INTRODUCTION TO PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON
Doing Philosophy
At the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
 Distinguish a holistic perspective from a partial point of view
 Do a philosophical reflection on a concrete situation from a holistic perspective
Complete the following statements.
I believe that this world is ____________ because ______________________.
The _________________________________ kind of life is the best kind of life.
The most important thing man must have is ___________________________.
Holism in general terms (whether in science, sociology, economics, linguistics or
philosophy) is the idea that all the properties of a given system cannot be determined
or explained by its component parts alone, but the system as a whole determines in
an important way how the parts behave.
In philosophy, the principle of Holism (which comes from the Greek "holos" meaning
"all" or "total") was concisely summarized by Aristotle in his "Metaphysics": "The
whole is more than the sum of its parts". However, the term "holism" was only
introduced into the language by the South African statesman Jan Smuts as recently
as 1926.
Holism has significance for Epistemology and the Philosophy of Language in
particular. It is contrasted to Epistemological Reductionism (the position that
a complex system can be explained by reduction to its fundamental parts) or
of Atomism (insofar as it relates to Philosophy of Language, this is the position that
sentences have meaning or content completely independently of their relations to
other sentences or beliefs).
The first philosophers came from ancient Greek civilization. They had insight –
“seeing with the mind”.
a. What makes us all connected to each other?
b. What makes us one?
c. What underlies everything that exists?
Thales – the first noted philosopher in western history, said that everything is related
to each other because everything that exists contains water.
 To understand philosophy is to engage in it.
 Doing philosophy entails a holistic rather than a partial perspective.
 With a holistic perspective, we are able to see the connectedness of parts to
see a meaningful whole.
INSTRUCTOR: MR. JOHN KHARLO BRAVO ARQUIZA, LPT (johnkharlobravoarquiza@gmail.com)
SHC PHILO 12
Reflection: Write a journal entry about your experience of getting out of your comfort
zone or conquering your fear. Try to recall how you felt in that moment. Did this give
you a sense of relief and freedom?
Guide Questions:
1. What do you see? Do you see things differently?
2. Do you understand better?
3. How did this exercise make you feel?
4. Does having broader more holistic perspective give you a sense of relief?
Review
 Philosophy is concerned with addressing a variety of topics and issues. The
major questions is Philosophy involve the examination of the concepts of reality,
certainty, causality, and ethics.
 Philosophy assumes the existence of an absolute and objective reality, and that
man is capable of perceiving and understanding such reality.
 The question of certainty is closely related to the concept of knowledge and truth.
Knowledge is viewed as either innate, a product of experience, or essentially
uncertain.
 Philosophers analyze causality to uncover the underlying principles that brings
about a certain event. Causality is related to the concepts of purpose and agency,
and philosophers analyze human agency to determine the influences that shape
decisions.
 Philosophers seek to define standards and norms of good behavior which can be
applied to daily life. Philosophy seeks to examine human actions in various
situations to determine guidelines that will govern it.
 Philosophers employ various methods and tools in their inquiries. Philosophical
inquiry emphasizes skepticism, purposeful discussion, and an analysis of varied
ideas and views.
 Philosophical skills can help us in our daily lives. Through the use of analysis and
interpretation we can better examine ideas, concepts, phenomena, and events.
Philosophy also gives useful tools for problem solving, communication, and
self-development.
Lecture Handout 2