Topic #1: Introduction to Philosophy

Question 1

Philosophy is derived from what two greek words?

Answer 1

Philia (Love) and Sophia (Wisdom) = Love of Wisdom

Question 2

It is the pursuit to apply correct knowledge

Answer 2

Philosophy

Question 3

The four branches of Philosophy

Answer 3

• Metaphysics
• Epistemology
• Logic
• Ethics

Question 4

it is the branch of Philosophy that deals with concepts and questions regarding the notion of God, soul and even freedom

Answer 4

Metaphysics

Question 5

This philosophical study ventures into the understanding of the nature and dynamics of knowledge.

This also attempts to know how knowledge is acquired and if it could be acquired and to what extent is knowledge possible.

Answer 5

Epistemology

Question 6

This branch of philosophy attempts to distinguish sound or good reasoning from unsound or bad reasoning

Answer 6

Logic

Question 7

This branch of Philosophy questions how human persons ought to act, and search for a definition of a right conduct and the good life.

Answer 7

Ethics

Question 8

Two Kinds of Reflection

Answer 8

Primary Reflection
Secondary Reflection

Question 9

It is a kind of reflection characterized by that calculates, analyzes, or recounts past events. It is also fragmented and compartmentalized thinking. It is also called Instrumental Thinking.

Answer 9

Primary Reflection

Question 10

This kind of reflection integrates fragmented and compartmentalized experience into a coherent whole and is genuine or unselfish thinking.

Answer 10

Secondary Reflection

Question 11

What do you call the ability of the mind to construct and evaluate arguments?

Answer 11

Critical Thinking (Primary Reflection)

Question 12

Two skills needed in doing philosophy

Answer 12

Philosophical Reflection
Construction and evaluation of argument

Question 13

Why is Philosophical Reflection important in doing Philosophy?

Answer 13

It enables us to look deeper into our experiences and see the bigger picture of reality

Question 14

Why is Construction and Evaluation of Arguments important in doing Philosophy?

Answer 14

It allows us to express our ideas in a systematic and logical way and allows us to examine the ideas of other people

Question 15

How can we determine the wrongness of a human action?

Answer 15

If an act does not conform to moral standards.
- If it affects the well-being of the other.
- If one’s practice of freedom violates the other person’s freedom.

Question 16

How can we determine the rightness of a human action?

Answer 16

• If it conforms to moral standards and ethical principles that we have learned and acquired along the way implicitly or explicitly?
• If we experience happiness?
• If the act generates ultimate goodness for the majority?
• If it is pragmatic to the individual?

Question 17

Why do we need to be ethical or moral?

Answer 17

We are individuals among other individuals. (Esse est co-esse)
- We as social beings are political beings, hence, involved in the “becoming” of our world.
We are, therefore, involved in the development or otherwise, downfall of our social life.
- Now, in attempting to define or redefine our moral existence, we are confronting the necessity to examine our own faculties and our moral judgments.

Question 18

It is the analysis of the situation or the careful deliberation of circumstances or socio-cultural dynamics

Answer 18

Critical Thinking

Question 19

It is the type of thinking that does not only deliberate on concrete social issues, but acts on them. Hence, this is also indulges in a battle for a socially just and humane society

Answer 19

Ethical Thinking

Question 20

For the Greeks, what is Telos of human act?

Answer 20

It is the acquisition or the attainment of the good life through virtue and pursuit of happiness

Question 21

For the Hebrews, what is ethics?

Answer 21

It is the ideals of the righteousness before God and the love of God and neighbors. Hence, the end off all human act is to align one’s self towards the will of God.

Question 22

Differences between Ethics and Morality

Answer 22

Ethics denotes the theory of right action and the greater good and undertakes a systematic study of the underlying principles of morality.

Morality indicates the practice, that is, the rightness or wrongness of a human action and is more prescriptive in nature as it tells us what we ought to do and not do.

Question 23

It is the science of Morals

Answer 23

Ethics

Question 24

It is the practice of Ethics

Answer 24

Morality

Question 25

Types of Ethics

Answer 25

Normative Ethics Metaethics Applied Ethics

Question 26

This type of ethics seeks to set norms or standards that regulate right and wrong or good and bad conducts. It also seeks to develop guidelines or theories that tell us how we ought to behave

Answer 26

Normative Ethics

Question 27

This type of ethics is descriptive as it questions the meanings of various ethical terms and functions of ethical utterances. This ethical branch also aims to understand the nature and dynamics of ethical principles while seeking to find the origins of moral facts.

Answer 27

Metaethics

Question 28

This branch of ethics attempts to apply ethical and moral theories on actual instances and specific branches of study such as in business (Business ethics), biology and medicine (Bioethics), environmental ethics and social ethics.

Answer 28

Applied Ethics

Question 29

It is about the rules of conduct with which individuals seek counsel

Answer 29

Morality

Question 30

It is about how a person tunes in with morality

Answer 30

Ethics

Question 31

Morality in the Descriptive Sense

Answer 31

Morality refers to codes of conduct put forward by a society or a group, or accepted by an individual for her own behavior.

Question 32

Morality in the Normative Sense

Answer 32

Morality refers to a code of conduct that, given specified conditions, would be put forward by all rational persons.

Question 33

Implications of Descriptive Ehtics

Answer 33

If morality is understood in the descriptive sense, then it follows that there can be no universal morality as there are various societies, religions, and groups of people which, in one way or another, adhere to specific rule of conduct that govern them. It implies that relevant rules of conduct only apply to individuals within the group and excludes others who do not belong them.

Question 34

Implications of Normative Ethics

Answer 34

It presupposes that there is or there can be a universal moral principle. It presupposes a moral agent, one who possesses certain conditions, such as freedom and rationality, which makes her choice truly hers.

Question 35

Now, ethics studies and understands morality in the normative sense this is because:

Answer 35

It tries to establish universal moral principle It posits that the person is a moral agent

Question 36

These are the ones that are justified through reason and not by custom, religion, or by certain convictions of a group of people

Answer 36

Moral Standards

Question 37

These refers to rules which do not concern moral actions or judgments. It tells us what is preferable or not, but it does not tell us that valuing some goods are necessarily right or wrong.

Answer 37

Non-moral Standards

Question 38

It is a situation where the individual is torn between two or more conflicting opinions or two or more conflicting moral requirements.

Answer 38

Moral Dilemma

Question 39

What does a Moral Dilemma consist of?

Answer 39

- An agent - An obligation to act on each of the two or more options; yet, - The agent cannot do both or more options

Question 40

A type of moral dilemma wherein the agent does not know what option is morally right

Answer 40

Epistemic Conflict

Question 41

A type of moral dilemma wherein the moral agent is forced to choose between two or more equally the same moral requirement and neither of which overrides the other.

Answer 41

Ontological Conflict

Question 42

In this type of Dilemma, the agent makes two or more conflicting promises and neither of which can be disposed without conflicting with the other.

Answer 42

Self-Imposed Dilemma

Question 43

In this type of dilemma the agent is unfortunately victimized by a dilemma forcing her to act on two or more conflicting options. This is often enforced as coercive dilemma in the guise of choice.

Answer 43

World-Imposed Dilemma

Question 44

This dilemma involves two or more persons while the persons are compelled to act on two or more equally same moral options, but one cannot choose both.

Answer 44

Single-agent and Multi-persons Dilemma

Question 45

This dilemma, which is found in many other types of moral dilemmas, is where the moral agent is torn between the necessity to act on a particular duty-based decision or through a natural instinct to preserve one’s own existence.

Answer 45

General and Role-related Obligations