
such as these:
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Is there a God?
Are our actions free or determined?
Are humans completely explainable in material terms?
How and what can we know?
What is the nature and methodology in moral judgments?
What principles ought we to live by?
Branches of Philosophy
❖ Metaphysics or Ontology – the philosophical study for what reality is in the
final analysis and the principles of being or the reality of things in general.
❖ Epistemology – the philosophical quest on the principles of human
knowledge, its extent, and limitations.
❖ Theodicy or Special Metaphysics – the philosophical inquiry on the
essence and existence of God, his nature and relations to man based
mainly on reason.
❖ Rational/Philosophical Psychology – the philosophical inquiry on living
beings and the ultimate principles of life.
❖ Cosmology or Philosophy of Nature – the philosophical quest for a
profound understanding of the material universe.
❖ Social and Political Philosophy – the philosophical exploration on
knowledge of the human person on the ultimate foundation of the state,
its ideal form, and man’s place in society.
❖ Aesthetics or Philosophy of Art – the philosophical exploration for a
profound apprehension of knowledge of beauty, its nature and
appreciation. The philosophical study of art and of value judgments
about art, and of beauty in general.
❖ Philosophy of the Human Person – the philosophical study of man/human
person; an attempt to understand himself/herself and the world he/she
lives in, his/her relations with others and with God.
❖ Logic – the philosophical exploration on science and art of correct critical
thinking.
❖ Ethics or Moral Philosophy – the philosophical study of moral valuation or
the philosophical analysis of the morality of human acts and the ultimate
foundation of what is good and evil.
Ethics as Branch of Philosophy
Greek word, “ethos.” Latin word, “mores.” Branch of Philosophy. Ethics is a
branch of Philosophy that deals with the fundamental questions concerning a
good life.
❖ As a branch of Philosophy, in inquiries into the nature of a good life
❖ It is a study of what are good and bad ends to pursue in life and what is
right and wrong to do in the conduct of life.
Ethics is the subject that attempts to provide directions for conduct.
❖ It determines how one ought to live and what actions one ought to do in
the conduct of life.