Significance of Philosophy in Modern Times

“Wonder is the feeling of a philosopher, and philosophy begins in wonder.” – Socrates

At its core, philosophy is characterized by having a sense of wonder embedded in the way a person utilizes his insight –the ability to see intelligibly with the mind.  With sense of wonder, one is going to develop critical and reflective thinking.

Critical and reflective thinking becomes more and more difficult to do these days.  We live in a fast-paced society.  We run after every tick of the clock to beat deadlines and achieve things or goals on our set dates.  “Time is gold,” as the saying goes.  The speed by which we pace and live our lives today is very unwelcoming to any form of reflection (Sioco & Vinzons, 2016).  We are much preoccupied with individual achievements.  We forget to ask basic existential questions such as “Who am I?” or “What is the meaning of life?”

Moreover, our society is often labeled as “information” and “technological.”  With modern gadgets like cell phones, tablets connected in the World Wide Web, the volume of available information and entertainment on the internet and mass media consume most of our waking life.  Eventually, we become a passive recipient of information.  We don’t process such information because of “information overload” –the information we get from the net is too much for us to think critically and reflectively. 

The modern information-technological world deadens our sense of wonder.  Without any sense of wonder, we lose any sense of what is exactly life meant to be.

Insight: A Way of Philosophizing

As mentioned above, it is rather helpful to do philosophy rather than define it.  Doing philosophy is a good introduction to the course, Introduction to the Philosophy of Human Person.  To do so is not giving injustice to those great philosophers who were able to produce great systems of thought --now known (or, misconstrued) as Philosophy.  Also, the students deserve to know these systems of thought.  However, at the beginning of the course, it is better to let students be familiar with the business of doing philosophy.  In doing so, it's like "teaching them how to fish and not giving them fish."  This is, I think, the main objective of this course: for students to learn how to do philosophy and not give them all the systems of thought in the history of philosophy.  To give students all about philosophy is impractical because it's impossible for them to digest them all in one semester.  What is practical is for students to learn how to do philosophy.  

Ferriols (2001) suggests that playing with one's in-sight is a way of doing philosophy.  Take note: it's not the only way but one of the ways of doing philosophy.  At this stage, it is safe to associate insight with thinking.  As rational beings, we all have the capacity to think.  The crucial element of thinking is insight, which is a kind of see-ing with the mind (Ferriols, 2001).  The act of seeing with the mind is entirely different from seeing using the eyesight.  These acts of the eyesight and of the mind are cumulative, though.  As Aristotle would claim, nothing enters the mind without passing through the senses.  Aside from the eyesight, other senses like hearing, touching, smelling, and tasting provide the sensible to the act of understanding.  From the sensible, conceptualization (or the act of understanding) is able to "see something" intelligibly using a "concept" or an "idea" the external reality as represented by the sensible (Potter, 1994).  This is the stage of the whole process of knowing, which we call "in-sight."  The role of "concept or idea" is very important in playing with insight because this concept mirrors the external reality.  In other words, it is only with this "concept or idea" that a knower is able to understand (or see intelligibly) the external reality.  In deeper analysis, insight is not simply seeing with the mind but seeing intelligibly with the mind.  The act of seeing intelligibly with the mind is the challenging part in playing with one's insight.  However, there are two ways to counter this challenge: conceptual analysis and metaphor.  Conceptual analysis is an analysis by abstraction.  It helps clarify the "concept."  As mentioned above, the concept "mirrors" the external reality as represented by the sensible.  Analysis by abstraction sharpens the focus of the concept to have an "exact mirroring" of the external reality.   Metaphor, on the other hand, is made by comparing two things.  For example, Homer made a metaphor of this insight: “As the generation of leaves, so the generation of men” (Ferriols, 2001).  One portion of reality (leaves) casts light on another (men).  By contemplating the fall and return of leaves, we also understand the rhythm of the generation of men.

In summary, insight is a kind of seeing "intelligibly" with the mind.  You alone can do it.  Nobody can do it for you; I can help you see the insight though.  Some insights are so deep that they cannot be exhausted.  It takes another insight to understand another insight, like the metaphor of Homer.  Insight brings us to the very heart of reality –the reality is deep and unfathomable.

