REGIONAL TYPES
 It is also known as Geographical Types of
Philosophy
 Often divided into 2 major kinds:
- Western Philosophy
- Eastern Philosophy
 Under each of the two major kinds are what can
we be called National Philosophies.
National Philosophies
 It refers to philosophical activities happening in
particular countries or nations.
 It is significant because it fosters unity among
the citizens. (Through the different ideas,
perspective and understanding about
something that the citizens in a certain country
share about.)
 Examples of National Philosophies in the West:
- German Philosophy
- French Philosophy
- Greek Philosophy
- British Philosophy
- American Philosophy
German Philosophy
 It is said that in the Germany, the 18th century
was the age of enlightenment.
 German idealism is the name of a movement in
German philosophy that began in the 1780’s
and lasted until the 1840’s.
 The most famous representatives of this
movement are Kant, Fichte, Schelling, and
Hegel. While there are important differences
between these figures, they all share a
commitment to idealism.
*Idealism - any of various systems of thought in
which the objects of knowledge are held to be
in some way dependent on the activity of mind.
French Philosophy
 René Descartes France’s national philosopher,
whose Discourse on Method defined thought as
the essential human quality (“I think, therefore I
am”) and exemplified one of the classic traits of
the French style of thinking: the deductive
mode of reasoning, which starts with a general,
abstract proposition and then works towards a
specific conclusion.
Least likely to say: “We see well only with the heart”
(Saint-Exupéry)
*Discourse - written or spoken communication or
debate.
 Jean-Jacques Rousseau Swiss-born but
appropriated by the French as the intellectual
father of their 1789 revolution: his writings on
human freedom, equality, popular sovereignty
and the return to nature challenged the social
and political conventions of 18th‑century
French society, and founded the radical
republican tradition.
Least likely to say: “Enrich yourselves” (Guizot)
*Conventions - an agreement between countries
covering particular matters, especially one less formal
than a treaty.
Greek Philosophy
 Our western philosophical tradition began in
ancient Greece in the 6th century BCE.
* Greek philosophers approached the big questions
of life sometimes in a genuine scientific way,
sometimes in mystic ways, but always in an
imaginative fashion.
 The first of these philosophers are called
"Presocratics" which designates that they came
before Socrates. The Presocratics were from
either the eastern or western regions of the
Greek world. Athens — home of Socrates, Plato
and Aristotle -- is in the central Greek region
and was late in joining the philosophical game.
The Presocratic's most distinguishing feature is
emphasis on questions of physics; indeed,
Aristotle refers to them as "Investigators of
Nature". Their scientific interests included
 mathematics, astronomy, and biology. As the
first philosophers, though, they emphasized the
rational unity of things, and rejected
mythological explanations of the world. Only
fragments of the original writings of the
presocratics survive, in some cases merely a
single sentence. The knowledge we have of
them derives from accounts of early
philosophers, such as Aristotle's Physics and
Metaphysics, The Opinions of the Physicists by
Aristotle's pupil Theophratus, and Simplicius, a
Neoplatonist who compiled existing quotes.
 Socrates (469/470-399 BCE) was a Greek
philosopher and is considered the father of
western philosophy. Plato was his most famous
student and would teach Aristotle who would
then tutor Alexander the Great. By this
progression, Greek philosophy, as first
developed by Socrates, was spread throughout
the known world during Alexander's conquests.
 Plato (428/427 - 348/347 BCE) is considered the
pre-eminent Greek philosopher, known for his
Dialogues and for founding his Academy north
of Athens, traditionally considered the first
university in the western world. Born Aristocles,
son of Ariston of the deme Colytus, Plato had
two older brothers (Adeimantus and Glaucon),
who both feature famously in Plato's dialogue
Republic, and a sister Potone. He is known by
the nickname 'Plato' which, according to
Diogenes Laertius, was given him by his
wrestling coach because of his broad shoulders
(in Greek 'Platon' means broad). His family was
aristocratic and well-connected politically, and
