STAS

• The term 'philosophy' has been derived from two Greek words, 'Philos' means love and 'Sophia' means wisdom
• Philosophy


  Love for knowledge or passion for learning
• Philosophy


  • It is a broad field of knowledge in which the definition of knowledge itself is one of the subjects investigated
  • It spans the nature of the universe, the mind, and the body; the relationships between all three, and between people
  • It is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with reality, existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language
• Branches of Philosophy


  • Epistemology
  • Metaphysics
  • Logic
  • Ethics
  • Aesthetics
  • Education
  • History
  • Language
  • Law
  • Mathematics
  • Mind
  • Politics
  • Religion
  • Science
• Causality (modern concept)


  A thing or an event causes another thing or event. The first thing or event is called a cause; the second is called an effect.
• Causality (ancient philosophy)


  The modern understanding of cause is what the ancients would know as the efficient cause, the causa efficiens. In Aristotle's classical scheme of causes this would be one of totally four causes, viz. the formal cause, the material cause, the efficient cause, and the final cause.
• Calculative Thinking


  The more technical kind of human thought, in which people gather information and put it together in order to put it to some specific use. It is the more active aspect of human thought, concerned more with the doing of a thing than of considering the possible consequences.
• Meditative Thinking


  Involves something much deeper than practical calculation, and it takes much more effort. It tells us why we should do or should not do a thing, beyond the simple calculative process of actually doing it. Meditation is not limited to expanding on calculation, and it does not necessarily have to have an end product, as does calculation.
• More often than not, development is equated with growth and greater consumption. The more that a population is able to consume, the wealthier it is. Likewise, the more that a person is able to buy stuff, the higher their standard of living is considered to be.
• Meditative thinking tells us why we should do or should not do a thing, beyond the simple calculative process of actually doing it
• Meditation is not limited to expanding on calculation, and it does not necessarily have to have an end product, as does calculation
• More often than not, development is equated with growth and greater consumption
• The more that a population is able to consume, the wealthier it is
• Likewise, the more that a person is able to buy stuff, the higher he/she is on the development scale
• The planet, however, is already overburdened with human activities. It is about time that we rethink our standards of development if we truly want to live a good life
• Jason Hickel, an anthropologist at the London School of Economics, challenges us to rethink and reflect on a different paradigm of "de-development"
• The progress of human civilizations throughout history mirrors the development of science and technology. The human person, as both the bearer and beneficiary of science and technology, flourishes and finds meaning in the world that he/she builds
• In the person's pursuit of the good life, he may unconsciously acquire, consume, or destroy what the world has to offer
• Science and technology must be taken as part of human life that merits reflective and meditative thinking – Martin Heidegger, German philosopher
• To able to appreciate the fruits of science and technology, they must be examined not only for their function and instrumentality but also for their greater impact on humanity as a whole. The various gadgets, machines, appliances, and vehicles are all tools that make human lives easier because they serve as a means to end
• Human flourishing


  An endeavor to achieve self-actualization and fulfillment within the context of a larger community of individuals
• Human flourishing


  Requires the development of attributes and social and personal levels that exhibit character strengths and virtues that are commonly agreed across different cultures
• Eudaimonia


  Happiness according to the Greeks
• There is an end of all the actions that we perform which we desire for it. Flourishing is the greatest good of human endeavors and that toward which all actions aim
• The good is what is good for purposeful and goal-directed entities
• Aristotle's popular conceptions of the best life for human beings

  • A philosophical life
  • Life of pleasure
  • Life of political activity
• Eudaimonia


  A property of one's life when considered as a whole. It is formally egoistic in that a person's normative reason for choosing particular actions stems from the idea that he must pursue his own good or flourishing. It also implies a divine state of being that humanity is able to strive toward and possibly reach
• Happiness


  Doing well and living well. A pleasant state of mind
• 8 Factors of Happiness

  • Lack of Suspicion and Resentment
  • Not living in the past
  • Not wasting time and energy fighting things you cannot change
  • Stay involved with the living world
  • Refuse to indulge in self-pity
  • Cultivate old fashioned virtues
  • Don't expect too much from yourself
  • Find something bigger than yourself to believe in
• Epicurus' view on Eudaimonia

  A life of pleasure maintains that life of pleasure coincides with the life of virtue. Virtue is only instrumentally related to happiness
• Epicurus' view on Happiness

  Tranquillity and rationality are the cornerstones of happiness
• Socrates believed that virtues such as self-control, justice, courage, wisdom, piety and related qualities of mind and soul are absolutely crucial if a person is to lead a good and happy life
• The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less
• Socrates' 6 Virtues


  • Wisdom
  • Courage
  • Humanity
  • Transcendence
  • Justice
  • Moderation
• Plato believed that Eudaimonia depends on virtue (arête) which is depicted as the most crucial and the dominant constituent of eudaimonia
• Pyrrho's Pyrrhonism


  A school of philosophical skepticism that places the attainment of ataraxia (a state of equanimity) as a way to achieve Eudaimonia
• Virtue


  The moral excellence of a person. Morally excellent people have a character made-up of virtues valued as good
• Aristotle's 12 Virtues


  • Courage
  • Temperance
  • Liberality
  • Magnificence
  • Magnanimity
  • Ambition
  • Patience
  • Friendliness
  • Truthfulness
  • Wit
  • Modesty
  • Justice
• An immoral person knows the difference between right and wrong and chooses to do what is wrong
• A moral person knows the difference between right and wrong and chooses to do what is right