UNIT # 1: Humanity and Wonder
Table of Contents
Introduction 3
Lesson # 1: The B
irth 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
Check Your Understanding 13
Philosophy Applied 13
Who’s That Philosopher? 14
Lesson # 3: Our Minds at Work
Starting Out 15
Learn about It! 15
Check Your Understanding 16
Philosophy Applied 17
Who’s That Philosopher? 18
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
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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
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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.
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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 A ncient Greece, at around 6 00 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?
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● 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
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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 h ow well you can think.
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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?
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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.
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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?
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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,
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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 a lways 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
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truth. With this in mind, knowing how to argue correctly—whether deductively or
inductively—can only help in your journey for the truth.
Check Your Understanding
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.
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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.
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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.
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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?
Check Your Understanding
Provide more examples of past truths which later turned out to be false.
1. Past Truth: _______________________________________________
How was it proven to be false?
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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?
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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.
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Criteria Beginning Developing Accomplished Score
(0-12 points) (13-16 points) (17-20 points)
Content The ideas are The presentation The presentation
unoriginal, unclear, expressed good and expressed a lot of
and do not on-point ideas, but ideas, and
contribute to the with only a few effectively
topic. points that incorporates the
incorporate the philosophies, and
philosophies. tells multiple
thoughts and
concepts that are
stimulating.
Organization The flow of the The flow of the The flow of the
presentation presentation is presentation can be
cannot be organized, although understood well and
understood and there are some is very organized.
needs points that needed There is clear and
improvement. The clarification. smooth transition
ideas are jumping from one point to
from one to another. It is
another. sufficiently
comfortable to be
understood.
Conventions The writer did not The writer followed The writer complied
follow the some of the with all the
instructions, and instructions but also instructions
the task was not did not adhere to provided, and the
well-executed. the others, but the task was
task was still well-executed.
well-executed.
Total Score:
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Philosophy & I: Check and Reflect
Mark the appropriate boxes that define your understanding of the lessons.
I think I need more I have a minimal I am confident that I
Skills understanding of it. can do this with ease.
time and assistance.
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.
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● 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. T he 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. P
hilosophy 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
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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
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