BSMT 2, SEM 2
LOGIC
P-LEC1: INTRODUCTION TO LOGIC
Transcriber: Langit, John Bern R. | Professor: Prof. Peter B. Duran
Date Transcribed: January 21, 2023
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1.0 PHILOSOPHY AND ITS NATURE

Philosophy:
o is traditionally defined in two fashions.
 Etymologically, philosophy comes from
the two Greek words philos means "love"
and Sophia, "wisdom." So literally,
philosophy is the "love of wisdom."
 Classically, on the other hand, philosophy
deals on investigating the real essence and
the ultimate causes of things. It searches
on all things and probes the depth into the
nature of reality.
o
PHILOSOPHY AS A CHALLENGING TASK . . .

Both the etymological and classical definitions show
that philosophy is an investigation through constant
inquiry, curiosity, and wonder.

It is not only concerned with questions,
but it also verifies the answers to questions
raised. With these reasons, philosophers
are indeed "lovers of wisdom."
WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE

Nevertheless, wisdom which all philosophers are concerned
with is not a mere and simple knowledge. Hence, for
knowledge, it only answers the questions of "what's" but does
not clarify the questions of "why's."
o A human is an intelligent being who is
knowledgeable, who knows what he/she is doing, so
human may know many things but may not
necessarily be wise.
o For a human being who is characterized by wisdom
probes instead more on the answers of "why"
questions rather than the "what" questions.
o Furthermore, the quest to answer why brings two
great significant inquiries of the mind:

the reason for doing it

and the purpose for doing it.
o A wise human being therefore tries to understand
his/ her thoughts and actions. To this, Socrates
remarked that "the unexamined life is not worth
living."

Philosophy, therefore, is a wise human activity, an activity of
inquiry.
o Because of this, philosophy differs from other
disciplines like biology, medicine or theology for it
seeks to uncover the ultimate causes of things while
the other disciplines are only concerned with
knowing the immediate and proximate meaning of
things.

Although these bodies of knowledge also
deal with real beings, they do not carry on
their search on knowledge beyond their
immediate or proximate reasons.

Their goals are merely to describe
contingent reality in terms of its empirical
features.
Since philosophy has primarily to search for the ultimate
purpose of things, philosophizing is a challenging task.
o It requires that if one reason is out, it has to be
critical, consistent and careful about conventional
beliefs and assumptions which are unreasonably
accepted and are reluctantly contested by their
veracity.
o A philosopher confronts everything -- common
beliefs, traditional statements, unverified theories,
and hypotheses.
o Philosophy likewise verifies its own theories and
conclusions.
o It emphasizes on subsequent inquiries and analyses
rather than on the formation of mere personal beliefs
or personal philosophy.
o The intellectual demand by philosophy is rigid.

It is a preference between becoming wise
or just be one of the intellectuals.
Although philosophy discipline is rigid as it requires
continuous use of reason, this, however, postulates
independent thinking, that is to say, the freedom of being
able to make judgments and decisions for oneself through
the aid of sound and correct reason.
o It also molds one to become intellectually sufficient,
without having to rely with someone else to
influence one to have the right decision.
o Life is lived critically and responsively only by one
with an independent mind.
PHILOSOPHY IS AN INTERACTIVE DISCIPLINE . . .

PHILOSOPHY AS A WISE HUMAN ACTIVITY . . .

Philosophy, on the other hand, is not only contented
to know or describe, but also to find the ultimate
explanation or cause of the actual existence of
reality.

For instance, philosophers are not just
satisfied at knowing who they thought
they are, but ultimately to know why they
are philosophers.
Philosophy is an interactive discipline to various sciences into
a coherent whole.
o Hence, it is incorrect to say that philosophy alone is
useless.
o It may not provide all the ultimate answers to make
life more meaningful, but it can help in the
understanding and in the appreciation of life.
2.0 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY
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
The definition just examined regarding philosophy exposes
what, how, and where it begins.
o Humanity has lived for thousands of years driven by
a desire to understand their experiences, thoughts,
actions, environment and the other human beings.
"All humans by nature desire to know" (Aristotle).
BSMT 2, SEMESTER 2
COURSE: LOGIC
1ST PRELIMINARY TERM
FIRST PHILOSOPHERS

GREEK TRIUMVIRATE

The chronicle of philosophy is believed to have started in the
late sixth century B.C. in Greece, particularly in the region
of Ionia.
o This period is known as the Cosmo centric or PreSocratic age when philosophers were pre-occupied
with rational solutions to certain fundamental
problems of mankind, asking questions about the
nature of the cosmos (universe).

They were concerned with specific
problem: What is the basic stuff of
cosmos?
o
The three men who attempted to answer this
question were:

Thales (c.624-528 B.C.)

