DISTINGUISH OPINION FROM TRUTH - IPHP .pptx

LESSON 2 - INTRODUCTION TO THE PHILOSOPHY OF THE HUMAN PERSON (DISTINGUISH OPINION FROM TRUTH)

1. LESSON 2: METHODS OF PHILOSOPHIZING

2. In today’s society, we encounter a lot of information M edia and our interactions with our friends, family, and members of the community. Most of the information we receive is helpful, but some may mislead us or may even be utterly false. Every day we are confronted with news, claims and announcements from our peers, family members, figures of authority, the government, and media. How do we know if they are telling the truth? 2

3. In today’s society, we encounter a lot of information Philosophers often wrestle with the concept of truth. Knowledge must be truthful to gain validity and acceptance. For example, when we answer a “True or False” test, we judge if the statements we read are true or false. This means that statements may have truth or may not have truth. Statements about the world or reality are called “ propositions ” and these propositions may or may not carry truth. Propositions are usually stated as short statements or sentences. 3

4. WHAT IS TRUTH & WHY IS IT IMPORTANT? 4

5. 1. KNOWLEDGE T he clear awareness and understanding of something. It is the product of questions that allow for clear answers provided by facts. Our knowledge is comprised of ideas and beliefs that we know to be true.

6. I know that... I know why... I know how... One important aspect of knowledge- it is based on reality. This simply means that what we know is what is observable or evident in the real world. 6

7. 2 . FACTS Propositions or statements which are observed to be real or truthful

8. Example: “I know that fish live in water.” How do we know? Because fish really do live in water. 8

9. 3 . CLAIM S tatements that are not evidently or immediately known to be true They require further examination to establish whether it is true or false.

10. Example: “I know that my school is the best school in the city.” You may know that reading is a better activity than playing basketball, but the truth of your statement will be contested by other people. 10

11. How do we know if something is TRUE? Ancient Greek Philosophers approached the problem of truth by looking at the nature of knowledge and how we know what we know. We assume that everything we know about this world is true. But philosophers who pondered upon the origins of knowledge doubted everything there is to know about themselves and the world. 11

12. EXAMPLE: I am alive. I have a body. I can breathe. 12

13. A s it drives our desire to discover truth. In philosophy, systematic doubt is employed to determine truth. This means that every statement, claim, evidence, and is scrutinized and analysed. Nothing is taken as true unless there is sufficient reason and evidence to prove that is indeed true. Doubt has very important purpose in philosophy 13

14. EXAMPLE: Am I alive? Do I have a body? Can I breathe? 14

15. Do you have a pulse? Can you feel your heartbeat? Do you have arms, legs and feet? Try to take a deep breath, then exhale. Were you able to do it? If your answer is “yes” then you can conclude with certainty that..... Now, Examine yourself 15

16. you can now say... I am alive ! I have a body ! I can breathe ! 16

17. 1. A BELIEF is true if... i t can be justified or prov e through the use of one’s senses. 17

18. EXAMPLE: I am a Filipino. Can we use our senses to prove this satements as fact? 18

19. Filipino (noun): -A native of the Philipine Island. -A citizen of the Republic of the Philippines We can look at a dictionary 19

20. 2. A BELIEF is true if... it is based on facts. 20

21. Are you now convinced that you are a Filipino? If not.... 21

22. & Ask your parents or other relatives. Look for official documents that prove you are a Filipino. We can try the following... 22

23. When all of your family members answered “Yes!”... Then you are a Filipino. 23 👪

24. 3. A BELIEF is true if... you get a consensus and people agree on a common belief. 24

25. BUT this approach has certain limitations. Getting everyone agree on something may not make that belief true. 25

26. 4. A BELIEF is true if... there are official documents/ supporting facts. 26

27. Birth certificate shows factual information regarding your birth. Since it is issued by an institution that the documents are truthful. BUT, this also has a limitation Looking at official documents 27

28. EVIDENCE especially documents can be forged or falsified. A person may be issued with documents but it may contain wrong information or typographical error. 28

29. if your name is misspelled in your birth certificate DOES YOUR IDENTITY CHANGE? 29

30. Example: I can ride a bike/ Can I ride a bike? I can fry an egg/ Can I fry an egg? 30

31. The obvious answer would be, is to actually ride it cook it.--- BUT, some would argue that the proof is not only in the act but also in the product. This means that you should not only show that you can fry an egg but that also you can make delicious fried eggs. How will you prove that you can really cook an egg? 31

