Methods of philosophizing of Philosophyy

Philosophy HUMSS

1. METHODS OF
PHILOSOPHIZING

2. LET’S PONDER
Which of the following statements are TRUE?
1.The sun is the center of the solar system.
2.Asia is the largest continent in the world.
3.God made the world in seven days.
4.Man has the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness.
5.China’s continued presence in the Spratlys is a
violation of international law.
6.A person must always consider the interests of his
or her family before his or her own happiness.
7.The President has done very little to uphold
democracy and look after the interests of the
Filipino People

3. In today’s society, we encounter a lot of
information from various sources such as the media
and our interactions with 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.
In some cases, innocent individuals become
targets of harassment because of false claims and
testimonials issued online. 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?

4. Philosophers often grapple with the concept of
truth. Truth lies at the heart of any inquiry.
Knowledge must be truthful to gain validity and
acceptance.
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.

5. What is truth and why is it important?
Before we discuss truth, it is important to clarify
knowledge, since it is through knowing that we are
able to determine what is true.
Knowledge is the 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.
Propositions or statements which are observed to be
real or truthful are considered facts.

6. There are statements, however, that are not
evidently or immediately known to be true. For
example, we can say that “I know that my school is the
best school in the province”. This statement, however,
cannot be taken as true since it is simply not
immediately evident. This statement is a claim, and
further examination is required to establish whether it is
true or false.
Truthful statements, therefore, can be considered
as based on facts. Science considers truth as something
observable and empirical.

7. Truth and Opinion
An opinion is a statement of judgment of a
person about something in the world.
Opinions are statements of judgment that
are in need of further justification, opinions
will have to be defended with better
reasons to strengthen them .

8. How to critically examine opinions:
We have shown that in order for an opinion to
gain the status of truth , it must be able to pass the test
of justification. In other words, whoever makes the
opinion must be able to argue for it in the most
reasonable way. A philosophical mind must then
be prepared to examine arguments supporting an
opinion.
An argument is a group of statements that
serve to support a conclusion. It is composed
of a claim and a premise.

9. We call fake arguments as “fallacies”.
Fallacies are group of statements that appear to
be arguments, but fail to support the conclusion.
They usually come in the guise of well
articulated arguments. If you are not keen and
critical enough, they can pass your tests of
justification with no difficulty at all. This is why it is
important to know what these fallacies look like.

10. TYPES OF FALLACIES
ARGUMENTUM AD HOMINEM (Argument against
the Person
This is a fallacy used when people convince
others that someone’s argument should be
rejected because of the person’s personal
background – his history, nationality, race, socio-
economic status, family, associations, religion, and
other circumstances.
This argument is considered fallacious
because the rightness or wrongness of a claim
should not be affected by the background of the
person claiming it.

11. ARGUMENTUM AD BACULUM ( Appeal to Force)
This is an argument used by people who want to
win a conflict by issuing threats to their opponent.
Why is this argument fallacious? It is problematic
because instead of convincing the other person
that you are right by giving good reasons, you
force them to accept whatever you say. The
listeners are made to say “yes” to your claim even
if in their right minds they know that your argument
is foolish

12. ARGUMENTUM AD MISERICORDIAM (Appeal to Pity)
This fallacy is also called appeal to emotion.
It is an argument used by people who want
to win people over by manipulating their
emotions. This is a favorite tactic of
politicians during campaign periods.

13. ARGUMENTUM AD POPULUM ( Bandwagon Fallacy)
This fallacious argument is a favorite marketing
strategy by advertising agencies. It is used by
appealing to the popular sentiment of the public. If
they want their product to sell, they will get the
most popular personalities to model their product.
This results to fans and avid followers of those
personalities buying the product.