METHODS OF

PHILOSOPHIZING
LESSON 2
GAME?
WORD SEARCH!
 OBJECTIVES
• Learners are expected to
distinguish opinion from truth

•Learners are expected to realize that the

methods of philosophy lead to wisdom and
truth

•Learners are expected to evaluate

opinions in different situations
using the methods of philosophizing
 WHAT IS TRUTH &
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
 KNOWLEDGE
•The clear awareness and understanding
of something. It is the product of
questions that allow for clear answers
provided by facts.

•Our knowledge is comprised of ideas and

beliefs that we know to be true.
 I know that...

I know why...

I know how...

One important aspect of knowledge- it is

based on reality. This simply means that what
we know is what is observable or evident in the
real world.
 FACTS
Propositions or statements
which are observed to be real
or truthful
 CLAIM
Statements that are not
evidently or immediately
known to be true

They require further

examination to establish
whether it is true or false.
HOW DO WE
KNOW IF
SOMETHING
IS TRUE?
Ancient Greek Philosophers approached the
problem of truth by looking at the nature of
knowledge and how we know what we know.

We assume that everything we know about

this world is true. But philosophers who
pondered upon the origins of knowledge
doubted everything there is to know about
themselves and the world.
EXAMPLE
I am alive.

I have a body.

I can breathe.
 Doubt has very
important purpose
in philosophy
 As it drives our desire to discover
truth. In philosophy, systematic
doubt is employed to determine
truth. This means that every
statement, claim, evidence, and is
scrutinized and analysed.

Nothing is taken as true unless there

is sufficient reason and evidence to
prove that is indeed true.
EXAMPLE
Am I alive?

Do I have a body?

Can I breathe?
 NOW EXAMINE
YOURSELF
Do you have a pulse? Can you feel your heartbeat?

Do you have arms, legs and feet?

Try to take a deep breath, then exhale. Were you ble to

do it?

If your answer is "yes" then you can conclude with

certainty that.....
 HOW CAN PHILOSOPHY
GUIDE US IN
DISTINGUISHING TRUTH
FROM OPINION?
 OPINION
Comprised of statements which not only give facts but
also provide conclusions or perspectives regarding
certain situations.

They may advance a belief about certain things or

provide explanations.

The bases for making arguments and convincing people

that a certain claim is a fact. They are often influenced by
bias.
 BELIEFS
Statements that express convictions that are not
easily and clearly explained by facts.

To judge the truthfulness of a belief, we must also

consider things such as the person's experiences
and views.
 ARGUMENTS
Series of statements that provide reasons to
convince the reader or listener that a claim or
opinion is truthful.

They often take the form of statements that are

either claims of facts and are phrased in such a way
that they seem reasonable.
 LOGIC
Is the branch of philosophy that
focuses on the analysis of
arguments.
4 Methods of
Philosophizing

•Socratic
•Dialectic
•Scientific
•Historical
 SOCRATIC
•The Socratic method, also known by the
Greek term elenchus that means "to
inquire or to cross- examine", is an
exchange of ideas using Socratic
questioning.

•It was developed by Socrates, a Greek

philosopher and teacher, who laid the
groundwork for Western systems of
philosophy and logic.
 SOCRATIC
•In this process, statements are
deconstructed or questioned to come up
with the actual truth that is believed to
rest on the roots of the argument.

•Conflicting ideas are seen as invalid

sources of the truth, and probing
questions are immediately derived from
the given statements.
 DIALECTIC
The term 'dialectic' comes from the Greek
word dialektike which means 'the art of
conversation.'

It is the act of talking back and forth,

disagreeing with one another, and arguing
about contentious issues.

In philosophy, it is a method of coming up

with a conclusion from an exchange of
contradicting logical arguments.
 DIALECTIC
The aim of dialectics, as a process of the
dialogue, is the clarification of controversial
notions and arguments with other people. In
this process, personal and shared conceptions
should be considered and corrected.

Many philosophers, such as Hegel, Aristotle,

and Socrates, had their own beliefs and
explanations about this approach; however,
the basic concept remains to be the same.
 SCIENTIFIC
•The term "science" is derived from the Latin
word scientia that means “to produce
knowledge.”