32. 5. A BELIEF is true if... a person can prove a statement through an action. 32

33. 6. Philosophers argue that a BELIEF is true if... it is subjected to tests to determine the truth 33

34. It takes me 30 minutes to walk from my home to school. Living near the school is better because we don’t have to spend much for transportation. My sister ate the last piece of pizza. My sister is a selfish person because she ate the last piece and didn’t share it with me. The police firmly pushed the suspect to his kneed and placed him in handcuffs. The aggressive manner by which the police arrested the suspect is an example of brutality that characterizes our police force. Let us Analyze… 34

35. Which of the following statements are similar? Let's rearrange them.

36. It takes me 30 minutes to walk from my home to school. Living near the school is better because we don’t have to spend much for transportation. My sister ate the last piece of pizza. My sister is a selfish person because she ate the last piece and didn’t share it with me. The police firmly pushed the suspect to his kneed and placed him in handcuffs. The aggressive manner by which the police arrested the suspect is an example of brutality that characterizes our police force. Which column has statements that are more factual? 36

37. It takes me 30 minutes to walk from my home to school. Living near the school is better because we don’t have to spend much for transportation. My sister ate the last piece of pizza. My sister is a selfish person because she ate the last piece and didn’t share it with me. The police firmly pushed the suspect to his kneed and placed him in handcuffs. The aggressive manner by which the police arrested the suspect is an example of brutality that characterizes our police force. Which column has statements that are more factual? 37 FACTUAL OPINION

38. How can philosophy guide us in distinguishing truth from opinion? 38

39. OPINION C omprised of statements which not only give facts but also provide conclusions or perspectives regarding certain situations. They may advance a belief about certain things or provide explanations . T he bases for making arguments and convincing people that a certain claim is a fact. They are often influenced by bias.

40. CONCLUSION Judgement based on certain facts.

41. BELIEFS S tatements that express convictions that are not easily and clearly explained by facts. To judge the truthfulness of a belief, we must also consider things such as the person’s experiences and views.

42. BELIEFS Example: “I believe that God put me on this Earth to spread his message of love.”

43. Explanation S tatements that assume the claim to be true and provide reasons why the statement is true. Example: Statement 4: My sister is selfish because...

44. Arguments S eries of statements that provide reasons to convince the reader or listener that a claim or opinion is truthful. They often take the form of statements that are either claims of facts and are phrased in such a way that they seem reasonable.

45. Arguments Example: Encountered in formal debates.

46. LOGIC - Is the branch of philosophy that focuses on the analysis of arguments.

47. What should we consider when looking at ARGUMENTS or OPINIONS? 47

48. Arguments S eries of statements that provide reasons to convince the reader or listener that a claim or opinion is truthful. However, a number of arguments may be based on faulty reasoning.

49. FALLACY (Kamalian) An idea that a lot of people think is true but is in fact false A misleading argument

50. F A L L A CY C H A R A C TERIS T ICS EX A MPLE Ad hominem Attacking the person instead of the argument itself Of course he believes that the government is flawed, he is a rebel and a Communist Ad baculum (appeal to force) Using the threat of force or an undesirable event to advance an argument If you do not agree with my political opinions, you will receive flat 70 on your card. Ad misericordiam (appeal to pity) Using emotions such as pity and sympathy You cant fire me, I have a wife and 12 kids who will go hungry if I lose this job. Ad populum (appeal to majority or bandwagon) The idea is presented as acceptable because a lot of people accept it Every boy your age already has a girlfriend, you should go find one! Ad antiquitatem (appeal to tr a d i ti o n) The idea is acceptable because it has been true for a long time Marriage has traditionally been between a man and a woman; therefore, gay marriage should not be allowed. Ad verecundiam ‘misusing’ an authority 4 out of 5 dentists agree that brushing your teeth makes your life meaningful. Richard Dawkins, an evolutionary biologist and perhaps the foremost expert in the field, says that evolution is true. Therefore, it's true. (appeal to authority )

