INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY

OF HUMAN PERSON
 CORE SUBJECT DESCRIPTION:

• THIS SUBJECT IS AN INTRODUCTION TO THE ACTIVITY AND

PROCESS OF PHILOSOPHICAL REFLECTION AS A SEARCH OF
SYNOPTIC VISION OF LIFE. THE TOPICS TO BE DISCUSSED
INCLUDE THE HUMAN EXPERIENCES OF EMBODIMENT, BEING
THE WORLD WITH OTHERS AND THE ENVIRONMENT,
FREEDOM, INTERSUBJECTIVITY, SOCIALITY AND BEING UPON
DEATH
 DEFINITION
AND BRANCHES
OF
PHILOSOPHY
FOR YOU, WHAT IS
PHILOSOPHY?
 PHILOSOPHY
• PHILOS – “LOVE”; SOPHIA – “WISDOM”
• PHILOSOPHER – “LOVER OF WISDOM”
• “PHILOSOPHY IS THE KNOWLEDGE OF ALL THINGS
THROUGH THEIR ULTIMATE CAUSES, ACQUIRED
THROUGH THE USE OF REASON”
 PHILOSOPHY
• MATERIAL OBJECT OF PHILOSOPHY: “PHILOSOPHY
STUDIES ALL THINGS”; THUS ALL ASPECTS OF REALITY
CAN BE THE OBJECT OF A PHILOSOPHICAL STUDY
• FORMAL OBJECT OF PHILOSOPHY: “THROUGH THEIR
ULTIMATE CAUSES”; SEEKING THE DEEPEST
EXPLANATIONS REGARDING THE EXISTENCE AND
NATURE OF BEINGS.
 PHILOSOPHY

• NATURAL SCOPE OF PHILOSOPHY: “ACQUIRED

THROUGH THE USE OF REASON; SEEKING THE
ULTIMATE EXPLANATIONS THAT CAN BE ARRIVED AT
BY APPLYING REASONING TO FACTS SUPPLIED BY
EXPERIENCE.
 BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY

• EPISTEMOLOGY – STUDIES THE NATURE OF

KNOWLEDGE AND THE RATIONALITY OF BELIEF; THE
MEANS OF PRODUCTION OF KNOWLEDGE
• METAPHYSICS – STUDIES AND ASKS QUESTIONS
ABOUT THE ESSENCE AND EXISTENCE OF A BEING
 BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY

• LOGIC – CONCERNED WITH “REASONING” OR TRUTH

• ETHICS/AXIOLOGY – CONCERNS THE MATTER OF
“VALUE/MORALITY”
• AESTHETICS – EXPLORES THE NATURE AND
APPRECIATION OF ART, BEAUTY AND TASTE
HISTORY OF
PHILOSOPHY
 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY

•PYTHAGORAS
• IONIAN GREEK PHILOSOPHER
• FIRST PERSON TO NAME HIMSELF A
PHILOSOPHER OR LOVER OF
WISDOM
• KNOWN FOR HIS PYTHAGOREAN
THEOREM IN GEOMETRY
 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY

•THALES OF MILETUS
• FIRST PERSON TO EXPLAIN THE WORLD
AND UNIVERSE OUTSIDE
MYTHOLOGICAL CONCEPTS
• HE EXPLAINED THAT THE WORLD WAS
MADE UP OF “WATER”
• TEACHER OF PYTHAGORAS
HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY

• HERACLITUS
• HE BELIEVED THAT THE
WORLD ORIGINATED
FROM THE FIRE ELEMENT
 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY

• SOCRATES
• FIRST MORAL PHILOSOPHER
• KNOWN FOR HIS SOCRATIC METHOD
(ELENCHUS)
• TEACHER OF PLATO
• “STRESSES THAT MAN MUST TAKE
GOOD CARE OF ITS SOUL” • “ALL
HUMAN BEINGS DESIRE THE GOOD”
 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY

• PLATO
• STUDENT OF SOCRATES AND
TEACHER OF ARISTOTLE
• FOUNDER OF THE ACADEMY OF
ATHENS
• “THE SOUL IS IMMORTAL, EVEN THE
PHYSICAL CEASED TO EXIST”
 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY

• EXISTENCE OF ABSTRACT OBJECTS

•“VIRTUE IS KNOWLEDGE”
•THE SOUL IS THE PRINCIPLE WHICH
EXPLAINS ALL LIFE
HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY

•ARISTOTLE
• STUDENT OF PLATO AND TEACHER
OF ALEXANDER THE GREAT
• ON HIS TREATISE, PERI PSYCHE, THE
SOUL IS DIVIDED INTO THREE TYPES
AND EACH ACCORDING TO EACH
LIVING BEING
 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY

•SAINT AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO

• BISHOP OF HIPPUS REGION OF
NORTH AFRICA
• COMBINED CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE
WITH PLATONIC IDEOLOGY
• BELIEVED THAT EVERYTHING IS
CONNECTED WITH GOD
HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY

• SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS

• “BELIEVED THAT TRUTH IS TO BE
ACCEPTED NO MATTER WHERE IT IS
FOUND”
• FOLLOWED ARISTOTELIAN
PHILOSOPHY
• REAFFIRMED THE THREE TYPES OF
SOUL (FIRST WRITTEN BY ARISTOTLE)
 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY

•IBN AL-NAFIS
• FIRST TO DESCRIBE THE PULMONARY
CIRCULATION OF THE CIRCULATORY
SYSTEM
• BELIEVED THAT THE SOUL IS FOUND
THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRETY OF
THE BODY, NOT JUST ONE OF ITS
ORGANS
 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY

• RENE DESCARTES
• FATHER OF MODERN WESTERN
PHILOSOPHY
• FATHER OF ANALYTICAL GEOMETRY
• COGITO ERGO SUM (“I THINK
THEREFORE I AM”)
• BELIEVED THAT THE MIND AND BODY IS
DISTINCT BUT CLOSELY JOINED
 HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY

• BARUCH SPINOZA
• ONE OF THE PIONEERS OF THE
DUTCH GOLDEN AGE
• OPPOSED DESCARTES’ MIND-BODY
DUALISM
• SUBSTANCE VS. ACCIDENCE
• NO ONE IS INTRINSICALLY GOOD
OR EVIL
 NATURE OF
PHILOSOPHY
 NATURE OF PHILOSOPHY

• HUMAN BEING POSSESSES A KEEN DESIRE TO KNOW,

AND THAT LEADS HIM TO SEEK THE CAUSES OF EVENTS
OR HAPPENINGS
• HIS SEARCH FOR KNOWLEDGE IS INDUCED BY
THEORETICAL CONSIDERATIONS, AS WELL AS
PRACTICAL REASONS
• HE NEEDS TO FIND THE ANSWERS TO MANY
QUESTIONS ABOUT THINGS EXISTING AROUND HIM