Class Activities: Philosophy can best be exercised when one is playing with insight.  Insightful activities can happen in many different ways.  Let the students engage in these activities to elicit insights from them, as follows:

1. Picture Analysis [click]
2. Song Analysis [click]
3. Analysis of philosophical insight [click]

REFERENCES

BOOKS and E-BOOKS:

1. Abella, Roberto D. (2016).  Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person.  Quezon City: C&E Publishing, Inc.
2. Calasanz, Eduardo Jose E. (2001) My Body.  Philosophy of Man: Selected Readings ed. by Manuel Dy Jr.  Makati City: Goodwill Trading Co., Inc. 
3. Caraan, Aleli M.  (2016).  Introduction to Philosophy of the Human Person.  Makati, Philippines: Diwa Learning Systems Inc.
4. Clarke, Norris (2002).  The Central Problem of Metaphysics.  ed.by Nemesio Que.  Manila: Ateneo de Manila University Press.
5. Camus, Albert (1955).  The Myth of Sisyphus and other Essays.  trans. by Justin O’Brien.  Paris 
6. Copi, Irving and Cohen, Carl. (2005)  Introduction to Logic.  12^th ed.  Pearson Education, INC.
7. Corpuz, Brenda B; Corpuz, Ruben A; Corpuz-Paclibar; Maria Lovelyn; & Paclibar, Socrates O. (2016) Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person.  Quezon City: Lorimar Publishing Inc.
8. Descartes, Rene (2002).  Meditations of First Philosophy.  http://www.blackmask.com
9. Dy, Manuel B. Jr. (2001).  Philosophy of Man: Selected Readings.  2nd ed.  Makati, Philippines: Goodwill Trading Trading Co., Inc.
10. Husserl, Edmund (1980).  Cartesian Meditations: An Introduction to Phenomenology. 7th ed.  The Hague: MARTINUS NIJHOFF PUBLISHERS.
11. Kierkegaard, Soren (1987).  Either/or. ed & trans by Howard Hong & Edna Hong.  New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
12. Mabaquiao, Napoleon B. Jr. (2016).  Making Life Worth Living: An Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person.  Quezon City: Phoenix Publishing House, Inc.
13. Pavo, Raymundo R. (2012).  Philosophy of Man: On Being Human.  2nd ed. Manila: Educational Publishing House.
14. Potter, Vincent (1994).  On Understanding Understanding.  New York: Fordham University Press.
15. Ramos, Christine Carmela R. (2016).  Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person.  Manila, Philippines: Rex Book Store.
16. DK Publishing.  (2011).  The Philosophy Books.  New York: Dorling Kindersley Limited.
17. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO, 2016). Bioethics Core Curriculum, Sector for Social and Human Sciences. Paris, France

ARTICLES:

1. Kerns, Loren (2013).  Platonic and Stoic Passions in Philo of Alexandria.  George Fox Evangelical Seminary. 

WEBSITES:

1.  Alcaras, Vincent (2016).  Lessons from the Great Moth.  Retrieved on April 20, 2020 at https://vincentalcarasauthor.com/2016/10/06/great-emperor-moth/
2. Lorenz, Hendrick (2009).  Ancient Theories of Soul.  Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.  Retrieved on May 6, 2020 at https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ancient-soul/ 
3. Jumawan, Roel (2017).  Socrates' Philosophical Mission.  Retrieved on April 2, 2020, at http://roeljumawan.blogspot.com/2017/03/socrates-philosophical-mission.html 
4. Thales of Miletus.  Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy: A Peer-Reviewed Academic Resource.  Retrieved on April 2, 2020, at https://www.iep.utm.edu/thales/#SH8f
5. Mars Exploration Program.  Retrieved on April 3, 2020 at https://mars.nasa.gov/ 

Unit II: Methods of Philosophizing

         Overview of the Lesson

        As shown in the previous chapter, insight plays an important role in any philosophical underpinning.  Insights differ from one philosopher to another, as noted in the history of philosophy.  The fact that insights vary implies that different philosophers “see” reality from different perspectives.  Because of this fact, this unit is designed to orient students the four different approaches to the study of human persons, such as cosmocentric, theocentric, anthropocentric, and existential (Dy, 2001; Pavo, 2012).  With a combination of theocentric and existential approaches, this chapter shows that phenomenology is an appropriate method in finding meaning in life lurking in one’s lived experiences.  In part 1, some basic concepts such as knowledge, opinion, and wisdom are defined so as to understand that the fundamental problem in dealing with the reality of man is methodical –how we do know that what we know about ourselves is certainly true.

Lesson Contents:

      

      A.     Basic Concepts Defined [click]

       1.  Fact, proposition, and belief

       2.  Opinion, knowledge, and wisdom

      B.     Philosophical Perspectives To Study Human Persons [click]

       1.  Cosmocentric, Theocentric, Anthropocentric, & Existential Perspectives

       2.  Phenomenological Methods: Husserlian and Marcelian [click]


Pre-test 1 [click] (Before you proceed, check your prior knowledge about Opinion, Knowledge, and Wisdom.) 

Pre-test 2 [click] (Before you proceed, check your prior knowledge about the philosophical perspectives and phenomenological methods.)



Motivational Activity 1 [click] This activity is designed to enhance students' curiosity about the inherent problem of acquiring knowledge. 

Motivational Activity 2 [click] This is intended to apply the four philosophical perspectives to a particular situation.  A single problem of human beings can be viewed from different perspectives.

