Quirimit, Ma. Jaqueline A. Dr.

Liberato Moises
III AB Political Science Assignment
No. 1

1. Define what is Philosophy

The original meaning of the word philosophy comes from the Greek
roots philo- meaning "love" and -sophos, or "wisdom." When someone
studies philosophy they want to understand how and why people do certain
things and how to live a good life. In other words, they want to know the
meaning of life. Add the suffix -er to philosophy, and you get a word for
someone whose job it is to think these big thoughts.

2. Give the formal meaning of Philosophy.

The study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence,
especially when considered as an academic discipline.

3. What are the ten components of Philosophy

1. Metaphysics - This philosophy study deals with the question concerning

ultimate reality and strives to explain it in its most general terms through its
first and most universal principle.
2. Cosmology - This philosophy study strives to formulate a theory
explaining the origin, nature and end of the universe.
3. Ethics - This philosophy study look into the rightness or wrongness of
human act.
4. Theodicy - This philosophy study concerns God: His existence and His
nature. It also attempts to reconcile the seeming conflict between the
goodness of God and the existence of evil in the world.
5. Epistemology - This philosophy study concerns human knowledge:
what knowledge is, what the conditions are which make human knowledge
possible and the extent to which human knowledge can grasp or reach.
6.Political Philosophy - This philosophy study is concerned with good
governance of the State, which includes the theory of its origin, the structure
of the government and its different forms, and the qualities of a good leader.
7. Philosophy of the Human Person - This philosophy study focuses on
the human person, his or her natures with the hope maximizing his or her
good attributes in order to live life fully human. The goal of this study is to
humanize the person and enable him or her to lead a good life.
 8. Aesthetics - This philosophy study sets forth several theories
concerning beauty and good taste.
9 - logic - This philosophy study is concerned with the structure and
principles of correct thinking and right reasoning.
4. The four divisions of Philosophy
Epistemology: the Study of Knowledge

The inquiry into what knowledge is, what can be known, and what
lies beyond our understanding; the investigation into the origin, structure,
methods, and validity of justification and knowledge; the study of the
interrelation of reason, truth, and experience

Metaphysics (Ontology): the Study of Reality

The inquiry into what is real as opposed to what is appearance, either

conceived as that which the methods of science presuppose, or that with
which the methods of science are concerned; the inquiry into the first
principles of nature; the study of the most fundamental generalizations as
to what exists.

Axiology: the Study of Value

The inquiry into the nature, criteria, and metaphysical status of value.
Axiology, in turn, is divided into two main parts: ethics and sthetics.

Logic

the attempt to codify the rules of rational thought. Logicians explore

the structure of arguments that preserve truth or allow the optimal extraction
of knowledge from evidence. Logic is one of the primary tools philosophers
use in their inquiries; the precision of logic helps them to cope with the
subtlety of philosophical problems and the often misleading nature of
conversational language.

5. What are the limits of logic?

Logic cannot prove or disprove the truth of an abstract or non-material

concept.
Most conclusions can be put in the form of a syllogism
Logic is valid if, The truth of the statements is open to question
Logic is valid if, The fault lies with the truth of the statements
Logic is valid if, The statements are not entirely true.
6. Name the relevance of studying logic

Logic is a defensive tool

Logic is necessary to analyze other peoples beliefs.
Logic is necessary to understand and communicate our own beliefs.
Logic is necessary.

7. What is critical thinking?

Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally about what to
do or what to believe. It includes the ability to engage in reflective and
independent thinking. Someone with critical thinking skills is able to do the
following :

understand the logical connections between ideas

identify, construct and evaluate arguments
detect inconsistencies and common mistakes in reasoning
solve problems systematically
identify the relevance and importance of ideas
reflect on the justification of one's own beliefs and values

8. Who is the founder of Logic?

Aristotle
Aristotle was the first thinker to devise a logical system. He drew
upon the emphasis on universal definition found in Socrates, the use of
reductio ad absurdum in Zeno of Elea, claims about propositional structure
and negation in Parmenides and Plato, and the body of argumentative
techniques found in legal reasoning and geometrical proof. Yet the theory
presented in Aristotles five treatises known as the Organonthe
Categories, the De interpretatione, the Prior Analytics, the Posterior
Analytics, and the Sophistical Refutationsgoes far beyond any of these.
Aristotle holds that a proposition is a complex involving two terms, a subject
and a predicate, each of which is represented grammatically with a noun.
The logical form of a proposition is determined by its quantity (universal or
particular) and by its quality (affirmative or negative). Aristotle investigates
the relation between two propositions containing the same terms in his
theories of opposition and conversion. The former describes relations of
contradictoriness and contrariety, the latter equipollences and entailments.
 The analysis of logical form, opposition, and conversion are combined in
syllogistic, Aristotles greatest invention in logic.

9. Who are the three great Greek philosophers

A. Socrates, born in Athens in 470 BC, is often credited as one of the founders
of Western philosophy. The cloud of mystery surrounding his life and
philosophical viewpoints propose a problem; a problem so large that its
given a name itself: The Socratic Problem. Since he did not write
philosophical texts, all knowledge related to him is entirely dependent on
the writings of other people of the time period. Works by Plato, Xenophon,
Aristotle, and Aristophanes contain all of the knowledge known about this
enigmatic figure. His largest contribution to philosophy is the Socratic
method. The Socratic method is defined as a form of inquiry and discussion
between individuals, based on asking and answering questions to illuminate
ideas. This method is performed by asking question after question with the
purpose of seeking to expose contradictions in ones thoughts, guiding
him/her to arrive at a solid, tenable conclusion. The principle underlying the
Socratic Method is that humans learn through the use of reasoning and
logic; ultimately finding holes in their own theories and then patching them
up.