it seems Plato was expected to pursue a career
in politics. His interests, however, tended more
toward the arts and, in his youth, he wrote
plays and, perhaps, poetry.
* pre-eminent - surpassing all others; very distinguished
in some way.
 Aristotle of Stagira was a Greek philosopher
who pioneered systematic, scientific
examination in literally every area of human
knowledge and was known, in his time, as "the
man who knew everything", and, later, as "The
Philosopher" (so named by Aquinas who felt
one needed no other). In the European Middle
Ages he is referred to as "The Master" in
Dante's Inferno. All of these epithets are apt in
that Aristotle wrote on, and was considered a
master in, disciplines as diverse as biology,
politics, metaphysics, agriculture, literature,
botany, medicine, mathematics, physics, ethics,
logic, and the theatre. He is traditionally linked
in sequence with Socrates and Plato in the triad
of the three greatest Greek philosophers.
British Philosophy
 refers to the philosophical tradition of the
British people.
 Also in 18th century (enlightenment period)
 Mary Wollstonecraft was an English writer who
advocated for women's equality. Her book A
Vindication of the Rights of Woman pressed for
educational reforms. Brought up by an abusive
father, she left home and dedicated herself to a
life of writing. While working as a translator to
Joseph Johnson, a publisher of radical texts, she
published her most famous work, A Vindication
of the Rights of Woman. She died 10 days after
her second daughter, Mary, was born.
Wollstonecraft set out to earn her own
livelihood. In 1784, Mary, her sister Eliza and
her best friend, Fanny, established a school in
Newington Green. From her experiences
teaching, Wollstonecraft wrote the pamphlet
Thoughts on the Education of Daughters (1787).
When her friend Fanny died in 1785,
Wollstonecraft took a position as governess for
the Kingsborough family in Ireland. Spending
her time there to mourn and recover, she
eventually found she was not suited for
domestic work. Three years later, she returned
to London and became a translator and an
adviser to Joseph Johnson, a noted publisher of
radical texts. When Johnson launched the
 Analytical Review in 1788, Mary became a
regular contributor. Within four years, she
published her most famous work, A Vindication
of the Rights of Woman (1792). In the work, she
clearly abhors prevailing notions that women
are helpless adornments of a household.
Instead, she states that society breeds "gentle
domestic brutes” and that a confined existence
makes women frustrated and transforms them
into tyrants over their children and servants.
The key, she purports, is educational reform,
giving women access to the same educational
opportunities as men. The ideas in her book
were truly revolutionary at the time and caused
tremendous controversy. Wollstonecraft also
wrote Maria, or the Wrongs of Woman, which
asserted that women had strong sexual desires
and that it was degrading and immoral to
pretend otherwise.
 Isaac Newton (January 4, 1643 to March 31,
1727) was a physicist and mathematician who
developed the principles of modern physics,
including the laws of motion, and is credited as
one of the great minds of the 17th century
Scientific Revolution. In 1687, he published his
most acclaimed work, Philosophiae Naturalis
Principia Mathematica (Mathematical Principles
of Natural Philosophy), which has been called
the single most influential book on physics. In
1705, he was knighted by Queen Anne of
England, making him Sir Isaac Newton. Newton
made discoveries in optics, motion and
mathematics. Newton theorized that white light
was a composite of all colors of the spectrum,
and that light was composed of particles. His
momentous book on physics, Principia, contains
information on nearly all of the essential
concepts of physics except energy, ultimately
helping him to explain the laws of motion and
the theory of gravity. Along with mathematician
Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz, Newton is
credited for developing essential theories of
calculus.
*physicist - an expert in or student of physics.
American Philosophy
 The term “American Philosophy,” perhaps
surprisingly, has been somewhat vague.
*vague - of uncertain, indefinite, or unclear
character or meaning.
 While it has tended to primarily include
philosophical work done by Americans
within the geographical confines of the
United States, this has not been exclusively
the case. For example, Alfred North