Anaximander (c.610-545 B.C.), and

Anaximenes (fl. 585-328 B.C.)
They are regarded as the first philosophers.
o
o
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


Thales of Melitus had left no writings and all that is only
accessible accounts about him were fragmentary which made
a later writers who were amused of Thales' extraordinary
knowledge such as predicting the eclipse of the sun on May
28, 585 BC (Fieser & Stumpf, 2008).
o Thales became famous during that time due to his
practical and general wisdom that introduced
fundamental thoughts of principles about the cosmos
which made him earned the title as "First
Philosopher."
His principal contribution to philosophy was his inquiry on the
fundamental nature of reality by postulating a single
substance, a universal stuff that holds the universe, water.
o It is water which is the basic principle comprising
the cosmos.
On the other hand, the ultimate cosmic matter, according to
Anaximander consists of Apeiron, the Boundless or the
Infinite from which all this come.
o It is neither water or other elements but the
undetermined, indestructible and ever-changing
primary substance of being (entire universal
existence).

First was Socrates, the great teacher of Plato who taught that
the good means a virtuous life due to our knowledge of the
good.
This determines of true happiness which involves good
actions, an action that in conformity with one's real purpose in
life:
o Thus, he said that "an unexamined life is not worth
living."

On the other hand, Plato the most distinguishes student of
Socrates, philosophized that truth as the ultimate, ideal reality
can be grasped by human intellect.
o It is the idea which consists of the ultimate reality.

The idea signifies the object's permanent
essence, a prototype to which every
particular object is a copy of the realms of
ideas.
o This is elucidated in his Allegory of the Cave.
ARISTOTLE


Meanwhile, Aristotle is accorded the title of The
Philosopher. He was the most gifted of Plato's students.
He taught that truth is the agreement of knowledge with
reality. On the good, he emphasized that a life lived in
moderation is what makes life good.
SUBSEQUENTLY . . .
AMAXIMENES

Answers to these questions were also profoundly introduced
by the Greek Triumvirate:
o Socrates (470-399 BC)
o Plato (427-347 BC) and
o Aristotle (384-322 BC)
PLATO
ANAXIMANDER

What are the differences, if any, between matter and
organic life?
Is there a soul or a God?
How can things change and yet remain the same
things?
What is the highest good for man to pursue?
SOCRATES
THALES

Explicitly, it can be traced back in the history of philosophy
that there are countless questions which struck the probing
minds of the philosophers. Question like:
o

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LANGIT 2023
Meanwhile, the third among the Milesian philosophers was
Anaximenes, a young associate of Anaximander.
For him, the fundamental cause of the universe is the air, the
basic component of the cosmos which he proved and
supported the principle of condensation.

Subsequently thereafter, for the love of wisdom, philosophy
has found its place in the minds of the different philosophers.
PHILOSOPHICAL SCIENCES: FIELDS OF STUDY
These Melisian philosophers indeed proceeded with scientific inquiry
through reduction and raised the questions about the ultimate reasons
of things and directly investigate into what nature really consists of
(Fieser & Stumpf, 2008).

Some fields of study which are regarded as philosophical
sciences are:
o
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Cosmology: the study on the nature of inanimate
being (universe)
Ethics: study of the nature and morality of human
acts
BSMT 2, SEMESTER 2
COURSE: LOGIC
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1ST PRELIMINARY TERM
Social/Political Philosophy: the study of man, his
place in society, and existing relationship in various
social institutions
Theodicy: the study of the essence and existence of
God based mainly on reason
Aesthetics: the study of beauty, its nature and
appreciation
Rational/ Philosophical Psychology: the study of
the life principle, particularly that of the
psychological aspect of man
Metaphysics: the study of being and its essence as
being
Epistemology: the study on the certainty of human
knowledge
Philosophy of Man: study on the nature and
essence of human being and relationship his/her own
self, and with other human beings
Logic: the study of the nature of correct reasoning
4)
Logic: It is the study of sound reasoning sound. It deals with
the study of the methods and principles which are used to
distinguish from incorrect reasoning.
1)
Logic is commonly defined also as the science and art of
correct reasoning.
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3)
It is a science because it furnishes man with
systematized body of knowledge guided by the
principles and rules of correct thinking.
Logic is also an art because it involves the
construction of valid and true arguments with the
least possible error (only if perfection is achievable).
Correct when the reasoning conforms to the truth of
reality, while incorrect if it is otherwise.
Finally, thinking is the workshop of an intellectual
mind.

It is a mental operation different from all
other mental activities like recalling,
memorizing, day dreaming, imaging
among others.

Thinking on the other hand is not a mere
mental activity but an operation leading
into the attainment of truth or answer.
Logic is not an end for itself.
o
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Nieto. Comprehensive Workbook in Logic.
NOTES
Logic also postulates correctness which means that as a
tool, it bridges the gap between truth and absurdity of
reality.
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It develops in particular, the habit of critical
thinking.
It therefore, makes students who are intellectually
independent and critical in not constantly relying on
anyone one for the "right answer."
REFERENCES
Although logic is a branch of philosophy, it is not
exclusively for philosophy. It has a universal function
which can be realized in all forms of human discourses.
2)
Logic helps students to make valid arguments. \
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3.0 THE NATURE OF LOGIC

LANGIT 2023
It is an indispensable tool for one who would aim at
developing intellectual skills.
With that, logic is not possible in a space without
any subject matter.

It is only through contact with areas of
other disciplines either natural or human
science, or any form of human activity
that logic becomes significant.
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BSMT 2, SEMESTER 2
COURSE: LOGIC
1ST PRELIMINARY TERM
RECALL QUESTIONS
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LANGIT 2023