51. F A L L A CY C H A R A C TERIS T ICS EX A MPLE Fallacy of Composit i on Assuming that what is true of a part is true for the whole Each brick in that building weighs less than a pound. Therefore, the building weighs less than a pound. Hydrogen is not wet. Oxygen is not wet. Therefore, water (H2O) is not wet. Fallacy of Division Assuming that what is true for the whole is true for its parts You come from a family of doctors and lawyers! Surely, you can do better in this course! I heard that the Catholic Church was involved in a sex scandal cover-up. Therefore, my 102-year-old Catholic neighbor, who frequently attends Church, is guilty as well! H a sty Generalization The generalization is reached too hastily. There are too few instances or evidences to support such a conclusion. You can't speak French. I can’t speak French. Carla can't speak French; therefore, nobody in this school can speak French. Post Hoc (false cause) Assuming a ‘cause-and- effect’ relationship between unrelated events Every time you wear your red scarf, you cry. You should get rid of it.

52. BIAS (PAGKILING) T he personal views of the person presenting it. They are not necessarily errors in reasoning, but refer to tendencies or influences which affect the views of people.

53. BI A S C H A R A C TERIS T ICS EX A MPLE Correspondence b i as (F u n d a m ental attribution error) Tendency to judge a person’s personality by his/her actions without regard for external factors or situations The soldiers who fought in the war are all bloodthirsty murderers. Confirmation bias the tendency to look for and accept information in a way that confirms one's own beliefs and reject ideas that go against it How can I accept his view that there is no God? I am a Christian!

54. BI A S CHARACTERISTICS E X A M P LE Conflict of interest A person or group is connected to or has a vested interest in the issue As the daughter of the accused, I believe that I have the right to express my opinion on the issue of his alleged corrupt practices. Cultural bias Analyzing an event or issue based on one’s cultural standards I do not agree with this Western practice of placing the elderly in retirement homes. We Filipinos take care of our family members. Fr am ing Focusing on a certain aspect of a problem while ignoring other aspects Preliminary evidence has still not pointed out the actual cause of the plane crash, but investigators are currently focusing on the possibility of pilot error. Hindsight (knew-it-all-along p h enom e n o n) Is when, after an event occurs, we feel we already knew what was going to happen When you put a glass on the edge of a table and you start cleaning and bumped the glass and it fell to the ground and

55. HOW CAN AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE DIFFER E NCE BETWEEN TRUTH AND OPINION LEAD US TO WISDOM? 55 Understanding of opinions and facts and the means to distinguish one from the other can further improve our understanding and appreciation of varied views and ideas. The ability to determine truth goes hand in hand with the holistic perspective and enables us to make wiser decisions, especially in choosing the ideas and views which we find acceptable.

56. HOW CAN AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE DIFFER E NCE BETWEEN TRUTH AND OPINION LEAD US TO WISDOM? 56 An individual cannot live his or her life just agreeing with everybody he or she meets. A critical mind aided by philosophy can help us form our own personal point of view that can guide us in making decisions and actions when faced with a problem. Philosophy can help us determine ideas that are truthful and acceptable which we can then use to form our own views regarding certain matters.

57. Let us imagine several individuals reacting to a news in television and radio about the recent killings of drug pushers and addicts throughout the country MANG ANTONIO ATTY. MACARAIG MRS. LOPEZ FATHER GOMEZ MR. TOLENTINO MRS. ALONZO 57

58. NOW, LET'S LOOK AT THEIR BACKGROUND MANG ANTONIO A citizen who lives in a barangay where the presence of drugs addicts is a problem ATTY. MACARAIG A lawyer and a citizen MRS. LOPEZ A housewife whose family lives in a community FATHER GOMEZ A priest MR. TOLENTINO A father whose daughter was raped and murdered by drug addicts. MRS. ALONZO A mother whose son is a drug addict. 58

59. Figuring out the backgrounds of the people who made the statements allows us to undertand the context by which they formed their views and opinions on the issue.

60. Which among the opinions is most similar to your own personal bias regarding the issue of the drug addicts?

61. PHILOSOPHY CAN HELP US EXAMINE VARIOUS VIEWS ON RELEVANT ISSUES AND OUR LIVES. AN OBJECTIVE EVALUATION OF OPINIONS AND AN AWARENESS OF OUR OWN PERSONAL BIASES CAN HELP US MAKE WISE CHOICES RAGRDING THE MOST ACCEPTABLE VIEWS TO ADOPT AND THE RIGHT ACTIONS TO UNDERTAKE. 61

62. Thanks! Any questions? 62 👧