2. Lesson Overview
• Philosophy is presented as a study &
discipline that enables a person to
attain a broad understanding &
perspective in life through
reflection.
• Philosophy is described as a way of
analyzing ideas & frameworks & a
reflective & meditative activity.
3. Essential Understanding
• Philosophy can enable us to attain
a broad and deep perspective on
life through deliberate & careful
thinking, the use of reflection, &
employing holistic thinking in
understanding life situations &
challenges.
5. Read & analyze the ff. conversation between a
high school teacher & her student in class:
• Teacher: Juan, what would you like to be when
you grow up?
• Juan: Ma’am, I want to be happy!
• Teacher: Juan you did not understand my
question .
• Juan: Ma’am, you do not understand what life
is all about!
6. 1. Do you think that Juan’s answer was
appropriate for his teacher’s question?
2. What do you think was Juan’s
interpretation of his teacher’s question?
3. Based on his responses , what kind of
student do you imagine Juan to be?
4. If you were Juan’s teacher, how would
you respond to him?
5. How is philosophy related to this
situation?
7. • Have you, like Juan, come to a
realization of what you want in life?
• Have you ever found yourself
wondering about the things you
experienced or where your life is
headed?
• Have you ever encountered a
situation where you had to think
about the “deeper” questions in life?
8. • Throughout our lives, we have
wondered about many things which lead
us to ask a lot of questions. By nature,
human beings are inquisitive. We ask
questions to try & make sense of our
world & experiences.
• Young children are very curious, & we
often hear them ask simple & silly
questions such as:
9. - “What is this?”
- “What does this do?”
- “Why are tress tall?”
- “Why is the sky so far away?”
These queries may be easily ignored
because of their simplicity, but these
indicate a healthy curiosity & a sense of
wonder which is an important feature of
childhood innocence.
10. • As we grow older, our questions are influenced
by our experiences& circumstances.
• We found ourselves asking more “serious”
questions such as:
- “Why do I have to study ?”
- “What do I need to do to get better grades?”
- “Why can’t I have more friends?”
- “What should I do to achieve my goals in life?”
- “Why did I fail ?”
- “What can I do to be better ?”
11. • You may have also heard your parents &
other older people ask questions about
various concerns such as:
- “How can our budget cover our family’s
expenses?”
- “What should I do to earn more?”
- “Would it be better to apply for a new job?”
- “Did I make the right choice in buying this
property?”
- “How do I deal w/ difficult people at work?”
12. • There are other questions that that
make us pause & think.
• We often encounter these “deep”
questions in serious conversation in the
books we read, the songs we hear on
the radio, & even in the movies we
watch. Some of these questions include:
-”What is love?”
-”Is love worth giving up everything ?”
-”Where can one find true happiness?”
13. -”Does the end justify the means?”
-“Why do good people suffer?”
-“Why is there injustice in this
world?”
-“What can we do to make the world
a better place?”
-“Why do I have to be a good person
?”
14. A big part of living is spent
pondering many questions, & our
lives become more meaningful
because we search for answers to
these innumerable questions.
These is the essence of philosophy
– the search for answers to life’s
questions.
15. 1. Have you pondered topics
such as the meaning of life and
how to be happy? Share your
initial ideas.
2. Why is it important for people
to think of “serious” or “deep”
questions once in a while.
16. Group Activity:
Read the ff. news headlines. What “simple”,
“serious”, & “deep”, questions come to mind
when you read them? Discuss them in class.
• Flash floods in remote village kill a hundred
people.
• Abused child kept chained in basement for five
years finally rescued.
• Man sentenced to ten years for stealing milk to
feed his baby.
• Lottery winner donates half of winnings to local
orphanage.