Importance of Philosophical Reflection

Philosophical reflection is the process by which a person undergoes a reflective

state or evaluates his or her experiences first before making any related action. The use
of philosophical reflection is important as it enables thought to be looked into using a
deeper, holistic perspective. In effect, actions are directed towards greater sources of
wisdom and truth.
Human Activities Emanated from Deliberate Reflection
In the process, one can learn more about himself or herself, including personal
beliefs, ideals, or values. Previous experiences may be seen as important aspects of
making reflections because they facilitate deeper thinking and understanding of the self.
Aside from knowing the self, many other activities also emanate from reflection.
Examples:
● learning from your previous mistakes and not repeating them again
● evaluating and knowing the best choice from a set of options
● gaining a holistic point of view first before making any conclusion
Importance of Doing Philosophy
Doing philosophy can be applied in day-to-day activities and life perspectives.
Because it involves an evaluative process, doing philosophy allows a person to make
better decisions and act accordingly to situations with the help of various philosophical
skills.
Furthermore, on life perspectives, philosophy enables reflective thinking which
greatly influences a person’s view of life, challenges, and relationships. Doing philosophy
directs how a person will perceive these factors in life and how they will be faced.
In any setting, wisdom is always gained when philosophy is applied to formulate a
conclusion about a certain concern.
Methods of Philosophizing

WHAT IS PHILOSOPHY

The use of the term philosophy is attributed to Pythagoras as he is said to be the

first to use it when he differentiated the three classes of people who attend the ancient
Olympic Games as (1) lovers of gain; (2) lovers of honor; (3) lovers of knowledge or
wisdom. According to Pythagoras, the third class of people is the best kind who goes to
the games as they are spectators who seek to arrive at the truth. They neither seek profit
(as represented by the first class of people who sells their wares for money) nor compete
in the games for honor (as represented by the second class of people.) He called this
class of people philosophers.

The term “philosophy” comes from the Greek language. It consists of two words:
• philos - (love, or philia)– friendship, affection
• sophos - (learned scholar, sage, or
• sophia - wisdom, knowledge, talent
● “philo” - love ; “sophia” - wisdom

THUS:
1. Philosophy is the love of wisdom.
2. Philosophy attempts to answer life's big questions.
3. Philosophy is about questions.
4. Philosophers ask questions about what people believe.
5. Philosophy is about examining ourselves and our beliefs.
 Have you ever looked in the mirror and asked:

Who am I?
What am I here?
What should I do with my life?

THE MAJOR BRANCHES OF PHILOSOPHY

1. Ethics - is derived from the Greek term ethos, meaning “moral
philosophy,” is concerned about human conduct. As a
normative study, it deals with norms or standards of right and
wrong applicable to human behavior. It is considered
prescriptive as it prescribes what people ought to do rather
than describes what people do. A philosopher engaged in
ethics is concerned in finding out what norms or standards of
human behavior lead to ends or goals which are desirable or
undesirable.

2. Aesthetics - comes from the Greek word aisthetikos which means

“sensitive” or “perceptive”. In this branch of philosophy, the
philosopher is concerned with the analysis of aesthetic
experience and the idea of what is beautiful.

3. Epistemology- comes from the Greek word “episteme” which means

“knowledge”; thus this branch of philosophy deals with various
problems concerning knowledge. Among the major concerns
in the epistemology are the origin of knowledge – whether
empiricism (given by experience) or rationalism (given by the
mind prior to experience) – and the verification or confirmation
of knowledge.
4. Logic - is the branch of philosophy that looks into whether there are
rules or principles that govern reasoning. As a study of
reasoning, logic incorporates the analysis of the methods of
deduction and induction to provide the rules on how people
ought to think logically. Logic increases one’s ability to reason
correctly and distinguish irrational reasoning.

5. Metaphysics - literally means “after physics.” Early Greek philosophers

claimed that it is the study of the nature of reality. This branch
of philosophy analyzes whether everything material, and if life,
energy, and mind are its different manifestations.