PHILO FINALS

• What is studied in a philosophy course

  • Reasoning skills
  • Theories about the nature of reality, morality, society, and justice
  • Religious beliefs
  • Knowledge
• Philosophy of life


  A person's beliefs, principles, and the like that have enabled them to overcome life's difficulties or challenges, given them a sense of purpose, or helped them achieve success
• Pilosopo


  The literal Filipino translation of the term "philosopher"
• Circumstances in which a person is labeled as a "pilosopo"

  • Defensive strategy: Engaging in reasoning to evade or cover up an obvious truth
  • To irritate or annoy: Engaging in reasoning with the intention to irritate or annoy
  • Not wanting to engage in an argument: Calling someone a "pilosopo" to get them to stop reasoning
• Philosophy


  Love of wisdom
• Philosopher


  A lover of wisdom, or one who loves wisdom
• Pythagoras preferred to be called a "philosopher" rather than a "sophist"
• Socrates and Plato are noted for their early usage of the term "philosopher" to mean "lover of wisdom"
• Sophists


  A group of intellectuals who taught oratory (the art of public speaking) for a fee to individuals aspiring to have a successful career in politics
• Sophists' belief


  All truths are relative, determined by or based on human interests, and there is no truth that holds for all humans
• Pythagoras, Socrates, and Plato called themselves "philosophers" partly because they did not agree with the Sophists' view of truth
• Ignorance


  The root of all evil
• Wisdom


  Includes knowledge of the truth but is something more
• Traits of a wise person

  • Aware of what they know and don't know
  • Holds beliefs that are not only true but can be justified
  • Knows a lot about things that are valuable in life
  • Can put their knowledge to practical use
  • Knows what is good or what ought to be done and acts accordingly
• Wisdom consists of: Knowing what one knows and doesn't know, having justified true beliefs, knowing valuable things, ability to put knowledge into practice, and knowing what should be done and acting accordingly
• Philosophy


  The umbrella discipline that the other disciplines used to be under, and the "queen of the sciences" from which the natural and social sciences originated
• Isaac Newton called his scientific research "natural philosophy"
• Natural philosophers


  What we used to call scientists
• Framework questions


  The kind of questions that philosophy asks about the many things it examines, also called "foundational questions"
• Internal questions


  Questions asked as we use or apply a framework to explain events, can be answered using the rules and concepts of the framework
• External questions


  Questions asked about a framework itself, cannot be answered using the rules and concepts of the framework
• Philosophy is not a body of doctrine but an activity, as Wittgenstein described
• Philosophical theories are formulated in light of the current state of knowledge and technology and in the background of realities and issues in a given historical period
• Engaging in philosophical activity enables us to evaluate whether previously formulated philosophical theories are still applicable today and whether they should be revised or replaced with new and better ones
• Philosophy


  • Dynamic: Does not stop at certain results, continues to search for new and better solutions

  Critical: Examines and analyzes the assumptions of our frameworks or perspectives

  Creative: Leads to the formulation of new and better frameworks or perspectives
• 3 philosophical thoughts in 3 views

  • Cosmocentric: Centered on the universe

  Theocentric: Centered on God

  Anthropocentric: Centered on humans
• 3 attributes of God

  • Omnibenevolent: All-good

  Omnipotent: All-powerful

  Omniscient: All-knowing
• Freedom/Free will


  A gift
• 5 general types of philosophy

  • Thematic types: Classified by topic of issues addressed

  Positional types: Classified by solution proposed for an issue

  Methodological types: Classified by method used to resolve an issue

  Disciplinal types: Examines foundations of various disciplines

  Perspectival types: Classified by perspective or worldview
• Types of philosophy under this classification

  • Branches of philosophy
  • Disciplinal philosophies
• Branches of philosophy


  Classified according to the major topics of philosophical investigations
• Disciplinal philosophies


  Examines the foundations of the various disciplines or areas of study
• Types of philosophy under this classification

  • Positional types
  • Methodological types
  • Regional (or Geographical) types
  • Historical types
• Positional types


  Distinguished form one another according to the solution that is being proposed for a certain issue
• Methodological types


  Distinguished from one another according to method used to resolve a certain issue
• Regional (or Geographical) types


  Distinguished from one another according to the geographical location in which philosophizing transpires or flourishes
• Historical types


  Distinguished from one another according to the historical period in which philosophizing occurred
• Bases for classifying philosophies


  • The kind of questions or issues being addressed
  • The kind of answer or solution being advanced
  • The kind of method being used
  • The geographical location or region
  • The time frame
• The Charge of Futility


  The view that philosophy is a useless or futile activity
• Some Major achievements


  Identifying some of the major achievements of philosophy