• The scientific method, also called empirical

method, is a process of determining truth or
knowledge through experimentation,
inductive and deductive reasoning, and
hypothesis or theory testing.
 SCIENTIFIC
•The scientific method could trace its
history from the Classical period with
Aristotle giving the earliest structured
theory on the scientific approach.

•The process begins with an idea about

any given topic. Hypothesis testing is
done to prove the validity of this idea.
 SCIENTIFIC
•In a philosophical view, the means of
hypothesis testing and its results are
considered the most important feature of the
method.

•The scientific method also values observation

as an important aspect because it contributes
to further understanding the results of the
hypothesis testing.
 HISTORICAL
•The term "history" is from the Greek
word iotopia which means “to investigate"
or "to find out.”

•The historical method is the process of

gathering evidences, examining them, and
formulating ideas about the past to come
up with present truths.
 HISTORICAL
In this approach, it is believed that history has a
“divine order” or a large “cyclical or progressive”
pattern that enables events to repeat themselves
and record information through historical
accounts or archaeological findings.

The process of learning the truth is simply

through looking at past records to validate the
present hypothesis.
 HISTORICAL
If viewed in a more general perspective, the historical
approach would include only a historical account to
differentiate truth from opinion.

History is seen as more important than logic and a more

valid source of the truth.

Using the historical approach is much like researching for

an answer to a particular question. Reviewing what has
been done in the past is the primary method of looking at a
solution for a problem at present.
 WHAT SHOULD
WE CONSIDER
WHEN LOOKING
AT ARGUMENTS
OR OPINIONS?
 FALLACY
An idea that a lot of people think is
true but is in fact false

A misleading argument
 AD HOMINEM
Attacking the person
instead of the
argument itself
 Ad baculum
(appeal to force)
Using the threat of
force or an undesirable
event to advance an
argument
 Ad misericordiam
(appeal to pity)

Using emotions such

as pity and
sympathy
 Ad populum (appeal to
majority or bandwagon)

The idea is presented as

acceptable because a lot of
people accept it
 Ad antiquitatem
(appeal to tradition)
The idea is
acceptable because
it has been true for
a long time
 Ad antiquitatem
(appeal to tradition)
The idea is
acceptable because
it has been true for
a long time
 Ad verecundiam
(appeal to authority)

'misusing' an
authority
 Fallacy of
Composition

Assuming that what

is true of a part is
true for the whole
 Fallacy of Division

Assuming that what

is true for the
whole is true for its
parts
 Hasty Generalization
The generalization is
reached too hastily. There
are too few instances or
evidences to support such a
conclusion.
 Cause and Effect

Assuming a 'cause-
and- effect'
relationship between
unrelated events
 Begging the Question

assuming the thing or

idea to be proven is
true; also known as
"circular argument"
 BIAS
The personal views of the person
presenting it.

They are not necessarily errors in

reasoning, but refer to tendencies
or influences which affect the views
of people.
 Conflic of Interest

A person or group is
connected to or has a
vested interest in the
issue
 Cultural Bias

Analyzing an event or
issue based on one's
cultural standards
 Framing

Focusing on a certain
aspect of a problem
while ignoring other
aspects
 Hindsight (knew-it-
all-along phenomenon)
Is when, after an event
occurs, we feel we
already knew what was
going to happen
 Correspondence bias
(Fundamental attribution error)

Tendency to judge a person's

personality by his/her
actions without regard for
external factors or
situations
 Confirmation Bias
the tendency to look for and
accept information in a way
that confirms one's own
beliefs and reject ideas that
go against it
 HOW CAN AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRUTH AND
OPINION LEAD US TO WISDOM?

Understanding of opinions and

facts and the means to distinguish
one from the other can further
improve our understanding and
appreciation of varied views and
ideas.
 HOW CAN AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRUTH AND
OPINION LEAD US TO WISDOM?
An individual cannot live his or her life
just agreeing with everybody he or she
meets. A critical mind aided by
philosophy can help us form our own
personal point of view that can guide us
in making decisions and actions when
faced with a problem.
 HOW CAN AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TRUTH AND
OPINION LEAD US TO WISDOM?

Philosophy can help us determine

ideas that are truthful and
acceptable which we can then use to
form our own views regarding
certain matters.
Thank You