      

*********************************************************************************

Chapter Quiz 1: Covers the topics about Proposition, Opinion, Knowledge, and Wisdom.  

Chapter Quiz 2: Covers the topics about Philosophical Perspectives and Phenomenological Methods. 

References: [click]

Unit I: Doing Philosophy

Overview of the Lesson:

One misconception about philosophy is that it is highly intellectual and speculative.  It is fitting only to individuals known to have a natural endowment of reason/intellect.  Students may think of philosophy as something strange and out-of-this-world since it deals with the realm where only philosophers are privileged to have perched and philosophized. 

This lesson, however, introduces philosophy as a mental activity in a form of insight, which is inseparably one with life.  So long as one has life –regardless of his color, race, and status, he is capable of philosophizing.    Playing with one’s insight is one of the ways of doing philosophy.  Thus, this lesson starts with initiating class activities such as story and picture analyses that will elicit insight from students.  It also covers the different courses in philosophy.  Towards the end, it highlights the importance of philosophical reflection in modern life.

Lesson Contents:

            1.     What is Philosophy? [click]

    1.1    Insight [click]

    1.2    Why do we philosophize? [click]

    1.3    When do we begin to philosophize? [click]

2.     Branches of Philosophy [click]

    2.1    Systematic Philosophy

    2.2    Historical Philosophy

3.     The Significance of Philosophizing in Modern Times [click]

Pre-test: [click] (Before you proceed, try to test your prior knowledge about philosophy.)

Motivational Activity 1: [click] Story-analysis.  This activity enhances students' ability to do conceptual analysis, which is one of the ways of playing insights.  The gist of the story entitled, Six Blind Men and An Elephant, is very relevant to the problem of truth, which troubled the minds of great philosophers.

Motivation Activity 2: [click] Song-analysis.  This activity enhances students' ability to analyze metaphors.  The title of the song is Who am I? by Casting Crown.  Asking the same question is a good start for the philosophical study of the human person.

Chapter Quiz 1:  Covers the first sub-topic, What is Philosophy?  There are two types: (1) objective and (2) essay --story analysis.  

Chapter Quiz 2:  Covers the second sub-topic, Branches of Philosophy.  

References:  [click]

Unpacking the Self

Unpacking the Self is Chapter II of the course, Understanding The Self.  After understanding the Self from different perspectives such as philosophical, sociological, anthropological, and psychological, we come to this point where we are going to unpack the different facets of the self.  The Self is multi-dimensional or multi-faceted --meaning, each individual self has a lot of facets or aspects in life, namely: physical, emotional, intellectual, social, political, spiritual, and moral.  This chapter, then, will try to single out each fabric of being human since it is deemed that each fabric or facet constitutes the SELF.

Lesson Contents:

1. Physical aspect [click]
2. Emotional aspect [click]
3. Intellectual aspect
4. Social aspect [click]
5. Political aspect
6. Spiritual aspect [click]
7. Moral aspect

Course Outcome 2: Students are able to live a well-rounded life.

Performance Tasks: The following tasks are designed to meet course outcome 2: to live a well-rounded life.  Task 1 [click]: Self-Assessment of One's Day-to-day Activities; Task 2 [click]: Self-Assessment of School Programs; Task 3 [click]: Self-Assessment of One's Life in the Family; and Task 4 [click]: Assessment of Economic and Government programs in the Country.

Is A Value Caught or Taught?

To post your thoughts or arguments regarding the topic, please be guided of the following guidelines: 

1.  Your comments shall only have 2 paragraphs; each paragraph shall not exceed 10 sentences;

2.  If you try to refute the point of your fellow student, please post your point/s immediately after the comment;

3.  Most importantly, refute only the point/argument raised by your fellow classmate; do not disparage the person who makes the argument.

4.  If you don't want to post your comment on this site, send it to my email.  I will be the one to cite point or argument on this site, if needed.

POINTS system:

1.  Clear points or arguments - 10 pts

2.  Your point or argument is something new, not repeated/cited in other comments - 5 pts

Thank you!  Let's have a lively sharing of ideas without necessarily hurting those who may have different ideas from us.

To recall, Francis Cual raised the point that "a value (like respect) must be caught, because necessarily a value must come from experience.  It is only when you have an experience of, say, "being respected," that you learn (caught) the value of respect.  Yet, Peter Paul Tumlad, on the other hand, quickly pointed out that "a value is taught, not caught."  Basic values in life are taught by our parents or other members of the family who, in a way, help instill these values in us.  In the end, we came to a consensus that "a value is both caught and taught."

However, after a minute of silence, another student insisted that values are taught, not caught.  At this instance, the dispute sparked anew.  I knew at that moment each of you still had point/s to share.  Because of limited time, I decided to stop the intensity of your want to share.  Now, share your thoughts here.  This platform is not time-bound.  Keep in touch.