Whitehead came to the United States
relatively late in life. On the other hand,
George Santayana spent much of his life
outside of the United States. Until only
recently, the term was used to refer to
philosophers of European descent. Another
focus for defining, or at least characterizing,
American Philosophy has been on the types
of philosophical concerns and problems
addressed. While American philosophers
have worked on traditional areas of
philosophy, such as metaphysics,
epistemology, and axiology, this is not
unique to American Philosophy. Many
scholars have highlighted American
philosophers’ focus on the interconnections
of theory and practice, on experience and
community, though these, too, are not
unique to American Philosophy. The people,
movements, schools of thought and
philosophical traditions that have
constituted American Philosophy have been
varied and often at odds with each other.
Different concerns and themes have waxed
or waned at different times. For instance,
the analysis of language was important
throughout much of the twentieth century,
but of very little concern before then, while
the relation between philosophy and
religion, of great significance early in
American Philosophy, paled in importance
during much of the twentieth century.
Despite having no core of defining features,
American Philosophy can nevertheless be
 seen as both reflecting and shaping
collective American identity over the history
of the nation.
 William James - A physician, psychologist,
and philosopher of the Pragmatic school,
James' work covers topics stretching from
education and epistemology to metaphysics
and mysticism. His book The Varieties of
Religious Experience: A Study in Human
Nature, foreshadowed his pragmatic
philosophy. In it, he argues that religious
experiences are human experiences and
discusses the possible causes of mystical
events. His long-outdated text Principles of
Psychology was immensely popular and
influential in shaping early American
psychology. When measuring by citations,
James was one of the most influential
psychologists of the 20th century.
*epistemology – the theory of knowledge,
especially with regard to its methods, validity,
and scope. Epistemology is the investigation of
what distinguishes justified belief from opinion.
* metaphysics – he branch of philosophy that
deals with the first principles of things,
including abstract concepts such as being,
knowing, substance, cause, identity, time, and
space.
* mysticism - belief that union with or
absorption into the Deity or the absolute, or the
spiritual apprehension of knowledge
inaccessible to the intellect, may be attained
through contemplation and self-surrender.
 W.E.B Du Bois
A sociologist, historian, author, activist, and the
first African American to receive a Ph.D from
Harvard University, Du Bois was a busy man.
Many of his writings, especially The Philadelphia
Negro and The Souls of Black Folk are viewed as
seminal texts in the history of sociology. His
works mark the first time racial prejudice was
sighted as the cause of subpar living conditions
for African Americans, a radical notion at the
time.
His essay collection The Souls of Black Folk examined
race issues in the southern United States, introduced
the idea of double-consciousness, and was noted as an
influence on later civil rights leaders. His Magnum Opus
Black Reconstruction in America explored the failures of
reconstruction, the rise of Jim Crow, and racial politics.
When not writing and teaching he found time to
cofound the NAACP. An overview of his ideas can be
seen here.
*Ph.D – doctor of philosophy
Indian Philosophy
 In the 19th century, India was not marked by any
noteworthy philosophical achievements, but the
period was one of great social and religious reform
movements. The newly founded universities
introduced Indian intellectuals to Western thought,
particularly to the empiricist, utilitarian, and
agnostic philosophies in England, and John Stuart
Mill, Jeremy Bentham, and Herbert Spencer became
the most influential thinkers in the Indian
universities by the end of the century.
 Adi Shankara is a widely studied and influential
Hindu philosopher and theologian from India who
consolidated the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta. His
works in Sanskrit discuss the unity of the ātman and
Nirguna Brahman "brahman without attributes".
Chinese Philosophy
 refers to any of several schools of philosophical
thought in the Chinese tradition, including
Confucianism, Taoism, Legalism, Buddhism and
