Prepared by:
Jorjie U. Nepangue, LPT
BSEd-MAPEH
MAEd-Physical Education
A PowerPoint Presentation

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Report Outline
• Etymological Background of Philosophy
• Definition of Philosophy
• The Beginning of Philosophy
• The Stages of Development
Greek Philosophy (Classic Civilization)
Modern Philosophy (Modern Civilization)
Contemporary Philosophy

• Etymology Definition
The term ‘Philosophy' is coined from the
Greek words ‘Phylos’ meaning ‘to love’
and ‘Sophie’ meaning ‘Wisdom’. Thus, in its
etymological sense, Philosophy accounts for
the ‘love of wisdom’.

• Formal Definition
Is defined as ‘certa sciertia per ultima
causas’ which means certain
knowledge through ultimate causes—
acquired by the use of human reason
alone.

• Popular Definition
Can be regarded as private wisdom
giving the reason the ability to look
things on a positive note. Hence, this
gives man the opportunity to be
optimistic especially in times of
misfortune.

• Technical Definition
The science of science. It does not only
unify all sciences but also criticizes and
defends the conclusion of other
science.

The Beginning of Philosophy
• The historical beginning of philosophy
came through four successive civilization:
Indian, Classic or Greek, Christian and
Modern
• Western philosophy started when Thales
of Miletus and his students like
Anaximander and Anaximenes begun their
inquiry into the nature of things.

• The story of philosophy would start from
its birthplace from Classic civilization, that
is, 6th century BC in the ancient Greek city
of Miletus the western shore of Iona in
Asia Minor.
Why not the Western civilization?
Why it began here and not in another place?
• The first philosopher are called either
Milesians or Ionians.

Think
Science
and
PHILOSOPHY
Curiosity Leisure
Prosperous
Existing of People
Development of
Industry, Trade and
Commerce
Miletus:
A Wealthy
Greek City

The Stages of Development
• In the beginning, the search for causes
and principles of things was made more by
imagination than reason.
• The Greek philosophy began with a pre-
historic period known as the Age of
Universal Animism and the Age of
Anthropomorphism.

The Stages of Development
• Greek Philosophy (Classic Civilization)
• Modern Philosophy (Modern Civilization)
• Contemporary Philosophy

GREEK PHILOSOPHY
(CLASSIC CIVILIZATION)
The Greek philosophy
consisted of the
following periods:
 Naturalistic
 Metaphysical
 Ethical
 Religious

Naturalistic Period
• Paid attention to
cosmological problem:
What is the first principle
which determines the
origin and end of things?
• Philosophy of Nature
• Thales of Miletus known
as the first Greek
philosopher

Metaphysical Period
• The thinkers were
interested in morality
and justice
• It is the most important
period in the entire field
of philosophy, with the
Sophists, Socrates,
Plato, and Aristotle
forming a body of
thought.

Ethical Period
• To find “a way of life
worthy of a philosopher”-
a consequence like the
loss of freedom and the
destruction caused by
war.
• Humans opposed evils
by either appealing to
reason, by appealing to
the senses, or by
discarding both reason
and the senses.

Religious Period
(Christian Civilization)
• It attempts to resolve the
problem of human.
• Christianity appeared,
not as a philosophy, but
as a revealed religion
given by Jesus Christ.
• Three sub-periods
 Period of Evangelization
 Patristic Period
 Scholasticism
 St. Thomas Aquinas

MODERN PHILOSOPHY
(MODERN CIVILIZATION)
• Begun with Descartes in
France or with Francis
Bacon in England. It
rose in order to reject
and oppose ancient
philosophy and
scholastic medieval
philosophy.
 Rationalism
 Empiricism
 Illuminism
 Idealism
 Positivism

Rationalism
• Knowledge is acquired
by reason without resort
of experience.
• Taught that reason is the
only source of
knowledge, thus it
denied feelings.

Empiricism
• Sense experience was
the primary source of
knowledge
• John Locke was its
founder

Illuminism/Enlightenment
• Oppose all past ages
• It aimed to re-establish
the entire order of
human life in the “light
of reason”

Idealism
• “Nothing can be known
outside the mind of a
thinking being” –George
Berkeley’ the idealism
major philosopher.

Positivism
• Maintained that the data
of sense experience
were the only object and
the supreme criterion of
human knowledge.
Abstract ideas were
mere opinions.
• Auguste Comte

CONTEMPORARY PHILOSOPHY
 Pragmatism
 Existentialism

Pragmatism
• William James
• Value of a concept is not
absolute but relative to
its utility (or use) in
practice. Hence, what is
useful is valuable.

Existentialism
• A philosophical
movement which claims
that individual human
beings create the
meanings and essence
of their own lives.
• Kierkegaard and
Nietzsche are
considered as the
Father of Existentialism