Lesson 1: Philosophy: Partial to Holistic Perspectives

Pythagoras

coined the word philosophia or philosophy.

Thales

Father of Philosophy

Philosophy

philosophy could mean a guiding principle.

Philosophy

reason, rationale, or basis of something.

Quito

here are two usages of the term philosophy

Popular usage of Philosoph

pilosopo

Academic usage of Philosophy

philosophy being taught in schools

Philosophical Reflection

act of giving time to think about the meaning and purpose of life.

Reflection

activity that requires a person to examine his or her thoughts, feelings and actions and learn from experience.

Primary Reflection

• The ability to think logically.

• The ability of the mind to construct and evaluate arguments. 

• It examines its object by abstraction, by analytically breaking it down into its constituent parts. 

• It is concerned with definitions, essences and technical solutions to problems.

Secondary reflection

• Enables us to look deeper into our experiences and see the bigger picture of reality. 

• It integrates the fragmented and compartmentalized experience into a whole. 

• It is the idea that various systems (e.g. physical, biological, social) should be viewed as wholes, not merely as a collection of parts. 

• In effect we see the broader perspective of life.

Holistic Perspective

“big picture."
occurs when you view things as a whole, considering the reality represented from all sides.

Partial Point of View

specific aspect of the situation. only see part of reality

EPISTEMOLOGY

sources and origin of knowledge and truth (senses)

METAPHYSICS

existence of something beyond the physical aspect (death, purpose of man’s life, etc.)

THEODICY

Questions about God and spirits

ONTOLOGY

study of the essence of reality

ETHICS

questions of right and wrong, morality and immorality belong to this discipline.

AESTHETICS

perception and experience of beauty.

AXIOLOGY

deals with values and reasoning

LOGIC

science and art of correct thinking.

REASONING

process of thinking about something in a logical way in order to form a conclusion or judgement.