Introduction to Philosophy

ELAINE M. LAZARO
 CLASS RULES

 Attendance
 Use of mobile phones
 Consultation hours
 Book/sources
 Three Main Branches of Philosophy

 Metaphysics – deals with the nature of reality

 “Is there God?” “Where does the world come from?”

 Epistemology – also known as the theory of

knowledge
 “What are the limits of human knowledge?” “What is true?”
 Ethics – deals with the goodness or badness of our
actions; how to live our lives
 “How should we treat the other person?” “What should be our
moral values?”
 The Mythological World Picture

 Philosophy flourished in Ancient Greece, but before

there was philosophy, the Ancient Greeks (just like
many forefathers of most, if not all countries) tried to
answer these philosophical questions.
 They sought answers through “the mythological
world picture.”
 If the seas won’t calm or if there are no fishes in the sea, the
gods must be angry. We might have done something wrong.
 Around 700 BC, these myths were more likely
written by Homer or Hesiod.
The Mythological World Picture
Criticisms to the Mythological World Picture

 Thales of Miletus
(circa 585 BC)
 Xenophanes (Circa 570 BC)
A shift to Athens…and to “man”
 SOCRATES

 The ugliness of Socrates and the

Athenian fondness for beauty
 (470-399 BC)
 An enigmatic figure in
philosophy, possibly a
mouthpiece of Plato.
 Mother : midwife
 Father : mason
 Occupations: mason, soldier,
philosopher
 He was not a responsible husband
 Teachers

 Socrates -> Plato -> Aristotle -> Alexander the Great

 Socratic Irony

 Socrates is credited
for the Question and
Answer model in
education.
 When the oracle
announced that
Socrates is the
wisest man of all, he
did not believe it. At
the time, the oracle
was an authority.
 Instead, Socrates went into the Agora to find out if there
is truth in what the oracle declared.
 He claimed that he knows nothing.
 “One thing only I know, and that is that I know nothing.”
 Thus, he engaged in dialogue with statesmen, artists, and
others who were considered wise in Athens. He kept on
asking questions, and in the process of Q and A, he was
able to show the weaknesses of his partners’ arguments,
especially those of the Sophists.
 Sophists – usually characterized as learned men who
flocked to Athens and taught that nothing is universally
true.
Socratic Method: and Intellectual Midwifery

 The Q and A process or the dialogue resulted into

intellectual midwifery. Socrates believed that true
insight comes from within. He disagreed with the
Sophist’s and believed that some truths are
universal.
 He was concerned with finding clear definitions of
what is right and wrong. For him the right insight
(coming from reason), leads to the right action.
Socrates as the Gadfly of Athens
 Socrates existed at the time of the transition from
Athenian height to its defeat from Sparta.
 In his various dialogues, he appears to have favored
Sparta.
 He criticized democracy as a form of government
(used by Athens at the time) and proposed
Aristocracy.
 He believed that the rulers of the city should be
philosophers.
 He was questioned for his moral and political stands.
 The Death of Socrates

 He was accused of
 Corrupting the youth

 Introducing new gods

 While he had a chance to escape, he chose not to. His

fate is comparable to that of Jesus and Jose Rizal.
 He was sentenced to drink hemlock – a poison.