Mohism. It is known that early Shang Dynasty
(c. 1600 BC - 1046 B.C.) thought was based on
cyclicity, from observation of the cycles of day
and night, the seasons, the moon, etc., a
concept which remained relevant throughout
later Chinese philosophy, and immediately
setting it apart from the more linear Western
approach. During this time, both gods and
ancestors were worshipped and there were
human and animal sacrifices.
  Confucius
It is impossible to talk about the history of China
without talking about Confucius. Working his
way up from a minor government post, he
founded the philosophy of Confucianism and
attempted to get feudal governments to rule
more virtuously. He devised the “Golden Rule”
as a principle of morality, and exemplified his
own brand of humanism. His virtue ethics have
been among the most important ideas in
Chinese history.
 Shang Yang
Statesman, architect of the Qin State, political
theorist, and founder of the school of Legalism;
a philosophy that ignores morality and the ideal
society in favor of a pure interest in how the
law can be carried out for the sake of stability.
After enacting his changes to the Qin state and
overseeing its rapid increase in power, he was
assassinated by Qin nobles whose power he
was jeopardizing with his commitments to
meritocracy and centralization.
*Legalism- dependence on moral law rather
than on personal religious faith.
Japanese Philosophy
 Japanese Philosophy has historically been a
fusion of both foreign (particularly Chinese and
Western) and uniquely Japanese elements. In
its literary forms, Japanese philosophy began
about fourteen centuries ago. Confucianism
entered Japan from China around the 5th
Century A.D., as did Buddhism. Neo-
Confucianism became most prominent in Japan
in the 16th Century. Also since the 16th
Century, certain indigenous ideas of loyalty and
honor developed within the Japanese samurai
or warrior class were integrated. Western
philosophy has had its major impact in Japan
only since the middle of the 19th Century.
However, in all of these cases, the philosophies
were not imported wholesale; rather, they were
adapted, and selectively adopted.
Daisaku Ikeda
- is the spiritual leader and former president of the
Nichiren Buddhist Soka Gakkai.
Daisetsu Teitaro Suzuki
- was a Japanese author of books and essays on
Buddhism, Zen and Shin that were instrumental in
spreading interest.
Filipino Philosophy
 In other nations, philosophers are regarded as
wise and learned sages. In China, for example,
Confucius is widely revered. In the Western
World, even the relatively unlearned know that
the likes of Plato, Socrates and Aristotle are to
be respected and emulated. Yet in the
Philippines, to be called a “philosopher” is a dire
insult, a term of extreme derision. To the
Filipinos, a “PILOSOPO” is a Smart Aleck--
~someone whose sarcastic, wisecracking, or
humorous manner is delivered in an offensive,
obnoxious, or cocky way.
 We do not have a clear definition of what is
Filipino Philosophy, first of all because there is
the question, “Is there such a Filipino
Philosophy?” “Does it exist?” Second is that our
mindset is more of Western and we use these
philosophical concepts and ideas in solving our
national, social, political, technological
problems and identity crisis, which sometimes
are in contrast to the reality of the Filipino
culture and mindset.
 He accepts the definition of philosophy as “the
system of motivating values, concepts, or
principles of an individual, group, or culture.”
This definition is based on the etymological and
common meaning of philosophy as a
love/pursuit of wisdom. He adopted the
position of Richard Rorty that philosophy is a
humanistic and behavioral science. So
philosophy in his perspective is not a rigorous
science which embodies the ideals of analytic,
logical and positivistic philosophies.
Jose Rizal

- importance of education

Dr. Florentino Timbreza

- Father of Filipino Philosophy

- Author of the “Pilosopiyang Pilipino”.

Based on indigenous experiences and practical wisdom

of Filipino

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https://www.biography.com/people/groups/famous-
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https://www.iep.utm.edu/american/

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Indian-
philosophy/Historical-development-of-Indian-
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https://www.ranker.com/list/famous-philosophers-
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