B. Plato, student of Socrates, also has mystery surrounding him. His birth day
is estimated to fall between 428 BC and 423 BC. Hes known for being the
founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in
the Western world. My favorite of Platos contributions to philosophy, and
the one Im going to focus on, is the Theory of Forms. This theory was
created to solve two problems, one of ethics and one of permanence and
change. The ethical problem is: how can humans live a fulfilling life in an
ever changing world if everything that they hold close to them can be easily
taken away? The problem dealing with permanence and change is: How
can the world appear to be both permanent and changing? The world we
perceive through senses seems to be always changingwhich is a pretty
clear observation. The world that we perceive through the mind, seems to
be permanent and unchanging. Which world perceived is more real? Why
are we seen two different worlds?

To find a solution to these problems, Plato split the world into two: the
material, or phyiscal, realm and the transcendent, or mental, realm of forms.
We have access to the realm of forms through the mind, allowing us access
to an unchanging world. This particular world is invulnerable to the pains
and changes of the material world. By detaching our souls from the material
world and our bodies and developing our ability to concern ourselves with
the forms, Plato believes this will lead to us finding a value which is not open
to change. This solves the ethical problem. Splitting existence up into two
realms also leads us to a solution to the problem of permanence and
 change. Our mind perceives a different world, with different objects, than
our senses do. It is the material world, perceived through the senses, that
is changing. It is the realm of forms, perceived through the mind, that is
permanent.

C. Aristotle, student of Plato, lived from 384 BC-322 BC. At eighteen, he

joined Platos Academy in Athens and remained there until the age of thirty-
seven. There, he honed his talents of understanding the world. In his
understanding of the world, he wrote his theory of the universalswhich I
find to be extremely intriguing. The problem of the universals is the question
of whether properties exist, and if so, what exactly are they. To avoid
confusion, a universal is a metaphysical term describing what particular
things have in common, focusing strictly characteristics or qualities. His
theory states that universals exist only where they are instantiated (the
concept that it is impossible for a property to exist which is not had by some
object). In simpler terms, he believes universals exist only in things, never
apart from thingsdiffering from his teacher, Plato, on this. Aristotle believes
that a universal is identical in each of its instances. All round things are
similar in that there is the same universal, characteristic, throughout.

10. What is the difference between natural logic and scientific logic?

Natural logic the natural faculty of distinguishing the true from the false:
the logical doctrine applicable to natural things as opposed to the logic of
faith while scientific reasoning is the foundation supporting the entire
structure of logic, a scientific logic uses evidence to make a case for
whether a scientific idea is accurate or inaccurate.

11. Ten commandments of Philosophy

The 10 commandments of Philosophy

by Louis P. Pojman

1. Allow the spirit of Wonder to flourish in your breast. Philosophy begins

with deep wonder about the universe and about who we are and where we
came from and where we are going.
2. Doubt every claim you encounter until the evidence convinces you of its
Truth. Be reasonably cautious, a moderate skeptic, suspicious of those who
claim to have the Truth. Doubt is the souls purgative. Do not fear intellectual
inquiry.
3. Love the Truth.
4. Divide and conquer. Divide each problem and theory into its smallest
essential components so you can analyze each unit carefully.
5. Collect and Construct. Build a coherent argument or theory from component
parts. One should move from the simple, secure foundations to the complex
and comprehensive.
6. Conjecture and Refute. Make a complete survey of possible objections to
your position, looking for counter-examples and subtle mistakes.
7. Revise and Rebuild. Be willing to revise, reject, and modify your beliefs and
the degree with which you hold any belief. Aknowledge that you probably have
many false beliefs and be grateful to those who correct you.
8. Seek Simplicity. Prefer the Simpler Explanation to the more complex, all
things being equal. This is the Principle of Parsimony, sometimes known as
Occams Razor.
9. Live the Truth! Appropriate your ideas in a personal way, so that even as the
Objective Truth is a correspondence of the thought to the world, this Lived
Truth will be a correspondence of the life to the thought.
10. Live the Good! Let the practical conclusions of a philosophical reflection on
the moral life inspire and motivate you to action.

The 10 commandments of Philosophy

By Bertrand Russell

1: Do not feel absolutely certain of anything.

2: Do not think it worthwhile to produce belief by concealing evidence, for

the evidence is sure to come to light.

3: Never try to discourage thinking, for you are sure to succeed.

4: When you meet with opposition, even if it should be from your husband
or your children, endeavor to overcome it by argument and not by authority,
for a victory dependent upon authority is unreal and illusory.

5: Have no respect for the authority of others, for there are always contrary
authorities to be found.

6: Do not use power to suppress opinions you think pernicious, for if you do
the opinions will suppress you.
7: Do not fear to be eccentric in opinion, for every opinion now accepted was
once eccentric.

8: Find more pleasure in intelligent dissent than in passive agreement, for, if

you value intelligence as you should, the former implies a deeper agreement
than the latter.

9: Be scrupulously truthful, even when truth is inconvenient, for it is more

inconvenient when you try to conceal it.

10. Do not feel envious of the happiness of those who live in a fool's
paradise, for only a fool will think that it is happiness.